DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY
Records include correspondence of Edgar P. Richardson, the first Director,
1954-1964; his successor, William E. Woolfenden, 1964-1983; Richard N. Murray,
1983- ; and other staff members; minutes and records of the Board of Trustees;
financial records; manuscripts, correspondence, and other records of the
Archives of American Art Journal; and files of various projects in which the
Archives participated. These include the correspondence of Sandra J. Levy,
area director for the Texas project, 1979-1985; correspondence of Sharyn Udall,
AAA representative, about the Southwest Project, 1969-1975; correspondence of
Paul Cumming, Boston area office; and records related to the Treasury Relief
Art Project and other Depression-era relief programs for artists, surveyed and
filmed in 1963-1964. Correspondents include William E. Woolfenden, Edgar P.
Richardson, Garnett McCoy, Sharyn Udall, Sandra J. Levy, Paul Cumming, Richard
J. Nicastro, Sylvia Loomis, Gilbert H. Kinney, Regina Soria, and Eloise
Spaeth.
Boxes 1-6 of 25
Texas Project, 1979-1985.
- Records document roles of Sharyn Udall, representative, and Sandra J. Levy, Texas area director. Included is correspondence concerning Southwestern (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) artists and donors of manuscript collections, filming of artists' papers, and fundraising; copies of forms and regulations; filming artist and fund-raising files, 1979-1983, consisting of foundation directory information, 1983 membership list, correspondence with grantors and foundations of galleries and museums in the southwestern area, mailing labels and lists, and lists of donors; administrative files consisting of correspondence and memoranda with the Washington and Journal staffs, fiscal records, inter-library loan forms, quarterly and annual reports, search room forms, incoming loan agreements for microfilm, and trustees correspondence; donor and collection files including correspondence with artists whose papers were filmed, loan agreements, deeds of gifts, correspondence with artists' attorneys regarding use of materials, correspondence with donors and lenders concerning microfilm collections, and some artists' biographical information; and miscellaneous files consisting of an article by Emily Nathan on the Archives, shipping log, photographs of artists, contract time sheets, and exhibition catalogues.
Boxes 7-9 of 25
William E. Woolfenden's Files, 1971-1982.
- Consist of Woolfenden's correspondence with area directors and art and historical institutions; files on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Archives including a tape from the anniversary dinner, fund-raising activities concerning the Kootz Sale and the Texas Project; Finance Committee files; reports from the Texas Project; magazines, 1976-1982, with articles on the Archives; form letters; bibliographies, reviews, and announcements; Trustees' lunch invoices; mailing address plate changes; and one Frank Sinatra musical cassette tape entitled "Art Evening with Harold Farb."
Box 10 of 25
Miscellaneous Records, 1973-1982.
- Consist of bank statements, 1981; oral history staff memoranda, 1978-1982; newsletters, primarily from the Association of Historians of American Art, 1979-1982; copies of the American Art Review, 1973-1976; annual report of contributors of donations of $100 and more; files on staff project "Government and the Arts, 1930s;" and account records from the New York Fundraising Events, fiscal year 1978.
Box 11 of 25
Woolfenden's Files, 1958-1979.
- Consist of New York office reports to the New York Committee, 1958-1963, 1971-1973, and correspondence of Edgar P. Richardson, first director, 1960-1961; article, 1970, on the opening of the Washington office; correspondence, 1966-1979; and notebook of stationery samples.
Box 12 of 25
Woolfenden's Files, 1955-1981.
- Consist of financial base analyses, fiscal years 1974-1981; Paul Cumming's (oral historian) correspondence; canceled checks, 1979; financial and miscellaneous reports by Richard Nicastro; curricula vitae of former employees; general procedures; correspondence with Southwest office (Santa Fe), 1972-1974; files of Trustees' Committees including Financial, Membership, Development, and Executive; minutes of Trustees' meetings, 1972-1973; job applications; Archives Seal stamp; and accession records of microfilm acquisitions, 1955-1956.
Box 13 of 25
Woolfenden's Files, 1954-1983.
- Consist of correspondence and memoranda, 1954 [1971-1983], with area directors, Advisory Committee, 1967-1978, Council of Directors, 1975-1983, and the Washington staff; and minutes from Council of Directors. Records concern filming art catalogues project, membership, special activities and events, federal and trust budgets, and financial reports.
Box 14 of 25
Southwest Project Files, 1934-1984.
- Files created by Sylvia Loomis, Southwest representative, and include correspondence, 1970-1975, of Loomis and Garnett McCoy; blank deed of gift forms; correspondence with Will Shuster; correspondence concerning E. L. Blumenschein Papers; Loomis correspondence, 1963-1968, with Detroit office regarding area artists; copies of Jesse L. Nusbaum correspondence, 1934-1935, concerning Public Works of Art Project for Arizona and New Mexico and the Treasury Relief Art Project; files on the Federal Art Projects; lists of questions for oral history interviews; Santa Fe newspapers, 1940, 1961; and news clippings and photographs, 1970s, concerning New Mexican art.
Box 15 of 25
Southwest Project Files, 1961-1970s.
- Consist of Loomis' correspondence and reports, 1969-1975, to the Archives; artists files including newspaper clippings and biographical sketches; and general publications on Southwestern art history.
Box 16 of 25
Woolfenden's Files, 1961-1983.
- Consist of director's correspondence, 1980-1983, with area directors; exhibition records, 1976-1980, from San Francisco; membership reports, 1980-1983; correspondence, 1979-1982, from Gilbert H. Kinney, President, Board of Trustees; Trustees' general correspondence, 1979-1983; lists of Trustees, 1961-1981; and correspondence, 1979-1982, with Eloise Spaeth, Chairman, Board of Trustees.
Box 17 of 25
Miscellaneous Files, 1966-1982.
- Consist of Archives brochures and handouts; catalogues from Archives exhibitions; desk calendars, 1981-1982; General Services Administration (GSA) catalogues; research visitors book, 1974-1975; Smithsonian internal administration material, 1974, 1978; McCoy's files on Archives of Arizona Art and Federal Theater Project Committee; files on Smithsonian National Associates Program's outreach activities with the Archives, 1978; curator's report, 1973, on state of the collections; report, 1966, on art museum catalogues; and cassette tape, 1981, of Board of Trustees meeting.
Box 18 of 25
Journal Files, 1962, 1982-1983.
- Consist of correspondence, 1982-1983, with Journal editors; manuscripts for publication; edited area reports, 1982-1983; photographs and negatives for volume 22, 1983; and transcripts of papers read at a 1962 conference.
Box 19 of 25
Journal Files, 1979-1981.
- Consist of correspondence and manuscripts submitted for publication for volumes 18 (#3 and 4), 19 (#1-4), and 20 (#3); photocopy of interview of A. Hyatt Mayor; release forms for photographs for volume 18 (#3); and manuscripts from a 1979 symposium.
Box 20 of 25
Journal Files.
- Consist of correspondence and manuscripts for volumes 20 (#1, 2, 4), photograph permits for volume 20 (#2), area reports for volume 21 (#1-2), and articles for volume 21 (#2).
Box 21 of 25
Slides, 1975-1981.
- Consist of slides used in an Archives lecture, 1976, with slide list used in San Francisco, and slides of history and development of the Archives and facilities and equipment.
Box 22 of 25
Miscellaneous Files, 1944, 1961.
- Consist of design drawings for Boston exhibition case; position descriptions for area directors; files on New York Public Library print materials on art and artists available on microfilm; list, 1961, of material borrowed and donated for filming; three copies of American Art Auction Catalogues, 1785-1942, published in 1944; copy of Arts in America: Bibliography and list of people to be contacted for donation of papers.
Box 23 of 25
Garnett McCoy Administrative Files, 1919-1929, 1960-1974
- Files consist of McCoy's correspondence, 1963-1974; list of microfilm holdings, 1966; Anderson Art Auction Catalogues, 1919-1929; American Art Auction Catalogues, 1960; National Archives and Records Service Selected Records of Public Works of Art, 1933-1935; readers' registration forms, 1971; picture file; forms for New Deal and the Arts project; F. Ivor D. Avellino's reports, 1966-1970, and correspondence; Boston office report; biographical information on artists for a 1974 exhibition; operating statement, 1972; report, 1964, to Ford Foundation on an art survey; and photographic negatives of artwork.
Box 24 of 25
Miscellaneous Files, 1954-1981.
- Records consist of Richardson's correspondence, 1954; photocopies of articles concerning the Archives; requisitions for book binding; daily visitors log, 1979-1981; survey of cartoonists' tear sheets; copy of Certificate of Incorporation; "General Plan" prepared by Richardson for 1962 annual meeting; public release statement on opening of Boston office; list of first Board of Trustees in Detroit; procedures manual, 1960s; AAA newsletters, 1962-1966; organizational chart, 1970; reports and memoranda, 1978-1979, by Julie Haifley; staff listing; staff meeting notes, 1962; general correspondence, 1958-1977; contribution information with photographs; survey of doctorate programs in art history and survey forms; articles for Journal, volume 16 (#l); files on the AAA's first conference, 1961; minutes of Board of Trustees, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, and draft agreement between Smithsonian and Archives of American Art; general fund statements, 1969; budget files, 1968; policy and procedures manual; and pension plan information.
Box 25 of 25
Woolfenden's Files, 1972-1983.
- Consist of Woolfenden's memoranda and correspondence, 1972-1983, with area centers; travel vouchers and expense records; membership correspondence, 1979-1982; personal retirement files, 1983; files, 1979-1983, on forward planning by Richard Nicastro; Nicastro's memoranda; membership reports and promotion files; and Woolfenden correspondence with Alvin Lane, 1982, Buford Pickens, and Margaret C. Withers, 1983.
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Revised: August 25, 2004