Mead Art Museum Records, 1874-present (bulk 1946-present)
General International Standard for Archival Description
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Amherst, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Peter A. Nelson. 2013-03-13
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Mead Art Museum Records
5 records storage boxes, 3 archives boxes, 4 half archives boxes, 3 oversize flat boxes, 1 oversize folder
Mead Art Museum (Amherst College)
Biographical History for: Mead Art Museum Records
Historical Note Professor Charles H. Morgan of the College's Fine Arts Department was responsible for developing the museum's original art collection. He became the museum's first director in 1948, a position which he held for twenty years. (Morgan wrote a detailed history of the collection in 1972, entitled The Development of the Art Collection of Amherst College, 1821- 1971). The Mead Art Museum building was constructed in 1948-49 on the site of the Stearns Church (the Stearns Church spire was retained). Construction was financed by gift from architect William R. Mead (AC 1867) and directed by the college architect, James Kellum Smith of the firm McKim, Mead and White, in collaboration with Professor Morgan. Originally the Mead facility served as both a venue for displaying works of art and a teaching facility with offices and studio space. As the Fine Arts Department evolved, it shifted its curriculum slightly away from the scholarly study of art and towards the creation of art in the studio. As early as the 1970s Mead's studio facilities became obsolete. In 1985 the college planned a major renovation and extension of the museum, but these plans were postponed; the Arts department relied instead on the use of the Fayerweather building for studio space. Finally, in 1999, when it was apparent that Mead's facilities were inadequate to even preserve its existing collection, the College began an ambitious renovation project. The interior of the building was completely gutted, offices and studios made way for display and storage space, and state-of-the-art climate control and security systems were installed to protect the collection. The museum reopened in March 2001.
Additional records received in 1997 (accession #97-086), 1999 (99-106) and 2012.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The collection contains correspondence, research notes, news clippings, guest books, exhibition catalogues, monographs, press releases, and photographs relating to Amherst College's Mead Art Museum. The records include significant documentation of the museum's first major exhibition, the Armory Show Retrospective of 1958.
There is no restriction on access to the Mead Art Museum Records for research use. Particularly fragile items are restricted for preservation purposes.
Requests for permission to publish material from the Records should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Charles H. Morgan, The Development of the Art Collection of Amherst College, 1821- 1971. Amherst College Press, 1972. Amherst College Photographer Negatives, 1960-2005 (Bulk: 1962-2005) (see separate finding aid)Buildings and Grounds Collection. Series 1 (Buildings) - Mead Art Museum (see separate finding aid) William Rutherford Mead (AC 1867), and Olga Kilyeni Mead Papers, 1840-2001 (Bulk: 1846-1950) (see separate finding aid)
Reprocessed in 2013 by Peter A. Nelson, Archivist, and Nicole Sanches (AC 2013), Student Assistant.
Art--Massachusetts--Amherst
lcsh
Armory Show (1913 : New York, N.Y.)
Art museums--Massachusetts--Amherst.
Art--Study and teaching--Massachusetts--Amherst.
Mead Art Building--History--Sources.
Amherst College--Buildings.
lcnaf
aat
series
Series 1: EXHIBITION FILES
Series 1, Exhibition Files, comprises the bulk of the records and consists of publications and other documents related to specific exhibitions in the museum. Chiefly included here are catalogs and promotional materials, but for some exhibitions, photographs and planning documents are available as well. One notable part of this series is the files on the exhibition "The 1913 Armory Show in Retrospect, 1957-1964." This material consists primarily of correspondence related to the organization and administration of the exhibition, including requests for the loan of artwork. The Armory Show Retrospective, arranged by the Mead Art Museum in February 1958, was the most ambitious one undertaken by the Amherst College Fine Arts Department to date. It was organized by Professor Frank Anderson Trapp, comprised sixty works of art, most of them borrowed from other institutions and from private collections. Research notes and administrative details for the preparation of the exhibition and related publications are also included. Of special interest are forty letters from two family members, an art historian, and artists whose works were included in the original 1913 Armory Show and were also a part of the 45th anniversary retrospective at Amherst. Correspondence subsequent to the opening of the exhibitions, particularly that of other institutions that later organized Armory Show retrospectives, is also found here. See also series 2, subseries D: Posters.
Undated exhibition announcements n.d.
Etchings and Engravings Collected by the Late Arthur C. Rounds. Morgan Library 1929 Nov
The George D. Pratt Collection of American Art 1932
Amherst College Portraits 1940
The Herbert L. Pratt Collection 1946
Announcements for exhibits in Morgan Hall 1940-1949
Exhibition announcements 1950-1959
Stage Designs of Donald Oenslager 1950 Jan-Feb
Benjamin West 1950 May
Graphic Art Today: An Honors Thesis Exhibition by Norman Gorbaty 1953 Apr-May
13 Painters 40 Years 1956 May
The Armory Show and Contemporary American Art by Kendall Birr n.d.
Budget 1957 May-Jun
The Catalogue 1959 Feb-Mar
Artist's profiles - Typescript n.d.
Introduction - Typescript n.d.
Preparation - Data on Artwork n.d.
Printer's Proofs, Layouts n.d.
Catalogues of Other Armory Show Retrospectives n.d.
Correspondence/Administration 1957 -1958
Correspondence/Administration 1958 -1959
Gift Catalogue Acknowledgements 1958 Mar-Jun
Inquiries, Catalogue Orders, Sales 1958 -1964
Refusals 1957 -1958
Thank You Letters to Lenders 1958 Feb-Apr
With Artists and Artists' Families 1957 -1958
With journalists, publicity 1961 -1963
Lecturers and Visiting Artists 1957 -1958
Course Work for Students 1958 Jan
Insurance 1958 Jan-Feb
List of works in exhibition and of lenders n.d.
Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute 50th Anniversary Retrospective n.d.
News clippings n.d.
The Opening Reception, Invitations, Attendants n.d.
Original (1913) Show - Photostats of documents n.d.
Professor Trapp's notes n.d.
Research for Catalogue Preparation 1957-1958
Slides of artwork (digitized on 4 CDs) 1958 Feb
Transportation - Arrivals - Receipts 1958 Jan-Feb
Transportation - Returning Art Work 1958 Jan-Apr
Transportation - Shipping: Receipts, Insurance 1958 Jan-Feb
News clipping - Amherst Student (Dummy) 1958 Feb 20
Control Cards for Art Objects n.d.
Photocopies of Original 1913 Armory Show Catalogues n.d.
Opening Reception - RSVP Cards n.d.
Photostatic Copy of the Original Armory Show Poster. Poster in Map Case 3, Drawer 6 1958 Feb 27
Twentieth Century European Painting Collected by Richard S. Zeisler 1958 Nov-Dec
American Painting 1959 May
The Lost Portraits of Thomas Jefferson Painted by Gilbert Stuart 1959 Jun
Exhibition announcements 1960-1969
New Documents: Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand 1960
Art of the Twentieth Century Collected by James S. and Dorothy Schramm 1961 Jan-Feb
A Study Collection of Italian Paintings: The Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to Amherst College 1961 May-Jun
The Art of Sidney Waugh 1964 Apr-May
Italian Drawings of the XV - XVI Centuries from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Janos Scholz 1966 Nov
A Selection of American Paintings and Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Bloedel 1966 Nov-Dec
Contemporary Art from Israel 1967 Mar
The Amherst Family Portraits 1967 Oct-Nov
The Herbert W. Plimpton Collection of Nineteenth Century American Paintings 1968 Apr
Miscellaneous exhibition announcements - 1970s 1970-1979
Carleton Watkins: Photographs from the Collection of the Park-McCullough House Association [1970s] Feb-Mar
American Impressionists from the Amherst College Collection [1970s]
Personages from the Past of Amherst College: Ercole Cartotto Portraits [1970s]
The Spirit Carvers: Indian Art of the Northwest Coast 1971 Apr-May
Sculptures by Richard Stankiewicz 1971 May
Selections from the Amherst College Collections 1971 Oct
Color Painting 1972 Feb-Mar
The Amherst Sesquicentennial Exhibition 1972 Mar-Apr
George Wesley Bellows 1972 Nov
Twenty from Brandeis: a Loan Exhibition from the Collection of Brandeis University 1972 Nov-Dec
Ben Chassiel: Heliokinetic Collages 1972 Nov-Dec
Cowboys, Indians, Trappers & Traders 1973 Feb
Jo Mielziner: Designs for the Theater 1973 Mar
Faculty Art Exhibition: Oxman, Schmalz, Sweeney, Utermohlen 1973 Oct
Major Themes in Roman Baroque Art from Regional Collections (part of Five College Roman Baroque Festival) 1974 Apr
American Folk Art 1974 Oct
American Painters of the Arctic 1975 Feb-Mar
War à la Mode: Meissonier, Detaille, de Neuville, & Berne-Bellecour 1975 May
Joseph Ablow 1976 Apr-May
New New England Houses 1976 Sep
Richard Yarde: Recent Works 1977 Feb-Mar
Seventeenth Century Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the Collection of Hanz Klenk 1977 Feb-Mar
Drawings for Outdoor Sculpture (1946-1977) 1977 Nov
American Art at Amherst: A Summary Catalogue of the Collection at the Mead Art Gallery, Amherst College 1978
Roman Opalka 1978 Apr
Of Praise and Passage: Images in West African Sculpture 1978 Oct-Nov
Valley People: Portraits by Oriole Farb 1978 Dec-Jan
Paul Dougherty: A Retrospective Exhibition 1979 Jan-Feb
The Glass of René Lalique: The Magriel Collection 1979 Feb-Mar
19th Century American Realism: The Amherst College Collection 1979 Feb-Apr
Sculptures and Drawings by Fumio Yoshimura 1979 Mar-Apr
Native American Images: Photogravures by Edward S. Curtis 1979 May
Ten Years Out... An Exhibition by Amherst Artists, Class of '69 1979 May-Jun
Background to Modernism: Prints and Drawings (1889-1906) 1979 Oct-Nov
Traditions in Islamic Weaving 1979
Miscellaneous exhibition announcements, 1980s 1980-1989
Images of the End of Days 1980 Jan-Feb
A Moving Point of View and Portraits of Trees: Photographs by Tom Zetterstrom 1980 Feb-Mar
American Figure Drawings: The Paul Magriel Collection 1980 Feb-Mar
Women Artists, 1600-1980, Selections from Five College Collections 1980 Mar-Apr
Paintings by Fairfield Porter 1981 Apr-May
Romantic Images: Paintings from the Amherst College Collection 1981 Apr-Jun
Invention and Tradition: Selected Works form the Julia A. Whitney Foundation and the Thomas P. Whitney Collection of Modernist Russian Art 1981 Oct-Nov
Sculpture and Graphics by Henry Bursztynowicz 1982 Apr
Isabel Bishop Etchings and Aquatints 1982 Apr-May
Recent Works by Bart Wasserman 1982 Oct
Herbert W. Plimpton Memorial Exhibition 1982 Nov
Robert Sweeney: Landscape Paintings of the Connecticut River Valley 1982 Nov-Dec
Drawings by Jan Menses 1983 Apr-May
Edward Powis Jones: Extending the Photographic Medium 1983 Apr-May
The Holyoke Project: Recent Photographs by Bill Ravanesi 1983 Apr-May
Iwa Yoruba: An Exhibition of Yoruba Art 1983 Apr-May
Paul Jenkins: An Abstract Phenomenist 1983 Oct
New Ideas in Paper 1984 Mar-Apr
The Quiet Interlude: American Etchings of the late Nineteenth Century: Prints from the Collection of Rona Schneider 1984 Apr-May
American Portrait Miniatures from the Tennenbaum and Amherst College Collections 1984 May-Jun
From the Land of the Snows: Buddhist Art of Tibet 1984 Oct-Nov
Still Lifes by Peter Jones 1984 Nov-Dec
American Drawings and Watercolors from Amherst College 1985
Images of Aleksei Remizov 1985 May
Peter Blume: The Italian Drawings 1985 Nov-Dec
Rules of the Game: Culture Defining Gender 1986 Jan-Feb
The Art of the Sepik River Peoples from the Friede Collection 1986 Mar-Apr
Time and Defiance of Gravity: Recent Works by Wendell Castle 1986 Oct
American Landscapes in the Wake of French Impressionism 1986 Oct-Nov
An Alumnus Collects 1986 Nov-Dec
Anneke van Brussel: Contemporary Dutch Watercolors 1987 Oct-Nov
Sculptures by Kazuma Oshita and Works on Paper by Anneke Van Brussel 1987 Nov-Dec
The Grand Tradition: British Art from Amherst College 1988
Progressive Geometric Abstraction in America, 1934-1955: Selections from the Peter B. Fischer Collection 1988 Mar-May
Willard Boepple: Sculpture 1988 Apr-May
Delacroix and the Romantic Image: Oriental Themes, Wild Beasts, and the Hunt 1988 Oct-Nov
The Schmidgall Collection of Animal Sculptures 1988 Oct-Nov
Wayne Thieband: Works on Paper 1989 Apr
Representing Revolution: French and British Images (1789-1804) 1989 Sep-Nov
American Modernism from Amherst and Williams Colleges 1989 Oct-Dec
Miscellaneous exhibition announcements, 1990s 1990-1999
Simplicissimus: German Caricatures (1896-1914) 1990 Feb-Apr
Shades of Difference: Images of American Women 1990 Mar-Apr
Northern Travelers to Sixteenth-Century Italy: Drawings from New England Collections 1990 Oct-Dec
Russian Graphic Design Before the Revolution, 1880-1917 1991 Sep-Nov
Paul Resika: A Spontaneous Encounter with Art 1991 Nov-Dec
Elegant Impressions: Surimono from the Collection of William Green 1991 Dec-Feb
Collegial Collectors: American Art from the Class of 1967 1992 May-Jun
The Rediscovery of Jared French 1992 Oct-Nov
Parkopolis: Sue Coe's Jungle 1993 Feb-Mar
Fairfield Porter: An American Painter 1993 Oct-Dec
The Canadian Painters Eleven (1953-1960) 1994 Feb-Apr
American Woodblock Prints of the Arts and Crafts Era: The Andrew Terry Keats Collection 1994 May-Jun
Triptychs, Diptychs & Single Prints: Recent Photographs by Carl Chiarenza 1994 Jul-Aug
Theater as Spectacle: Early Twentieth-Century Russian Set and Costume Design 1994 Sep-Nov
Five Artists at Amherst College: Carl Schmalz, Robert Sweeney, Charles Kanwischer, Timothy J. Segar, Devid Gloman 1994 Nov-Dec
Rescuers: Portraits of the Holocaust 1995 Jan-Feb
An American Century of Photography: From Dry Plate to Digital: the Hallmark Photographic Collection 1995 Mar-May
Annual Student Exhibition 1995 May
Amherst College Architecture (cross-reference to Buildings and Grounds Collection) 1995-1996
Built and Unbuilt: Architecture at Amherst College: exhibition labels (2 folders) 1995-1996
Built and Unbuilt: Amherst College Architecture - photocopies of exhibition labels 1995-1996
Josef Breitenbach: Pioneering Photographer (1924-1944) 1997 Jan-Mar
Fine Arts at Amherst: A.C. Studio Thesis Students: Scott Campbell, Josh Koppel, Andrea Latvis & James Wood 1997 May
"Language as Object": Emily Dickinson and Contemporary Art 1997 Mar-Jun
"Language as Object": Emily Dickinson and Contemporary Art - oversize printed material
"For Beauty and for Truth": The William and Abigail Gertz Collection of American Still Life 1998 Feb-Apr
The Artist's Eye, The Diviner's Insight: African Art in the Barry D. Maurer Collection 1998 Mar-May
Pastels & Drawings by Russian American Artist Henry Elinson 1998 Oct-Dec
Defining Eye: Women Photographers of the Twentieth Century 1998 Sep-Dec
The Hanged Man: Cezanne and the Art of the Print 1999 Feb.
Creative Transformations: Japanese Prints from the Collection of William Green 1999 Mar-May
Annual Student Exhibition 1999 Apr-May
Miscellaneous exhibition announcements, 2000s 2000-2009
Chuck Close Self-Portrait/Scribble/Etching Portfolio 2000 Nov-Mar
The World Opened Wide: Twentieth-Century Russian Women Artists from the Collection of Thomas P. Whitney '37 2001 Mar-May
Casa Mañana: The Morrow Collection of Mexican Popular Arts 2001 Mar-Apr
Emmet Gowin Photographs 2001 Mar-Apr
Myth and Madness of Ophelia 2001 Oct-Dec
A New York View: Modern Art from the Collection of Steven M. Jacobson '53 2001 Jun-Oct
"Locally Grown": Photographs by Jerome Liebling 2001 Jul-Aug
Humanity in Action Resistance and Rescue: Photographs by Judy Ellis Glickman 2001 Aug-Oct
18 Alumni Artists 2001 Oct-Dec
The Silver Age Endured: Russian Costume Design 2001
Casa Mañana: The Morrow Collection of Mexican Popular Arts 2002 Mar-Apr
The Belles of Amherst: Contemporary Women Artists 2002 May-Sep
An American in Europe: The Photography Collection of Baroness Jeane von Oppenheim from the Norton Museum of Art 2002 Sep-Dec
Assembly/Line: Works by 20th Century Sculptors 2002 Oct-Dec
American Edge: Photographs by Steve Schapiro (folder 1 of 3) 2003 Feb-Mar
American Edge: Photographs by Steve Schapiro (folder 2 of 3): catalog 2003 Feb-Mar
American Edge: Photographs by Steve Schapiro (folder 3 of 3): articles and notes about 2003 Feb-Mar
American Edge: Photographs by Steve Schapiro: posters for films 2003 Feb-Mar
Critical Mass: Happenings, Fluxus, Performance, Intermedia and Rutgers University (1955-1972) - general 2003 Feb-Jun
Critical Mass - ephemera 2003 Feb-Jun
Critical Mass- guide to exhibit and catalog 2003 Feb-Jun
Critical Mass- news articles and press release 2003 Feb-Jun
Critical Mass - museum file 2003 Feb-Jun
Critical Mass: poster and book cover 2003 Feb-Jun
Amherst College Fine Arts Faculty Exhibit 2003 Sep-Nov
Off The Beaten Track: Contemporary Mindscapes 2003 Sep-Dec
Visions of Hati: Vodou and Carnaval à Jacmel: Photographs by Phyllis Galembo 2004 Feb-May
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds: Yoruba Textiles and Photographs from the Beier Collection - catalog 2004 Feb-Apr
Includes electronic media.
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds - notes for catalog 2004 Feb-Apr
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds - mock-up of catalog 2004 Feb-Apr
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds - invitations and flyers 2004 Feb-Apr
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds - articles about and notes on exhibition 2004 Feb-Apr
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds - related VHS videocassette and DVD 2004
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds: event posters 2004 Feb-May
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds: poster in mailer 2004 Feb-May
Cloth Only Wears to Shreds: layout for catalog 2004 Feb-May
Isaac Bashevis Singer and the Lower East Side: Photographs by Bruce Davidson (folder 1 of 3) Catalog and Invitations 2004 Sep-Oct
Isaac Bashevis Singer and the Lower East Side (folder 2 of 3) articles about exhibition 2004 Sep-Oct
Isaac Bashevis Singer and the Lower East Side (folder 3 of 3) Press Release and Articles about the Artist 2004 Sep-Oct
Isaac Bashevis Singer and the Lower East Side: Newspaper 2004 Sep-Oct
In Response to the Pain of War 2004 Oct-Dec
In Response to the Pain of War - press release and articles 2004 Oct-Dec
In Response to the Pain of War - articles and invitations 2004 Oct-Dec
In Response to the Pain of War: Poster 2004 Oct-Dec
Town and Country: Modern Life in America 2005 Jan-May
"Quicker than a Wink": Photographs by Harold Edgerton 2005 Jan-Apr
The Empress Josephine: Art and Royal Identity (3 folders) 2005 Sep-Dec
The Empress Josephine: posters 2005 Sep-Dec
Duane Michals: Photography and Reality 2006 Jan-Apr
Natalia Goncharova: Mystical images of War 2006 Feb-Jun
The Print, The Pear and the Prostitute: Art Politics and Society in 19th Century France 2006 May-Aug
Pop! 2006 Aug
Dutch Masters of the 17th Century 2006 Aug
Some Assembly Required: Cumulative Visions 2006 Aug-Sep
George Bellows: A Ringside Seat 2006 Sep-Dec
Gifts from the Ebb Tide and the World of Kitagawa Utamaro 2006 Sep-Dec
The Magic of Signs: American and European Art of the 1950s and 60s 2007
Visionary Anatomies (Richard Yarde) 2007 Jan-Mar
Through British Eyes: British Art at the Mead 2007 Jan-Aug
Back to the Future: Contemporary American Art from the Collection 2007 Mar-Aug
Stephan Koplowitz: Revealed: Installation/Performance 2007 Sep
Off The Shelf: Artists' Books from Amherst College Collections 2007 Sep-Nov
A Room With a View: The Photography of Abelardo Morell 2007-2008
A Room with a View: Poster for film 2007
The Third Space: Cultural Identity Today 2008 Feb-Jun
The Third Space: Cultural Identity Today: poster 2008 Feb-Jun
Alarm de Alarm (Propaganda in Alaska) Works by Jonathan Meese 2008 Oct
Arthur Lourié and the Voice of Silver-Age Russia 2009 Oct
Michael Mazur Coming Home: A Memorial Installation 2009 Oct
Lino Mannocci: Sea, Sky Smoke 2009-2010
Miscellaneous exhibition announcements, 2010s 2010-2019
Orra White Hitchcock: An Amherst Woman of Art and Science 2011 Jan
Series 2: PRINTED MATERIAL
Series 2, Printed Material, 1930s-present, is organized into five sub-series: A. Annual Reports, 2008-B. Mead Monographs, 1979-1989: a collection of book-length publications on Mead collections of a certain period, country, or style. Arranged chronologically.C. Art Notes, 1998-2008: an occasional publication of the museum highlighting various aspects of its collection.D. Posters, 1934-2010: Exhibition posters related to Mead gallery shows as well as shows in the former Mather Art Gallery in Williston Hall.E. Articles and Miscellaneous: Printed matter from newspapers and journals related to exhibitions and holdings of the Mead.
subseries
Subseries A: Annual Reports
Annual reports 2008-2011
Subseries B: Mead Monographs, 1979-1989
The Classical Collection at Amherst College 1979
The Temptation of Saint Anthony (2 copies) 1980
Decorative Arts at Amherst College (2 copies) 1981-1982
Masterworks of European Sculpture (2 copies) 1983
Nineteenth-Century American Art (2 copies) 1985
British Art (2 copies) 1985-1986
French Art (2 copies) 1987-1988
Italian-Netherlandish Paintings 1989
Language as Object: Emily Dickinson and Contemporary Art 1997
The Artist's Eye, The Diviner's Insight: African Art in the Barry D. Maurer Collection by John Pemberton II 1998
Subseries C: Art Notes, 1998-2007
Art Notes 1998-2007
Subseries D: Posters
Mather Art Gallery poster and related clippings 1934-1985
Posters, 1960s through 2010s 1960-2009
Undated posters n.d.
Artist-in-residence posters n.d.
Subseries E: Articles and Miscellaneous
Newspaper clippings about art exhibitions 1950-1999
Printed material 1920s
Printed material 1930s
Printed material - exhibitions 1940s
Printed material 1960s
Press Release - AC News Bureau - Art Exhibition 1963-1964
Printed material 1980s
Printed material 1990s
Printed material 2000s
Calendar 2003
Printed material - events at the Mead not part of exhibitions 2008, n.d.
Related Exhibitions in other museums 1992-2007
Spring 2001
"Mead Art Museum" by Trinkett Clark in American Art Review June 2004
Series 3: ART GALLERY GUEST BOOKS
Guest books recording visitor entries to museum galleries.
Mead 1970 Nov 30-1972 Mar 22
Mead 1977 Feb 28-1978 Apr
Mead 1978 APRM-1979 May
Mead 1979 Jun-1980 Dec