SmithsonianCampaign SMITHSONIAN archives of american art
kate haw director archives of american art Leadership Message the archives of american art is the stolen Michelangelo sculpture for return to preeminent institution documenting the its owners. And hear Chuck Close talk about history of art in America. It has a wealth the first set of paints he received as a child. of material from artists, collectors, dealers These and millions of other important and scholars, all essential to understanding personal histories bring richness and depth the nation s full story. to our shared visual culture and they would Our growing collection of letters, sketchbooks, have been lost or remained hidden had we diaries, emails, photographs and home not taken action to gather and share them movies spans the 18th to the 21st centuries with the world. and continues to grow. It is the most Together, we will build and preserve the comprehensive collection of its kind and Archives collections, experience our includes the largest inventory of art-related treasures online with people worldwide oral histories in the world. and nurture tomorrow s discoveries. Please What will you find at the Archives? Visit our read our case for support and match your website and read George Catlin s notebooks passions with our gift opportunities. of his travels with the American Indians. See Thank you. photos of the Monuments Men packing a Our goal $18 million This is a critical moment for the Archives of American Art. We are poised to receive significant collections from art makers and thinkers from the late 20th century and beyond. We seek funds to preserve these documents, including those produced digitally. Your investment in the Smithsonian Campaign will enable us to catalog and digitize these valuable collections to share on our website worldwide. 1
Case for Support Expanding Research and Discovery The preservation of personal journals collected by the Archives will provide valuable insight for future scholars. Janice Lowry, Journal #108, 2005. Janice Lowry Papers, Archives of American Art Thousands visit our centers in New York and Washington, D.C., and hundreds of thousands of researchers consult our website annually. As our collection expands and more of it is available online, the potential for new discoveries and scholarship in American visual arts is exciting. Leadership Endowments The Archives seeks to endow four key leadership positions: the director, national collector, New York collector and chief of reference services. Gifts to endow the director s position will signify a commitment to quality leadership and innovation, strengthening the Archives prominence in the art world. Endowment gifts for a national collector will enable us to pursue important collections around the country. A collector in New York is especially important since the city is the epicenter of the art world. Researchers rely heavily on the Archives reference services. The chief of reference services is critical to understanding the full range of the Archives and helps advance scholarship in a digital age. Oral History Endowment Our collections include more than 2,200 interviews with artists, scholars, collectors and dealers. Their stories have shaped the art world and there are new stories to tell every day. An investment to endow this program will allow us the flexibility to document significant narratives before they are lost and use new technologies to broaden access to this unique resource. Preservation and Access The Archives has collected prolifically since 1954. By investing in archival preservation and staying current with digitization and evolving technologies, the Archives resources will be strengthened and more information will be accessible. Our work will shape the future direction of scholarship in American art history with new collections and more information available online. 3
Our Campaign Priorities Gifts to the Smithsonian Campaign will allow the Archives to preserve and digitize works that might be otherwise lost. Leadership Endowments We seek an endowment of $5 million for the director s position. We seek endowments of $2.5 million for the national collector position and for the New York collector position. We seek an endowment of $2.5 million for the chief of reference services. Oral History Program Endowment We seek an endowment of $5 million to capture the histories of significant figures in art and expand the accessibility of the collection. Preservation and Access We seek $4 million in this category, with gifts of $25,000 or more, to support the preservation and recovery of collections and improvements to web infrastructure. The Smithsonian Campaign will transform a national treasure into a catalyst for change. Please join us as we raise $1.5 billion to spark discovery, tell America s story, inspire lifelong learning and reach people everywhere. The Smithsonian Archives of American Art is raising $18 million of the Smithsonian Campaign s overall goal. With your support, we can reach millions of students, educators and art enthusiasts worldwide, while continuing to rescue historical records. Photo Scott Stark For more information, call 202.633.7989 or visit smithsoniancampaign.org. SmithsonianCampaign 4
Archives of American Art Smithsonian aaa.si.edu Research Centers 750 9th Street, NW Victor Building, Suite 2200 Washington, DC 20001 COVER Alexander Calder working on a mobile in his studio in Roxbury, Conn., c. 1960. Alexander Calder Papers, Archives of American Art 300 Park Avenue South, Suite 300 New York, NY 10010 exhibition Gallery Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery Smithsonian s Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture 8th and F Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 Affiliated Research Centers Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, TX Boston Public Library, Boston, MA De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA Huntington Library, San Marino, CA