Search Results

Author:

Hacker, Barton C.  Search this

Object Type:

Smithsonian staff publication

Year:

2012

Citation:

Hacker, Barton C. 2012. [Presentation:] “American Military History: State of the Field.” Presented at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians, Milwaukee, WI [presentation].

Identifier:

145483

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:slasro_145483

Creator:

Smithsonian Magazine  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Podcast

MIME Type:

audio/mpeg

Uploaded:

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

Topic:

Inventions  Search this

Innovations  Search this

See more episodes:

Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day September 25th 2010

Data Source:

Smithsonian Magazine

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:podcasts_65a1c6f12a982d59edc68d472e5e1824

Extent:

1.29 Linear feet (1 box)

Container:

Box 1

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Ephemera

Newspapers

Place:

Washington (D.C.) -- 20th century

Adams Morgan (Washington, D.C.)

Date:

1973-1974

Summary:

Carol and Katie Davis Collection of Adams Morgan Ephemera, which dates from 1973-1974 and measures 1.29 linear feet, documents the growth and flourishing of neigborhood activism in Washington, DC both before and after the arrival of Home Rule. The collection includes copies of The Columbian newspaper, the self-proclaimed "Community Newspaper of Adams Morgan," also published as "Noticierio Columbian."

Scope and Contents:

Carol and Katie Davis Collection of Adams Morgan Ephemera, which dates from 1973-1974 and measures 1.29 linear feet, documents the growth and flourishing of neigborhood activism in Washington, DC both before and after the arrival of Home Rule. The collection includes copies of The Columbian newspaper, the self-proclaimed "Community Newspaper of Adams Morgan," also published as "Noticierio Columbian." Present in the collection are also flyers, brochures, and a report which documents the organization's efforts to fight the impending gentrification, speculation, and displacement that was threatening the neighborhood in the 1970s.

Biographical / Historical:

Adams Morgan Organization (AMO), founded in 1972 by neighborhood advocates Marie Nahikian, Walter Pierce, Topper Care, Josephine "Jo" Butler, Edward G. Jackson Sr., Charlotte Fillmore, and Milton Kotler among others, tackled urgent issues in their community like real estate speculation and residential displacement. AMO convened regular and well-attended assembly meetings where residents shared an equal vote with AMO's elected chairperson and 25 representatives. When the Advisory Neigbhorhood Commissions (ANCs) were created as part of DC's transition to Home Rule, AMO served as a model of how local self-government could thrive. The tenant protections that AMO advocated for-including the 1975 Rental Accommodations Act, the 1978 Residential Real Property Transfer Excise Tax, and the 1980 Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act-have helped preserve what affordable housing has remained in the District of Columbia.

Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Community activists  Search this

Urban Life  Search this

Community Organizations  Search this

Genre/Form:

Ephemera -- 20th century

Newspapers

Citation:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives,Smithsonian Institution,gift of Carol and Katie Davis.

Identifier:

ACMA.06-084

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa73a67ffb4-db5f-412e-b407-878e68a6f04a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-acma-06-084

Creator:

Dale, Dianne  Search this

Polk, P. H., 1898-1985  Search this

Names:

Barry, Marion, 1936-2014  Search this

Dale, Almore M., 1911-1984  Search this

Dale, Dianne  Search this

Dale, John Henry, Jr., 1888-1973  Search this

Dale, Lucille Emma Patterson, 1889-1973  Search this

Dale, Marie Howard, 1914-2011  Search this

Dale, Norman Edward, 1908-1991  Search this

Garner, Araminta Dale, 1913-1987  Search this

Patterson, Frederick D. (Frederick Douglass), 1901-1988  Search this

Patterson, Wilhelmina Bessie, 1888-1962  Search this

Extent:

6 Linear feet (9 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Programs

Clippings

Correspondence

Ephemera

Postcards

Place:

Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)

Date:

1866 - 1990.

Summary:

The Dale-Patterson family papers, which date from 1866 to 2010 and measure 6 linear feet, document the personal and professional lives of the Dale-Patterson family who came to live in Hillsdale, Anacostia, area of Washington, D.C., in 1892.

Scope and Contents note:

The Dale-Patterson family papers, which date from 1866 to 1990 and measure 6 linear feet, document the personal and professional lives of the Dale-Patterson family who came to live in Hillsdale, Anacostia, area of Washington, D.C., in 1892. The collection is comprised of correspondence, photographs, clippings, and ephemera.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged in four series:

Series 1: Dale-Patterson Family papers Series 2: Charles Qualls papers Series 3: Community Organizations Series 4: Subject Files

Biographical/Historical note:

The Dale family came to Washington, DC in 1886 when John Henry Dale, Sr., a gifted self-taught man, obtained a position as clerk in the newly contracted Pension Bureau building at 5th and G Streets, NW. First they lived near 13th Street and Florida Avenue, NW, then moved to Howard Road in Anacostia. Dale built a house at 2619 Nichols Avenue, now Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, drawing the plans and supervising the construction. The Dales and only one other family lived in this solidly built house for 100 years before it was sold to a church group and demolished.

General Note:

Finding Aid Note: This finding aid is associated with a MARC collection-level record.361883

Provenance:

The Dale-Patterson Family collection was donated to the Anacostia Community Museum on April 07, 2013.

Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Rights:

The Dale-Patterson Family collection is the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.

Topic:

African Americans  Search this

African American families  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Programs

Clippings

Correspondence

Ephemera

Postcards

Citation:

Dale-Patterson Family collection, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dianne Dale.

Identifier:

ACMA.06-074

See more items in:

Dale-Patterson Family collection

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa7c29572e9-2bd6-4b2a-8982-b527693b7885

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-acma-06-074

Extent:

0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder, Printed invitation with hand-lettered name., 4.25 x 5.4 inches)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Invitations

Date:

October 10, 1923

Summary:

This single-item collection consists of an invitation to the christening of the US Navy airship ZR-1 USS Shenandoah at NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey, on October 10, 1923.

Scope and Contents:

This single-item collection consists of an invitation to the christening of the US Navy airship ZR-1 USS Shenandoah at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, on October 10, 1923: "The Secretary of the Navy requests the pleasure of the company of Mr. Benjamin Postman at the Christening of the U. S. S. Shenandoah on Wednesday afternoon, October the tenth at two o'clock at the United States Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, New Jersey."

Arrangement:

No arrangement.

Biographical / Historical:

Plans for the construction of the US Navy airship ZR-1 USS Shenandoah, the first rigid airship to be built in the United States, were begun in September 1919; her parts were manufactured at the Naval Aircraft Factory and then shipped to NAS Lakehurst for final assembly. The assembly began on February 11, 1922, and the Shenandoah was christened on October 10, 1923. Despite her relatively short life of two years, the Shenandoah achieved many firsts during her operational career. She was the first rigid airship to be inflated with helium; the first to use water recovery apparatus for the continuous recovery of ballast from the exhaust gas of fuel burned; and she completed the most extended operation accomplished by an airship up to that time, completing 57 flights, logging 740 hours in the air, and covering about 28,000 miles on flights designed to train crewmen in the science of handling large airships in naval missions. Sadly, the airship was to meet a tragic end. Before dawn on the morning of September 3, 1925, over eastern Ohio, the Shenandoah encountered a severe storm. She broke in two; the control car separated and fell to the ground while the forward section of the ship rose to a great height and remained in the air for the greater part of an hour before making a free balloon landing at Sharon, Ohio, with the bulk of the airship crashing near Ava, Ohio. Fourteen of the 43-person crew were killed.

Provenance:

Alan S. Postman, gift, 1988, NASM. 1988.0054.

Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Topic:

Aeronautics  Search this

Airships  Search this

Naval aviation  Search this

ZR-1 Shenandoah  Search this

Genre/Form:

Invitations

Citation:

ZR-1 Shenandoah Christening Invitation, Acc. NASM.1988.0054, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NASM.1988.0054

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2806e3536-f695-4e57-bdad-8a77608408b6

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nasm-1988-0054

Names:

Andrade-Watkins, Claire  Search this

Bambara, Toni Cade  Search this

Dash, Julie  Search this

Gerima, Haile  Search this

Greaves, William, 1953-2005  Search this

Gunn, Bill, 1934-1989  Search this

Jafa, Arthur  Search this

Jones, Robert Earl, 1904-2006  Search this

Massiah, Louis  Search this

Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951  Search this

Moses, Ethel  Search this

Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976  Search this

Sanchez, Sonia, 1934- (poet, reader)  Search this

Snead, James A., 1953-1989  Search this

Spence, Louise, 1945-  Search this

Tucker, Lorenzo  Search this

Donor:

Bowser, Pearl, 1931-  Search this

Extent:

approximately 100 Motion picture films

213 Sound cassettes (7 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Motion picture films

Sound cassettes

Sound cassette

Oral histories (document genres)

16mm motion picture film

Vhs (videotape format)

Place:

England

Harlem (New York, N.Y.)

Roanoke (Va.)

Memphis (Tenn.)

Date:

bulk 1920-2001

Biographical / Historical:

Pearl Bowser is a filmmaker, producer, author, lecturer, and highly acclaimed scholar of African American film who is recognized as an authority on the works of Oscar Micheaux, a noted writer, director, and producer of race films from 1919 to 1948.

Born Pearl Johnson on June 25, 1931, in Sugar Hill, Harlem, New York, she was named after her mother (also Pearl Johnson), a domestic worker who had been raised in a Catholic nunnery. On occasional Saturdays, the younger Pearl would accompany her mother to work in apartments in lower Manhattan, where she would assist her by folding handkerchiefs for a small allowance. After moving to a lower part of Harlem when she was about four years old, she met Harlem entrepreneur "Bumpy" Johnson, for whom she and other children in the neighborhood did odd jobs such as counting coins or attending to his ice-cream stand. Johnson, who would sometimes give the children joy rides in his Cadillac, occasionally allowed Pearl and the other children to borrow books from his extensive library, provided that they read them and submitted to a quiz.

As a child, Bowser had several racist encounters. For example, one of her white kindergarten teachers at her elementary school wore gloves in the classroom as to not touch Black pupils. She was also occasionally teased for having a gap between her teeth but felt insulated from sustained bullying because she had several older brothers who sometimes protected her. On a separate occasion, when she was about nine years old, her mother sent her on a trip from New York to the South to visit relatives. Although her mother had purchased tickets for her to be in a Pullman car, when she changed trains in Washington, DC., she was forced to ride in the car behind the engine, which left her covered in soot.

An avid reader, Pearl excelled in elementary and high school and received a scholarship to attend Brooklyn College, where she majored in biology. She supplemented her income by recording the numbers in one of Bumpy Johnson's shops. Disappointed with the quality of the education she was receiving, Bowser withdrew from Brooklyn College, eventually landing a job at CBS where she worked on a team that analyzed Nielsen ratings.

In 1955, Pearl married fellow New Yorker LeRoy Bowser. By the mid-1960s, although Pearl and LeRoy Bowser had separate interests, they both were working simultaneously in the civil rights movement. While LeRoy was active in Brooklyn CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and went to the South in the summer to teach for what was the beginning of HeadStart, Pearl, along with other production activists, took to the streets documenting African American culture and issues—working to bring these films to schools. Additionally, Bowser wanted to write a cookbook to earn funds for Brooklyn's CORE organization. She was approached by David Davis, the editor of Tuesday Magazine. Tuesday had distribution in the Herald Tribune across the country as a Sunday supplement. As the urban-world magazine exploded in Black communities, "Joan" Bowser's two-page pictorials on Southern cooking with a set of recipes became very popular in the five years she wrote them. Bowser retained copyrights to the articles, and easily completed her cookbook a short time later.

Bowser's colleague at ABC, Charles Hobson, found a used book written by Peter Noble about Black films and Oscar Micheaux. The volume was slim and contained what little information contained in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) files. Hobson and his colleagues wanted to write a book about the topic, and they assigned Bowser to begin the research. As part of the project, Bowser went to California to interview actors who may have been in early Black films or may have worked with Micheaux. What she learned began her intensive scholarship into Micheaux and his fellow filmmakers.

In 1971, she organized her first film festival, the Black Film History Series. In 1979, she organized the nation's first American women's film festival in New York City. She also presented a major retrospective, Independent Black American Cinema 1920-1980, which toured the country during 1981 and 1982. She also directed the Journey Across Three Continents film and lecture series, which toured the country from 1983-1985. Bowser also served as president of the prestigious Flaherty Film Seminar in 1987. In 1989, she, alongside Grant Munro, programmed the 35th Flaherty Film Seminar, which featured films such as Finzan, Zajota and the Boogie Spirit, Daughters of the Dust, and many more. She has also been a judge at the world-renown Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESCPACO) in Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta).

In the 1980s Bowser was awarded an independent artists grant by the Ford Foundation to travel west and collect oral histories from individuals in Oscar Micheaux's orbit, loosely following the route he would have travelled decades earlier. Stopping in cities such as Roanoke, Virginia; Memphis, Tennessee; and Jackson, Mississippi, she collected dozens of oral histories from actors, actresses etc. that knew Oscar Micheaux. Through this research she became an eminent figure in the Black independent film industry. Working as a programmer, she travelled around the United States and the world showing films by domestic and Black filmmakers within the Diaspora.

Despite her wealth of experience working as a programmer, it wasn't until the 1990s that Bowser made her directorial debut with the documentary film Midnight Ramble. Funded by American Experience, the film looks at African Americans and Hollywood movies from 1910 through the 1950s. In 2000, she, along with Louise Spence, co-authored Writing Himself into History: Oscar Micheaux, His Silent Films and His Audiences, a book about the pioneering filmmaker. Additionally, she is founder and director of Chamba Educational Film Services, a film distribution company that specialized in distributing films by African American filmmakers. In the early 1980s, she renamed her company/collection as African Diaspora Images, a collection of historical and contemporary films documenting Black film history. She subsequently joined Third World Newsreel, where she was director of their theater department.

In 2012, Pearl Bowser donated her extensive collection of books, sound cassettes, films, film memorabilia, and papers to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Sources:

1940 United States Federal Census; New York, New York, New York, population schedule, p. 61B, house number 1486, family 195, Pearl Bowser; Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012 accessed: 10 Sept 2022); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm: m-t0627-02665

Bowser, Pearl. Pearl Bowser Oral History. Interview by Tuliza Fleming and Jennifer Lyon, July 21, 2011.

Provenance:

Acquired as a donation from Pearl Bowser in 2012.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.

Occupation:

Filmmakers  Search this

Actors -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Documentary films  Search this

Film festivals  Search this

African American actors  Search this

African American actresses  Search this

African diaspora  Search this

Race films  Search this

African American motion picture producers and directors  Search this

African American women authors  Search this

Meetings  Search this

Conferences  Search this

Lectures and lecturing  Search this

Amateur films  Search this

Motion picture soundtracks  Search this

Oral history  Search this

Radio broadcasts  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound cassette

Oral histories (document genres)

16mm motion picture film

VHS (videotape format)

Citation:

Pearl Bowser Collection, National Museum of African American History and Culture

Identifier:

NMAAHC.A2012.79.AV

See more items in:

Pearl Bowser Audiovisual Collection

Archival Repository:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io3209e9c6d-3045-4a0a-941e-6519385b18d5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmaahc-a2012-79-av

Creator:

Freelon, Philip G., 1953-2019  Search this

Names:

American Institute of Architects  Search this

Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup  Search this

Freelon Bond Architects  Search this

Freelon Group  Search this

Hampton University (Va.)  Search this

Harvard University  Search this

Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Search this

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. School of Architecture  Search this

National Museum of African American History and Culture  Search this

National Organization of Minority Architects (U.S.)  Search this

North Carolina Board of Architecture  Search this

NorthStar Church of the Arts  Search this

PPG Industries, Inc.  Search this

Perkins & Will  Search this

Adjaye, David, 1966-  Search this

Bond, J. Max, Jr.  Search this

Freelon, Allan Randall, 1895-1960  Search this

Extent:

5.1 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Place:

North Carolina -- United States

United States of America -- North Carolina -- Durham County -- Durham

United States of America -- Massachusetts -- Suffolk County -- Boston

United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia County -- Philadelphia

United States of America -- New York -- New York

Date:

bulk 1939-2017

Scope and Contents:

The Philip G. Freelon Architectural Archival Collection documents the life and career of architect, educator, cultural heritage preservation advocate and artist Philip G. Freelon. The collection highlights his distinguished career from its inception to his role as the "architect of record" for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Freelon was one of the leading African American architects of his generation and he created a focus designing and constructing buildings that paid reverence to African Americans and other underrepresented communities. This collection is comprised of business records, photographic materials, ephemera, correspondence, architectural drawings, and clippings.

Arrangement:

The materials in this collection have been separated into seven series. The materials have been ordered and organized based on the content and chronology. Within each series and sub-series, the folders are organized as close to the collection's original order as when it was acquired.

Biographical / Historical:

Philip Goodwin Freelon was born March 26, 1953, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Allan Freelon, Jr. and Elizabeth Neal Freelon. Freelon was greatly influenced by his grandfather, Allan Freelon Sr., a notable Harlem Renaissance visual artist, educator, and civil rights activist. His grandfather's values and artistry inspired him to create a career that focused on creating historical and cultural spaces in African American communities. Freelon attended high school at the former predominantly white elite all-boys school, Central High School located in upper North Philadelphia from 1967 to 1971. His attendance at this school during of the Civil Rights Movement afforded him the unique experience that inspired him to attend a historically Black college (HBCU). Freelon selected Hampton Institute (Hampton University) to develop his veneration of the composition and design of the buildings that held cultural and artistic treasures. Located in the Tidewater area of Virginia, Hampton was renowned among HBCUs for its architecture program. His professor and mentor at Hampton, John Spencer, pushed Freelon academically as he moved easily through the school's curriculum. After two years at Hampton, Spencer helped Freelon transition to a more challenging program at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Freelon graduated in 1975 with a bachelor's in environmental design in architecture.

Later in the fall of 1975, Freelon enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to pursue a master's in architecture. During the summers, Freelon worked with one of former his NC State professors at the architectural firm of John D. Latimer and Associates. After graduating from MIT in 1977, Freelon returned to North Carolina to take his Architecture Registration Examination (ARE), becoming the firm's youngest person to receive licensure. He also began teaching classes at his alma mater, NC State. It was there that Freelon met his future wife, Nnenna Pierce. Pierce, a Massachusetts native was attending Simmons College in Boston at the time. The connection was immediate, and the pair was married in 1979 and welcomed their first son, Deen in 1980. After a brief employment for a large Texas firm 3/D International, Freelon returned to Durham to join O'Brien Atkins Associates. He was the firm's youngest partner, eventually serving as principal and vice president of architecture. Freelon worked on a wide variety of projects throughout the state including learning centers, university buildings, churches, and parking garages. Along with Freelon's budding career, his family was expanding as well. Phil and Nnenna welcomed their daughter Maya in 1982 and their son, Pierce in 1983. During this time, Freelon was being highly recognized for his work. The American of Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded him the Honor Award for his design of Terminal 2 of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which has since been rebuilt.

By the end of the decade, Freelon and his wife Nnenna needed a change of pace. Nnenna pursued a professional career in music while Phil took a break from his career to expand his skillset and reinforce his intellectual approach to design. In 1989, Freelon was granted the Loeb Fellowship for one year of independent study at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He also pursued a longtime hobby of furniture design, calling the practice "small architecture". He received industry awards like first prize in the PPG Industries, Inc. Furniture Design Competition as well as AIA Honor Award for conference table designs. With a year away from the field to clarify his vision, Freelon opened his own firm, simply titled, the Freelon Group in 1990. Beginning as a one-man operation, the Freelon Group grew to become one of the largest African American owned architectural firms in the country with over 50 employees, forty percent of which were women, and thirty percent were people of color. With freedom within his own firm, Freelon focused on designing learning centers, libraries and museums and vowed to never build anything that did not bring cultural and intellectual value to a community.

Over the next twenty years, Freelon would assert himself as a force in designing notable cultural institutions and community-driven projects in and around the country including the Sonja Haynes Stone Center at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC), Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture (Baltimore, MD), Museum of African Diaspora (San Francisco, CA), Harvey B. Gantt for African American Arts and Culture (Charlotte, NC), the Anacostia and Tenley-Friendship branches of the District of Columbia Public Library , National Center for Civil Rights and Human Rights (Atlanta, GA), Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (Jackson, MS) and Emancipation Park (Houston, TX). Alongside his architectural career, Freelon served as a lecturer and adjunct professor at several colleges and universities including North Carolina State University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Maryland College Park, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and the Florence, Italy program at Kent State University. Freelon was awarded a full-time appointment as professor of Professional Practice at MIT in 2008. The Professional Practice (4.222) course was a requirement for the master's in architecture and he used examples from his extensive career and personal experience to illustrate legal, ethical, and management concepts. Nnenna's music career was also thriving. She would go on to record twelve albums and be nominated for six Grammys. This fusion of education, the arts, and music inspired another generation of Freelons: their son, Pierce Freelon is a hip-hop artist, educator, and political activist; daughter Maya Freelon is a visual artist; and son Deen Freelon is a professor.

In 2001, George W. Bush established a commission to create a new museum on the National Mall. Freelon wanted to enter his firm to participate in the international design competition. Freelon would partner with famed African American New York City architect, J. Max Bond, Jr. and by 2006 the two officially formed the Freelon Bond Architects.The Freelon Bond group submitted their proposal and soon after were elected to create programming and pre-design work for the museum. When the official design competition for the museum was announced in 2008, UK-based architect David Adjaye joined the team as the lead designer, and along with the partnering firm SmithGroup, the new architectural team became Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup. The three black architects combined a variety of distinctive elements from Africa and the Americas to create the building's unique, historically significant design. The Freelon Group served as the "architect of record" and were responsible for ensuring that key design ideas were upheld. Freelon and key firm members such as Zena Howard were active as on-site project managers during the museum's construction process to certify that the building would be developed according to plan. Freelon, Adjaye, and Bond were tasked with taking the collective history of the African American experience-- generations of pain, triumph, and perseverance-- and forming it into a structure. The team looked to African sources, such as Yoruban architecture, for inspiration. They sought to connect the building's design to the geographic and cultural roots of African Americans. Their design choices also reference the contributions of enslaved and free black metalworkers made to the landscape of the American South. Their goal was to make the museum an extension of its contents, and an expression of the stories told inside. By the groundbreaking for NMAAHC in 2012, Freelon had been appointed to the U.S. Commission of the Fine Arts by President Barack Obama. In an effort to broaden his resources and expand his firm, The Freelon Group merged with Perkins & Will, a firm originating in Chicago that grew to have offices across the United States. Freelon was appointed the managing director and later lead design director at the firm's North Carolina offices in Charlotte and Durham in 2014. By the next year, Freelon understood that his work in architecture and education was a necessary voice to preserve, which he did through donation of the bulk of his personal papers to his alma mater, NC State University. The year 2016 proved to be a year of triumph for Freelon as NMAAHC opened its doors on September 24th to much jubilation and celebration. That same year, Freelon's legacy was further cemented as the Phil Freelon Fellowship Fund was established at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, a fellowship designed to broaden opportunities for African Americans and other underrepresented communities in architecture and design.

Unfortunately, this triumphant year was met with difficulty as Freelon was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive disease that affects the nervous system. He would continue to work and lecture for the next two years until it became too challenging. One of those projects was the renovation and opening of The NorthStar Church of the Arts in early 2019. A passion project with his wife and son, Pierce, a former church was renovated and repurposed as an arts and cultural space for all. This space was created in an effort to support the Durham cultural community as it began to feel the effects of gentrification. When Freelon lost his battle with ALS on July 9, 2019, in his home in Durham, North Carolina, the family requested that in lieu of flowers that donations be sent to the NorthStar Church to continue the center's mission and Phil's dream to give back to the Durham community.

Historical Timeline

1953 -- Philip Goodwin Freelon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Allan Freelon Jr. and Elizabeth Neal Freelon.

1971 -- Freelon graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and entered School of Architecture, Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia as a design student.

1973 -- Freelon transferred to College of Design at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

1975 -- Graduated with a Bachelor's in Environmental Design in Architecture from NC State University. He received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Book Award for Outstanding Work in Architectural Design. In the fall, he began his master's program in architecture at MIT.

1976 -- Began working as aide for architectural firm, John D. Latimer and Associates.

1977 -- Graduated with a Master's in Architecture and Design from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT.)

1978 -- Freelon became youngest architect to pass the North Carolina Architecture Registration Exam. Freelon started teaching at North Carolina State University.

1979 -- Married Chinyere "Nnenna" Pierce. Freelon began working for, 3/D International in Houston, Texas.

1980 -- Son Deen Freelon was born.

1981 -- Freelon returned to Durham, NC to join O'Brien Atkins Associates as the firm's youngest partner.

1982 -- Daughter Maya Freelon was born.

1983 -- Son Pierce Freelon was born.

1989-1990 -- Received Loeb Fellowship for independent study at Harvard University. Freelon received AIA Honor Award for American Airlines Terminal 2 at Raleigh-Durham Airport, NC (RDU).

1990 -- Freelon left O'Brien Atkins Associates to open his own firm The Freelon Group.

1991 -- Won first prize in the PPG Furniture Design Competition.

1992 -- Won the AIA Honor Award for Conference Table Designs.

2001 -- Won the AIA Firm Award for The Freelon Group and the AIA Design Award for Parking Structure, RDU Airport. Began attending meetings of President George W. Bush's commission on new National Mall museum dedicated to African American history and culture.

2003 -- Freelon merged his firm with New York architect Max Bond to create Freelon Bond Architects.

2004 -- Sonja Haynes Stone Center at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC) was completed.

2005 -- Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture (Baltimore, MD) and Museum of African Diaspora (San Francisco, CA) were both completed.

2008 -- UK-based architect David Adjaye and Washington, DC based architecture firm, Smithgroup joined the team, creating the Freelon Adjaye Bond Group/SmithGroup Freelon began teaching at MIT's school of Architecture and Design.

2009 -- Freelon Adjaye Bond/Smithgroup won the official design for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Harvey B. Gantt for African American Arts and Culture (Charlotte, NC) was completed.

2010 -- Anacostia branch of the District of Columbia Public Library (Washington, DC) was completed.

2011 -- Tenley-Friendship branch of the District of Columbia Public Library (Washington, DC) was completed.

2012 -- Construction began on NMAAHC.

2014 -- The Freelon Group merged with Perkins & Will, a much larger architectural firm. Freelon became managing director and lead design director of the North Carolina branches in Durham and Charlotte. National Center for Civil Rights and Human Rights (Atlanta, GA) was completed.

2016 -- Freelon was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

2017 -- Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (Jackson, MS) and Emancipation Park (Houston, TX) were completed.

2019 -- Freelon died in his home in Durham, North Carolina at age 66 on July 9.

Related Materials:

Phil Freelon Papers, 1975-2019 at North Carolina State University Libraries.

Provenance:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Philip G. Freelon.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.

Rights:

The NMAAHC Archives can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes.

Topic:

Architecture  Search this

Business  Search this

Construction  Search this

Entrepreneurship  Search this

Local and Regional  Search this

Design  Search this

Education  Search this

Photographs  Search this

Museums  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence

Citation:

Philip G. Freelon Archival Collection, 1939-2017. National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAAHC.A2017.51

See more items in:

Philip G. Freelon Architectural Archive

Archival Repository:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io3ba3ca2a2-5495-45cf-801c-f3d66a7002fd

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmaahc-a2017-51

Collection Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 33, Item 17

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

November 22, 1883

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Collection Citation:

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection, 1813-1953, bulk 1915-1925. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection / Series 1: Art Exhibition Catalogs: A-C / Artists' Fund Society of New York

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d1309748-b0e1-4d57-b088-ee6c917260f0

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-archamea-ref161

Collection Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 19, Item 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

December 19, [1921?]

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Collection Citation:

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection, 1813-1953, bulk 1915-1925. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection / Series 1: Art Exhibition Catalogs: A-C / Anderson Galleries, Park Ave. and 59th St., New York City

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97aba19ff-5252-45c5-bf35-47ae7544ac9a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-archamea-ref60

Collection Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Container:

Box 4, Folder 9, Item 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

March 13

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Collection Citation:

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection, 1813-1953, bulk 1915-1925. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection

Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection / Series 6: Art Exhibition Catalogs: P-R / Penguin Club, 8 E. 15th St., New York City

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e5bd7404-03e7-4861-8d9b-cb2e712376dc

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-archamea-ref770

Collection Interviewee:

Murphy, W.B.  Search this

Norris, Alice  Search this

Norris, E. E.  Search this

Prior, Joseph  Search this

Meehan, Vincenta  Search this

Mercer, Richard  Search this

Meyers, Peter H.  Search this

Mulcahy, Paul  Search this

Welsh, Dick  Search this

White, Richard  Search this

Rindlaub, Jean  Search this

Rombach, Scott  Search this

Shaub, Harold  Search this

Weir, Chris  Search this

Coulson, Zoe  Search this

Gearon, Dan  Search this

Cronin, Betty  Search this

Conill, Alicia  Search this

Conlon, Robert  Search this

Conill, Rafael  Search this

Jordan, James  Search this

McNutt, James  Search this

McGovern, R. Gordon  Search this

Goerke, Donald E.  Search this

Holmes, Martha  Search this

Haber, Bernie  Search this

Jones, Caroline Robinson, 1942-2001 (advertising executive)  Search this

Adams, Anthony  Search this

Baum, Herbert M.  Search this

Bergin, John F.  Search this

Bair, Dean  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Griffith, Barbara S., Dr.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Campbell Soup Company  Search this

Extent:

1 Videocassettes (U-matic)

Container:

Box 22 (Reference Copies)

Box 20 (Master Copies)

Type:

Archival materials

Moving Images

Videocassettes (u-matic)

Date:

1965-1979

Scope and Contents:

Campaigns/Commercials:

Campbell Supper

Chicken a la King

Fast Tomato

Invisable Vegetables

Chicken Adult

Wrangler

Campbell Up Lunch

Skier

Philbin/Football

Make Ends Meet

Skip Rope

If I Were

Firewood

Something Else

You Forgot

Hamlet

Giant Label

Giant Label Recipe

Manhandler Kite

Voice of Experience

Moving In

Barnaby Twins

Money in the Bank

W/W Cooking

Grandparents

Sunday Supper

Trucker

Pete

Recipes

Working Wife/Man

Home for Lunch

Foghorn Leghorn

Kids

Campbell Kids

Family Supper

Rainy Saturday

Label

Spell

Granparents II

Split Personality

Fencing

Firewood

Snow Shovel

Concentration

Noodles and Broth

Growing Up/Barleys

Couple

Wife

Dad/Store

Soccer

Hockey

Basketball

Blender Soups

Merriweather

Mother

Chicken and Mushroom

Green Bean Bake

Airplane

Black and White Campbell's Kids

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Campbell Soup Advertising Oral History and Documentation Project, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

The Campbell Soup Advertising Collection

The Campbell Soup Advertising Collection / Series 4: Television Commercials / 4.1: Commercials

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8680018b3-4f3f-47ae-ba0a-234a63851e1e

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0367-ref125

Creator:

Shia, Nancy, 1947-  Search this

Names:

Barry, Marion, 1936-2014  Search this

Butler, Josephine "Jo", 1920-1997  Search this

Nahikian, Marie Satenik, 1946-  Search this

Washington, Walter E., 1915-2003  Search this

Extent:

0.75 Linear feet (2 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Annual reports

Fliers (printed matter)

Correspondence

Photographs

Newspaper clippings

Newsletters

Place:

Adams Morgan (Washington, D.C.)

Date:

1969 - 2001

Scope and Contents:

These records include documents relating to Nancy Shia's service from 1982-1984 as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner of the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, DC. Materials include correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, annual reports, grant proposals, newspaper clippings, and political fliers. Also contained in the collection are several editions of the Rock Creek Monitor, a newspaper of Adams Morgan and surrounding communities, and photographs by Nancy Shia of the annual Adams Morgan Day celebration.

Biographical/Historical Note:

Nancy Shia is a photographer, political artist, neighborhood activist, and longtime Adams Morgan resident. She received her B.A. in Sociology (with a minor in Photography) from City College of New York, her M.A. in Social Work from Columbia University, and came to Washington, DC in 1972 to attend Antioch School of Law (from which she received her J.D. in 1978). She has extensively documented the Adams Morgan neighborhood through photography since the early 1970s. She later worked for the Federal News Service and was elected to serve as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner from 1982-1984 and again from 2007-2010.

Provenance:

Donated by Nancy Shia in 2017.

Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Festivals  Search this

Newspapers -- 20th century  Search this

Housing policy  Search this

Genre/Form:

Annual reports -- 20th century

Fliers (printed matter)

Correspondence

Photographs

Newspaper clippings

Newsletters

Citation:

Nancy Shia papers, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Nancy Shia.

Identifier:

ACMA.06-099

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa7fc16da40-345d-4641-84da-de49f5afcbe7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-acma-06-099

Series Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Series Donor:

Becker, John M.  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Heritage of Pride (HOP)  Search this

Rohrbaugh, Richard  Search this

Series Creator:

Hirsch, Leonard  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Barna, Joseph T.  Search this

Guest, Michael E.  Search this

Cruse, Howard, 1944-2019  Search this

Container:

Box 105, Folder 12

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1993-1994

Series Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

Series Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Series Citation:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection / Series 15: Barna, Joseph T. and Heritage of Pride (HOP), New York, New York / 15.3: Barna, Joseph T.

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b81fbddc-b872-47a9-86f8-a75aba225119

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1146-ref1432

Series Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Series Donor:

Becker, John M.  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Heritage of Pride (HOP)  Search this

Rohrbaugh, Richard  Search this

Series Creator:

Hirsch, Leonard  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Barna, Joseph T.  Search this

Guest, Michael E.  Search this

Cruse, Howard, 1944-2019  Search this

Container:

Box 105, Folder 19

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1995

Series Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

Series Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Series Citation:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection / Series 15: Barna, Joseph T. and Heritage of Pride (HOP), New York, New York / 15.3: Barna, Joseph T.

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b7bffc9d-425a-46dc-ad08-f50ca881e5f7

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1146-ref1439

Series Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Series Donor:

Becker, John M.  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Heritage of Pride (HOP)  Search this

Rohrbaugh, Richard  Search this

Series Creator:

Hirsch, Leonard  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Barna, Joseph T.  Search this

Guest, Michael E.  Search this

Cruse, Howard, 1944-2019  Search this

Container:

Box 115, Folder 7

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2003

Series Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

Series Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Series Citation:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection / Series 20: Pride at Work

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep829a8ad6a-274a-48e7-8ef6-899f8bfd1d3e

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1146-ref1577

Series Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Series Donor:

Becker, John M.  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Heritage of Pride (HOP)  Search this

Rohrbaugh, Richard  Search this

Series Creator:

Hirsch, Leonard  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Barna, Joseph T.  Search this

Guest, Michael E.  Search this

Cruse, Howard, 1944-2019  Search this

Container:

Box 115, Folder 14

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2012

Series Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

Series Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Series Citation:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection / Series 20: Pride at Work

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep801872c53-09ed-42d3-aaf8-893a428d6acf

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1146-ref1584

Series Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Series Donor:

Becker, John M.  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Heritage of Pride (HOP)  Search this

Rohrbaugh, Richard  Search this

Series Creator:

Hirsch, Leonard  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Barna, Joseph T.  Search this

Guest, Michael E.  Search this

Cruse, Howard, 1944-2019  Search this

Container:

Box 158, Folder 10

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1984-1989, undted

Series Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

Series Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Series Citation:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection / Series 23: Brown, Adele "Del" and Herizon Social Club

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep80137dd05-c2ca-49a3-867f-60a30eae6a66

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1146-ref2690

Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Series Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Series Donor:

Becker, John M.  Search this

Gay Officers Action League. GOAL  Search this

Heritage of Pride (HOP)  Search this

Rohrbaugh, Richard  Search this

Series Creator:

Hirsch, Leonard  Search this

Guest, Barbara  Search this

Barna, Joseph T.  Search this

Guest, Michael E.  Search this

Cruse, Howard, 1944-2019  Search this

Extent:

176 Items

Type:

Archival materials

Letters

Date:

1945 to 1953

Scope and Contents:

These letters are clues to a secret life. This is a series of letters and addressed envelopes sent to Philip St. George (?-1997) of New York City who, from all indications, identified as being a closeted gay man. George's correspondents, who may have also have been gay or bisexual, tell of their experiences in the armed forces after World War II and their life after the war, 1945-1953.

Arrangement:

In Box 84, Folders 1 - 10.

Local Numbers:

AC1146-0000117-01 to AC1146-0000273 (AC Scan)

Restrictions:

Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.

Series Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

LGBT  Search this

Homosexuality  Search this

Genre/Form:

Letters

Series Citation:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection

Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Collection / Series 13: St. George, Philip / 13.1: Correspondence and envelopes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep859ce5d95-b8bb-4f26-8d04-1541e00c1ac2

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1146-ref2773

Creator:

Brown, Milton Wolf (Milton Wolf), 1911-1998  Search this

Names:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Armory Show 50th anniversary exhibition (1963 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Brooklyn College -- Faculty  Search this

Century Association (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

City University of New York -- Faculty  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Brown, Blanche  Search this

Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this

Lozowick, Louis, 1892-1973  Search this

Lynes, Russell, 1910-1991  Search this

Meltzoff, Stanley  Search this

Panofsky, Erwin, 1892-1968  Search this

Prendergast, Charles, 1863-1948  Search this

Prendergast, Maurice Brazil, 1858-1924  Search this

Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph), 1878-1965  Search this

Extent:

26 Linear feet

0.225 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Travel diaries

Articles

Interviews

Essays

Drafts (documents)

Transcripts

Photographs

Notebooks

Lectures

Scripts (documents)

Date:

1908-1998

Summary:

The papers of art historian and educator Milton Wolf Brown date from 1908 to 1998 and measure 26.0 linear feet and 0.225 GB. The collection documents Brown's career through scattered biographical material, correspondence with friends, publishers, colleagues, artists, museums, and art organizations, travel journals, files for the Prendergast Catalogue Raisonne Project, exhibition, research, teaching, and organization files, printed and digital material, and scattered photographs. A large portion of this collection consists of writings by Brown including notebooks, draft writings for books and other publications, lectures, and his writings as a student.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of art historian and educator Milton Wolf Brown date from 1908 to 1998 and measure 25.8 linear feet and 0.225 GB. The collection documents Brown's career through scattered biographical material, correspondence with friends, publishers, colleagues, artists, museums, and art organizations, travel journals, files for the Prendergast Catalogue Raisonne Project, exhibition, research, teaching, and organization files, printed and digital material, and scattered photographs. A large portion of this collection consists of writings by Brown including notebooks, draft writings for books and other publications, lectures, and his writings as a student.

Biographical material includes academic records, travel documents, financial documents, Brown's military records, and a transcript of a 1997 interview. Correspondence is with students, museums, universities, publishers, art organizations, and others. The bulk of these letters document Brown's professional activities, but also found are scattered letters from friends, artists, and colleagues such as Russell Lynes, Stanley Meltzoff, Louis Lozowick, Erwin Panofsky, and Paul Sachs.

This collection also contains 33 detailed travel journals written primarily by Milton Brown's wife, Blanche, documenting their travels in Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world. Within the writings series are notebooks from the period that Brown was a student and while traveling in Europe in 1959 and 1960; book project files, which include draft writings as well as related correspondence, research material, notes, photographs and other material. Files are found for American Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Decorative Arts, Photography (1979), American Painting, From the Armory Show to the Depression (1955), The Story of the Armory Show (1963, 1988 2nd ed.), and other books. Among the writings are files for lectures written by Brown; essays, articles, and scripts written for various publications; general research notes and student writings; and writings by others sent to Brown for review and feedback.

Brown maintained a set of files documenting his work on the Prendergast Catalogue Raisonne Project, which consist of correspondence, drafts, reports, and research materials, including notes on twenty meetings with Mrs. Prendergast. Exhibition files document Brown's work as curator on several major exhibitions, including a Jacob Lawrence exhibition at the Whitney Museum, and his contributions to others. Also found here are three interviews of Milton Brown and Marcel Duchamp concerning the 50th Anniversary of the Armory Show and anniversary exhibition. Research files include notes, research material, and printed material on various art-related subjects that were maintained by Milton and Blanche Brown for regular use for lectures, teaching, and writing projects. Brown's teaching files contain scattered lecture notes, syllabi, correspondence, faculty records, and other materials from his time at CUNY, Brooklyn College, and other visiting professorships. Organization Files contain correspondence, reports, planning documents, and event materials. These records document his membership or advisory role in various organizations such as the Archives of American Art and Century Association.

This collection also contains printed material, such as exhibition announcements, newsletters, brochures, journals, event programs, and magazine and newspapers clippings compiled by Brown. Scattered photographs include nine photographs of Milton Brown, a few photographs of friends, and photographs of artwork.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 11 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1932-1998 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1908, 1934-1998 (Boxes 1-3; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 3: Travel Journals, 1941-1996 (Boxes 3-4; 1.6 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1929-1990s (Boxes 4-13, 25; 8.7 linear feet)

Series 5: Prendergast Catalogue Raisonne Project, circa 1952-1990 (Boxes 13-14, 25; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1962-circa 1997 (Boxes 14-16, 28; 2.0 linear feet, ER01; 0.225 GB)

Series 7: Research Files, circa 1930s-1986 (Boxes 16-19; 3.0 linear feet)

Series 8: Teaching Files, circa 1946-1993 (Boxes 19-21; 2.0 linear feet)

Series 9: Organization Files, 1959-1995 (Boxes 21-22; 1.3 linear feet)

Series 10: Printed Material, 1925-1990s (Boxes 22-24, 26, 27; 3.2 linear feet)

Series 11: Photographs, circa 1956-1990s (Boxes 25, 27; 0.2 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Milton Wolf Brown (1911-1998) was an art historian and educator in New York City.

Known to his friends as "Mainey," Brown was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1911. At a young age he intended to be a painter and studied with Louis Lozowick. However, instead of attending art school, he entered New York University to study education and eventually received his master's and doctorate in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts. While there he took courses with Walter Friedlander, Erwin Panofsky, and Mayer Schapiro. He also received fellowships to the Courtauld Institute of Art in 1934 and Brussels in 1937, and studied from 1938-1939 at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. In 1938 he married fellow student Blanche Levine. After serving in World War II, he began teaching in the art department at Brooklyn College in 1946. There he developed a specialization in American art history and his doctoral dissertation, American Painting from the Armory Show to the Depression, was published in 1955. In 1963 he participated in the fiftieth anniversary exhibition of the 1913 Armory Show. The publication of his book Story of the Armory Show coincided with this event.

In 1971 Brown established the graduate program in Art History at the City University of New York, which became preeminent in the areas of modern art and American art history. During the 1980s he remained a resident professor at CUNY, though he retired in 1979, and he held visiting professorships at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art. From 1983 to 1987 he had a senior fellowship at Williams College for the Prendergast Catalogue Raisonne Project.

Over the course of his career Brown curated exhibitions, including an exhibition on the works of Jacob Lawrence and The Modern Spirit: American Painting and Photography, 1908-1935, and wrote for numerous publications. He also served as an active member of several professional societies. Brown was close friends with art scholars and artists, such as Jack Levine, Moses and Raphael Soyer, Ad Reinhardt, and Paul Strand. In 1991 he returned to painting landscape watercolors, and had the opportunity to exhibit his work before his death in 1998.

Related Material:

Also at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Milton Wolf Brown, conducted in 1976 by Paul Cummings.

Provenance:

The Milton Wolf Brown papers were donated in 2000 and 2001 by Blanche R. Brown, Brown's widow. Three reel-to reel sound recordings were lent for duplication to cassette and transcript in 1986 by Milton Brown. A cassette copy of the Martha Deane interview was donated in 2006 by Milton Brown's estate, via Naomi Rosenblum. Additional material was donated in 2002 and 2004 by Naomi Rosenblum, executor for the estate of Blanche R. Brown, who died in 2002.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art, American History Sources  Search this

Genre/Form:

Travel diaries

Articles

Interviews

Essays

Drafts (documents)

Transcripts

Photographs

Notebooks

Lectures

Scripts (documents)

Citation:

Milton Wolf Brown papers, 1908-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.browmilt

See more items in:

Milton Wolf Brown papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c2f1a099-bc53-4b03-a5fd-61e0feca9db8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-browmilt

Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Extent:

18 Items

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1957-2007

Scope and Contents:

Recordings of meetings, lectures, symposia, and other events sponsored by or documenting organizational activities of the Archives of American ArtAAA) events .

General:

Originally recorded on analog sound tape reels or cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as digital .wav files.

Provenance:

Recorded for the Archives of American Art.

Restrictions:

Use requires an appointment.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of these recordings was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.archiv57

See more items in:

Archives of American Art sound recordings

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95c98aa0a-e869-4d77-af36-e5e2ec52f862

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-archiv57