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Smithsonian's Archives of American Art

Smithsonian's Archives of American Art ​The Archives of American Art is the world’s preeminent and most widely used research center ded

Since 1954, the Archives has collected roughly 16 million letters, photographs, diaries, oral history interviews, sketches, scrapbooks, business records, and other documents that support the study of the history of the visual arts in America. Smithsonian Privacy Statement: http://www.si.edu/privacy/
Smithsonian Terms of Use: http://www.si.edu/termsofuse/

Operating as usual

03/16/2023
S3E2 Promo - Final.mp4

📣 In case you missed it, listen to ARTiculated Season 3, Episode 2, entitled “Reflection and Reconciliation: Legacies of the Japanese American incarceration and the arts.”

From 1942-1946, more than 125,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated at camps throughout the United States. This episode traces the lasting consequences of incarceration through the familial and artistic lines of Wendy Maruyama, Mira Nakashima, Frank Okada, and Patti Warashina, while considering how we understand their incarceration within the American experience.

To listen to the full episode, visit s.si.edu/ARTiculatedS3E2.

Come solve the next Mystery of the Archives of American Art! 🕵️‍♂️🔎❔The Archives of American Art’s online initiative  in...
03/15/2023

Come solve the next Mystery of the Archives of American Art! 🕵️‍♂️🔎❔

The Archives of American Art’s online initiative involves the public in helping identify unknown figures in photographs across the Archives collections. Today's mystery . . .

📸: Cecilia Beaux and an unidentified woman at Green Alley, circa 1910. Photographer unknown. Cecilia Beaux papers, 1863-1968.

View this mystery and more at: s.si.edu/Mysteries. Link also in stories.

Happy Pi Day from the Archives of American Art! 🥧📸: Ralph Goings. Preparatory print of a diner, with pies, circa 1990. R...
03/14/2023

Happy Pi Day from the Archives of American Art! 🥧

📸: Ralph Goings. Preparatory print of a diner, with pies, circa 1990. Ralph Goings papers, circa 1950-2008.

For more of Goings' diner preparatory prints: s.si.edu/Goings

📣 The John Opper papers, 1908-2013, are fully digitized and available online!The papers of Chicago-born, New York-based ...
03/13/2023

📣 The John Opper papers, 1908-2013, are fully digitized and available online!

The papers of Chicago-born, New York-based abstract painter and teacher John Opper (1908-1994) measure 1.6 linear feet and 0.057 GB and are dated 1908-2013, bulk 1930-1994.

The papers contain both professional and personal correspondence. Biographical materials include passports, sketches, certificates, and curriculum vitae, as well as some genealogical documents in digital format. Personal business records relate to the artist's Bowery Street and Amagansett studios, art sales through the Grace Borgenicht Gallery, and a few art inventories. Additional clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and galley sheets of a children's book illustrated by Opper are included among the printed material.

View the papers here: s.si.edu/JohnOpper

1️⃣ John Opper in his studio, 1955 September. John Opper papers, 1908-2013.
2️⃣ John Opper, detail of select artwork. Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs, 1991-1998. John Opper papers, 1908-2013.

⏰ Spring forward and gather your clocks 🕰️ Daylight savings time is tomorrow! ☀️📸 Louis Osnea at work, 1976 April. Robin...
03/11/2023

⏰ Spring forward and gather your clocks 🕰️ Daylight savings time is tomorrow! ☀️

📸 Louis Osnea at work, 1976 April. Robin Forbes slides of SoHo, 1975 - 1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

🧵 Our exhibition, “Subversive, Skilled, and Sublime: Fiber Art by Women,” is a digital component to a forthcoming exhibi...
03/10/2023

🧵 Our exhibition, “Subversive, Skilled, and Sublime: Fiber Art by Women,” is a digital component to a forthcoming exhibition Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery that celebrates eight women artists for whom fiber is a medium central to their work. The papers of the featured artists are rich in primary source documentation that include sketches, fiber samples, and planning documents that “deepen insight into the artists’ creative processes.” The interactive exhibition is available on our website: s.si.edu/FiberArtByWomenExhibition. 🧶



1️⃣ Photograph of Lia Cook kneeling on Space Continuum I, 1973. Lia Cook papers, 1968-2012.
2️⃣ Lia Cook. Samples for "crazy quilt" series, 1980s. Lia Cook papers, 1968-2012.
3️⃣ Photograph of Neda Al-Hilali with her outdoor fiber installation Beach Occurrence of Tongues, 1975. Neda Al-Hilali Papers, circa 1960-1995.
4️⃣ Fiber samples in red, orange, and blue, between 1960 and 1995. Neda Al-Hilali Papers, circa 1960-1995.
5️⃣ Adela Akers in her studio, 1990. Adela Akers papers, 1960-2009.
6️⃣ Adela Akers. Project notes and color sample mounted on paper for work entitled "Dunes" in design notebook, 1985 September. Adela Akers papers, 1960-2009.

Join our team at the Archives of American Art at the Washington, DC office!The Archives seek to fill an Archivist positi...
03/10/2023

Join our team at the Archives of American Art at the Washington, DC office!

The Archives seek to fill an Archivist position devoted to processing newly accessioned archival collections and preparing finding aids that meet current archival descriptive standards and best practices. Applications due March 24, 2023 or once we have received 100 applications. View https://s.si.edu/ArchivistMarch23 for application and more information.

Marie Romero Cash is a Latina artist working in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is primarily known as a Santera (saint artist)...
03/09/2023

Marie Romero Cash is a Latina artist working in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is primarily known as a Santera (saint artist). She has done commissions for churches throughout New Mexico, including St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe and the Cathedral Church of St. John in Albuquerque. The archives are home to her papers, including sketches and sketchbooks, photographs, materials related to some of her commission work, and a hand-painted book on the "Book of Tobit."

Learn more about Marie Romero Cash by checking out the finding aid at: s.si.edu/MarieRomeroCash


📷 1) Photograph of Marie Romero Cash at work in her studio. Marie Romero Cash papers
📷 2) Metal container lid for "The Book of Tobit," hand-painted book by Cash, circa 2018. Marie Romero Cash papers
📷 3) The first page of "The Book of Tobit" circa 2018. Marie Romero Cash papers
📷 4) Piece of artwork on foam board. Marie Romero Cash papers

Happy International Women’s Day! 💪💗Join us in celebrating the strength and empowerment of women by viewing how various w...
03/08/2023

Happy International Women’s Day! 💪💗

Join us in celebrating the strength and empowerment of women by viewing how various women and non-binary artists responded to the question, “What is feminist art?”

1️⃣ Every Ocean Hughes
2️⃣Annysa Ng
3️⃣ Nina Kuo
4️⃣Faith Wilding
5️⃣ Mary Temple
6️⃣ Tina Takemoto
7️⃣ Siri Berg

View these responses and more at s.si.edu/FeministArtExhibition.
📸:All images from What is Feminist Art? questionnaire responses, 2019. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

📣 The Philip Leider papers (1962–1997) are digitized and available online!Philip Leider (1929–) is an art critic, educat...
03/07/2023

📣 The Philip Leider papers (1962–1997) are digitized and available online!

Philip Leider (1929–) is an art critic, educator, and founding editor of Artforum, a highly influential contemporary art monthly established in 1962. Based in Oakland, California, and Jerusalem today, he continues to write for art periodicals.

Measuring 0.4 linear feet, Leider's papers include correspondence with art historians/art critics Michael Fried, Clement Greenberg, and Barbara Rose, and artists Dan Flavin and Frank Stella. Additional items include documentation and drafts of articles and reviews in Artforum; anecdotes from parties, gallery openings, lectures, and performances attended by Leider and his friends; and critical reactions to events and changes in the art world.

View the papers here: s.si.edu/PhilipLeiderPapers
The Archives also holds an oral history interview with Leider conducted by Paul Karlstrom on December 11, 1979: s.si.edu/PhilipLeiderOH

📸1️⃣: Airmail letter from Clement Greenberg to Philip Leider, October 1966.
📸2️⃣: Postcard from Barbara Rose to Philip Leider, postmarked August 12, 1966.

Phase One of our multi-year New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project initiative to convert paper-only oral history tra...
03/03/2023

Phase One of our multi-year New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project initiative to convert paper-only oral history transcripts to digital form and to make them available on the Archives’ website has come to a close!
217 oral history interviews were retranscribed—a total of 275 hours, 4 minutes of audio!

124 of the transcripts—a total 142 hours, 24 minutes of audio—were reviewed with the interview audio (a process we call audit editing), checked against the existing hardcopy typescript, and are now available on our website!

To access any of the transcripts in our New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project not yet online, please contact our Reference Team. Find a list of all of the interviews in the Project here: s.si.edu/NewDealOHP

📸 1: Cropped image of Elba Lightfoot holding brushes and a palette gazing at her mural.
📸 2: Full image of Elba Lightfoot.
📸 3: Back of photograph of Elba Lightfoot showing stamps and handwriting.
Identification on verso, left (handwritten and stamped): Title: "Mother Goose Rhymes"; Artist: Lightfoot, Elba.
Identification on verso, right (handwritten and stamped): Federal Art Project W.P.A.; Photographic Division; 235 East 42nd Street; New York City Location: Harlem Hospital, Lenox Ave & 136 St.; Date: 1/4/38; Negative No.: 2677-4; Photographer: Eisenman.

Citation: Charles Eisenman. Elba Lightfoot, 1938 Jan. 14. Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection, circa 1920-1965. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

The Tamara Webster papers relating to Frederick Hammersley (circa 1917-circa 1920s) are fully digitized and available on...
03/03/2023

The Tamara Webster papers relating to Frederick Hammersley (circa 1917-circa 1920s) are fully digitized and available online!

Tamara Webster (1917-2011) was a gallery owner and mixed-media artist who operated the Tamara Webster Gallery in Cambria, California and was a friend of Frederick Hammersley (1919-2009), a painter, graphic designer, and educator that spent most of his career in Los Angeles and New Mexico.

Measuring 0.2 linear feet and dated from circa 1917-circa 1920s, and 1961 to 1996, the papers include letters and holiday cards all written by Hammersley to Webster, some Hammersley exhibition catalogs and clippings Hammersley sent to Webster, photographs of Hammersley in his Albuquerque studio, and photos of his artwork, his exhibitions, and other subjects.

View the papers here: https://s.si.edu/TamaraWebster



📷 1: Frederick Hammersley at the Statements 88 Fine Arts Gallery show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1988. Tamara Webster papers relating to Frederick Hammersley, circa 1917-circa 1920s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
📷 2: Letters from Frederick Hammersley, 1970-1988. Tamara Webster papers relating to Frederick Hammersley, circa 1917-circa 1920s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

📣 Four remote, long-form  interviews are now part of our Oral History collection. Learn more about interviews with Ester...
03/02/2023

📣 Four remote, long-form interviews are now part of our Oral History collection. Learn more about interviews with Ester Hernández, Hiram Maristany, Judith Bernstein, and Samia Halaby on our blog: s.si.edu/OralHistoryBlog.

📷: Screenshots from video interviews with 1. Judith Bernstein, 2021, 2. Hiram Maristany, 2022, and 3. Ester Hernández, 2022. All Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Happy birthday to Kay WalkingStick! 🎂🥳Kay WalkingStick (1935- ) is a Cherokee painter in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is es...
03/02/2023

Happy birthday to Kay WalkingStick! 🎂🥳
Kay WalkingStick (1935- ) is a Cherokee painter in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is especially noted for her landscapes, diptychs, and integration of Native culture throughout her work.

Celebrate Kay WalkingStick’s birthday with us today, by checking out the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery’s Drawn to Art comic, “Closer to the Cosmos: A Comic About Kay WalkingStick.” You can also listen to the full episode “By Gut and Heart: Painting with Kay WalkingStick,” Season 2, Epsiode 8 of our podcast, ARTiculated, curated by Maia Cruz Palileo.

Drawn to Art Comic: https://s.si.edu/KayWalkingStickComic
ARTiculated episode: https://s.si.edu/ARTiculatedS2E8

1️⃣Excerpt from Oral History interview with Kay WalkingStick, 2011. Conducted by Mija Riedel. Archives of American Art.
2️⃣Cover art for “Closer to the Cosmos: A Comic about Kay WalkingStick,” illustrated by Madi Wong. Courtesy of “Drawn to Art: Tales of Inspiring Women Artists,” Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Happy birthday to Kay WalkingStick! 🎂🥳Kay WalkingStick (1935- ) is a Cherokee painter in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is es...
03/02/2023

Happy birthday to Kay WalkingStick! 🎂🥳
Kay WalkingStick (1935- ) is a Cherokee painter in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is especially noted for her landscapes, diptychs, and integration of Native culture throughout her work.

Celebrate Kay WalkingStick’s birthday with us today, by checking out the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery’s Drawn to Art comic, “Closer to the Cosmos: A Comic About Kay WalkingStick.” You can also listen to the full episode “By Gut and Heart: Painting with Kay WalkingStick,” Season 2, Epsiode 8 of our podcast, ARTiculated, curated by Maia Cruz Palileo.

Drawn to Art Comic: https://s.si.edu/KayWalkingStickComic
ARTiculated episode: https://s.si.edu/ARTiculatedS2E8

1️⃣Excerpt from Oral History interview with Kay WalkingStick, 2011. Conducted by Mija Riedel. Archives of American Art.
2️⃣Cover art for “Closer to the Cosmos: A Comic about Kay WalkingStick,” illustrated by Madi Wong. Courtesy of “Drawn to Art: Tales of Inspiring Women Artists,” Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Come solve the next Mystery of the Archives of American Art! 🕵️‍♂️🔎❔The Archives of American Art’s online initiative  in...
03/01/2023

Come solve the next Mystery of the Archives of American Art! 🕵️‍♂️🔎❔

The Archives of American Art’s online initiative involves the public in helping identify unknown figures in photographs across the Archives collections. Today's mystery . . .

📸: Betty Parsons with an unidentified woman, circa 1977. Photographer unknown. Calvert Coggeshall papers, 1920-1999, bulk 1965-1989.

View this mystery and more at: s.si.edu/Mysteries. Link also in stories.

Celebrating  Women's History Month with highlights from our collection all month, starting with Violet Oakley (1874-1961...
03/01/2023

Celebrating Women's History Month with highlights from our collection all month, starting with Violet Oakley (1874-1961). A painter, muralist, and stained glass designer, she lived and worked in Philadelphia, PA and was known for her Renaissance-revival style of art and the series of murals she completed for the Pennsylvania State Capitol.

View the Violet Oakely papers at: s.si.edu/violetoakley



📸 1) Elizabeth Shippen Green, Violet Oakley, Jessie Willcox Smith, and Henrietta Cozens, Philadelphia, circa 1901. Violet Oakley papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
📸 2) Violet Oakley, ca. 1900's. Violet Oakley papers, 1841-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
📸 3) Violet Oakley, Scale Model of the Dante Window, n.d., oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Violet Oakley Memorial Foundation, 1983.39.24

Happy birthday to artist Kehinde Wiley! 🎂🥳Best known for his colorful, patterned, realist portraits, Kehinde Wiley has u...
02/28/2023

Happy birthday to artist Kehinde Wiley! 🎂🥳

Best known for his colorful, patterned, realist portraits, Kehinde Wiley has used his art to blend historical European portraiture techniques with influences and styles from his Black identity and culture, subverting Western narratives around race, class, gender, and power.

Read more about his life and career in his Archives of American Art oral history transcript: s.si.edu/KehindeWileyOH

Some vibrant drawings by Nellie Mae Rowe, recently found among the papers of collector Herbert Waide Hemphill. 😍🌺Learn m...
02/27/2023

Some vibrant drawings by Nellie Mae Rowe, recently found among the papers of collector Herbert Waide Hemphill. 😍🌺

Learn more about Rowe’s life by reading Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery's ‘Drawn to Art’ comic, Playhouse: The Story of Nellie Mae Rowe: s.si.edu/NMRComic
View the Herbert Waide Hemphill papers at s.si.edu/HerbertWaideHemphill

🎨
1️⃣–5️⃣ Nellie Mae Rowe drawings, circa 1980. Herbert Waide Hemphill papers.
6️⃣ Cover of ‘Playhouse: The Story of Nellie Mae Rowe,’ 2022. Illustrated by Micah Eubanks. Courtesy of ‘Drawn to Art: Tales of Inspiring Women Artists,’ Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Some vibrant drawings by Nellie Mae Rowe, recently found among the papers of collector Herbert Waide Hemphill. 😍🌺Learn m...
02/27/2023

Some vibrant drawings by Nellie Mae Rowe, recently found among the papers of collector Herbert Waide Hemphill. 😍🌺

Learn more about Rowe’s life by reading Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery's ‘Drawn to Art’ comic, Playhouse: The Story of Nellie Mae Rowe: s.si.edu/NMRComic
View the Herbert Waide Hemphill papers at s.si.edu/HerbertWaideHemphill

🎨
1️⃣–5️⃣ Nellie Mae Rowe drawings, circa 1980. Herbert Waide Hemphill papers.
6️⃣ Cover of ‘Playhouse: The Story of Nellie Mae Rowe,’ 2022. Illustrated by Micah Eubanks. Courtesy of ‘Drawn to Art: Tales of Inspiring Women Artists,’ Smithsonian American Art Museum.

 in 1919, one of the most majestic places in the United States, the , was established as a National Park. Artist Adolph ...
02/26/2023

in 1919, one of the most majestic places in the United States, the , was established as a National Park. Artist Adolph Gottlieb put it best when he said to artist and friend Paul Bodin, “Glad we didn’t miss this!!”

📷: Adolph Gottlieb. Adolph Gottlieb to Paul Bodin, 1938 June 26. Paul Bodin papers, 1932-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

View other postcards and correspondence between the two artists at s.si.edu/PaulBodin

It's not too late! JOIN the Archives of American Art IN JUST TWO HOURS for our February edition of “Unboxed Lunch” featu...
02/24/2023

It's not too late! JOIN the Archives of American Art IN JUST TWO HOURS for our February edition of “Unboxed Lunch” featuring new additions to the Lucy R. Lippard papers.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 12-12:30 PM ET | 9-9:30 AM PT

During this live, virtual event, Josh T Franco, Head of Collecting, will explore the papers of New York- and New Mexico-based writer, art critic, and curator Lucy R. Lippard.

Lippard (b. 1937) is the curator of numerous exhibitions and the author of over twenty-four books and other writings that trace the emergence of minimalist and conceptual art. Her work demonstrates her strong commitment to feminism and political activism. The Archives of American Art already acquired and processed 70.5 linear feet and 0.454 Gigabytes of Lippard’s papers, available to view on our website. New additions include press clippings, notes, correspondence, and ephemera, many of which are related to several of her publications. Join us to explore the items from this recent acquisition.

Register now at: https://s.si.edu/UnboxedFeb23


📸: Anna Banana. Anna Banana "Banana Cards" to Lucy R. Lippard, 197-. Lucy R. Lippard papers, 1930s-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

📣 New episode of ARTiculated drops today! Season 3, Episode 2: “Reflection and Reconciliation: Legacies of the Japanese ...
02/23/2023

📣 New episode of ARTiculated drops today! Season 3, Episode 2: “Reflection and Reconciliation: Legacies of the Japanese American incarceration and the arts.”

From 1942-1946, more than 125,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated at camps throughout the United States. This episode traces the lasting consequences of incarceration through the familial and artistic lines of Wendy Maruyama, Mira Nakashima, Frank Okada, and Patti Warashina, while considering how we understand their incarceration within the American experience.

To listen to the new episode, visit: s.si.edu/ARTiculatedS3E2

📸: Central Utah Relocation Project. Project Reports Division. Trek Vol. 1, no. 2, 1943 February. Esther McCoy papers, circa 1876-1990.

📣 New episode of ARTiculated drops today! Season 3, Episode 2: “Reflection and Reconciliation: Legacies of the Japanese ...
02/23/2023

📣 New episode of ARTiculated drops today! Season 3, Episode 2: “Reflection and Reconciliation: Legacies of the Japanese American incarceration and the arts.”

From 1942-1946, more than 125,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated at camps throughout the United States. This episode traces the lasting consequences of incarceration through the familial and artistic lines of Wendy Maruyama, Mira Nakashima, Frank Okada, and Patti Warashina, while considering how we understand their incarceration within the American experience.

To listen to the new episode, visit: s.si.edu/ARTiculatedS3E2

📸: Central Utah Relocation Project. Project Reports Division. Trek Vol. 1, no. 2, 1943 February. Esther McCoy papers, circa 1876-1990.

Don't forget to register! JOIN the Archives of American Art TOMORROW for our February edition of “Unboxed Lunch” featuri...
02/23/2023

Don't forget to register! JOIN the Archives of American Art TOMORROW for our February edition of “Unboxed Lunch” featuring new additions to the Lucy R. Lippard papers.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 12-12:30 PM ET | 9-9:30 AM PT

During this live, virtual event, Josh T Franco, Head of Collecting, will explore the papers of New York- and New Mexico-based writer, art critic, and curator Lucy R. Lippard.

Lippard (b. 1937) is the curator of numerous exhibitions and the author of over twenty-four books and other writings that trace the emergence of minimalist and conceptual art. Her work demonstrates her strong commitment to feminism and political activism. The Archives of American Art already acquired and processed 70.5 linear feet and 0.454 Gigabytes of Lippard’s papers, available to view on our website. New additions include press clippings, notes, correspondence, and ephemera, many of which are related to several of her publications. Join us to explore the items from this recent acquisition.

Register now at: https://s.si.edu/UnboxedFeb23


📸: The Second Havana Biennial event poster. N.d. Lucy R. Lippard papers, 1930s-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

02/22/2023
Treviño-promo-complete (1).mp4

We celebrate the life of artist Jesse Treviño (1946 - 2023).

To honor his legacy, join us in listening to Season 2, Episode 2 of ARTiculated, "Jesse Treviño: Spurring San Antonio." Art reflects and shapes communities, and Jesse Treviño made a career of enriching his lived environment in San Antonio, Texas. His work cherishes Chicano histories and futures by focusing on everyday life and heritage. This episode follows his journey from Texas to New York, Vietnam, and back to San Antonio, where he made his home and legacy.

Listen to the full episode here: s.si.edu/ARTiculatedS2E2

🎂😍🎂  in 1888 Horace Pippin was born. Pippen (1888-1946) created illustrated memoirs of WWI that convey his experiences f...
02/22/2023

🎂😍🎂 in 1888 Horace Pippin was born. Pippen (1888-1946) created illustrated memoirs of WWI that convey his experiences fighting in France as a member of the US Army’s all-Black 369th infantry regiment. Shot by a sniper in his right arm, he used his left hand to guide his right as he painted.

In addition to his WWI memoirs, the Archives holds several letters of Pippin’s and the records of his dealers, Carlen Galleries and Downtown Gallery, which contain substantial material on his rise to prominence as an American painter. Read his memoirs here: s.si.edu/Pippin

1️⃣Horace Pippin, 1940. Carl Van Vechten, photographer. Downtown Gallery Records.
2️⃣–4️⃣: Pages from Pippin’s WWI memoirs, circa 1921. Horace Pippin notebooks and letters.

AfriCOBRA (the African Commune of Bad, Relevant Artists) is a collective of Black artists that formed on the South Side ...
02/21/2023

AfriCOBRA (the African Commune of Bad, Relevant Artists) is a collective of Black artists that formed on the South Side of Chicago in 1968. United in aesthetic and philosophical purpose, the group centered education in its mission through exhibitions, community activities, and outreach.

They also worked to raise the profile and awareness of Black art through publications, like the newsletter Black Shades, which included requests for updates from artists across the nation. At a historical inflection point in university studies with African and African American studies coming to the fore, AfriCOBRA enabled breakthroughs for the recognition of art that had not received institutional attention in the past.

This week we celebrate the as it continues to build solidarity and connect communities. 📰

Check out AfriCOBRA founding member Jeff Donaldson’s papers today: s.si.edu/JeffDonaldson



📸1: Photograph of AfriCOBRA members Wadsworth Jarrell, Jae Jarrell, Jeff Donaldson, Napoleon Henderson, Carolyn Mims Lawrence, Barbara J. Jones Hogu, and Howard Mallory in AFRI-COBRA III exhibition catalog, 1973. Jeff Donaldson papers, 1918–2005.
📸2: Cover of an issue of the newsletter Black Shades. "African Commune of Bad, Relevant Artists" in Black Shades, 1971 October. Jeff Donaldson papers, 1918-2005.
📸3: Image of a work by Napoleon Henderson included in the AfriCOBRA III catalogue, a tapestry with a radiant Black figure surrounded by an energized design and text that contains the phrases “be free,” “we must protect our communities,” and “come together to learn.” AFRI-COBRA III exhibition catalog, 1973. Jeff Donaldson papers, 1918–2005.

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Discover Robert Motherwell's influence on modern art and his role as spokesperson of exile surrealism— only in the Archives of American Art Journal, sponsored by Smithsonian's Archives of American Art: http://ow.ly/S2BK50HB1sa
Happy !

These fluffy friends can be found in the unpublished children's stories of realist painter and educator Esther Rolick (1922-2008)
at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art: https://transcription.si.edu/project/41994.

Fotoğrafçı Elinor Cahn zekası ve detayları kaçırmayan gözlerini kullanarak bir Amerikan mahallesinin ruhunu yakaladı. http://ow.ly/af5h50Hzxjp

Photographer Elinor Cahn used wit and an eye for detail to capture the spirit of an American neighborhood. https://americanart.si.edu/blog/photography-elinor-cahn Smithsonian's Archives of American Art
Alexander Calder changed the course of modern art but was reticent when talking about his art and inspirations. Learn more about the artist on his birthday in the Archives of American Art Journal, sponsored by Smithsonian's Archives of American Art: http://ow.ly/3G7K50HrcI2
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942) was a sculptor, though she is better-known for her patronage of the arts and founding the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1930. Whitney organized exhibitions, competitions, commissioned works, provided exhibition space, and supported U.S. artists financially even before the Whitney's founding. As a sculptor, she received many commissions for memorials and other public works after her artwork was recognized in 1908.

Learn more about her incredible life by transcribing diaries and correspondence from her papers at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art: https://transcription.si.edu/project/43378.

Born on Christmas Eve in 1903, the artist Joseph Cornell was an American master. Learn about one of the dominant themes in his art in this article from the Archives of American Art Journal, sponsored by Smithsonian's Archives of American Art: http://ow.ly/K7Wg50HhRYP
Eugene Public Library's open every day over winter break except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Plus enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, movies and shows, music, magazines, and more for all ages and interests online with your library card: bit.ly/ebooksandstreaming
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🎨Mildred Waltrip Smithsonian's Archives of American Art
‘Tis the season for the ubiquitous sweater, and what better time than now to look to the collections of Smithsonian's Archives of American Art for sweater inspiration!
Celebrating a landmark acquisition,
Lt. Cmdr. George Leslie Stout's Diaries
1-"Monuments Men" Herr Sicher,
Stout and Thomas Carr Howe, 1945;
2-A page from Lieutenant Commander George Leslie Stout’s journal of his time working to save and reclaim artworks that were in jeopardy of destruction or were stolen by the N***s;
3-Her Excellency, Emily Haber, German Ambassador to the United States; Lonnie Bunch, 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian; Liza Kirwin, Smithsonian's Archives of American Art
While incarcerated at the Tanforan and Topaz War Relocation Centers during WWII, Japanese-born artist Chiura Obata helped establish art schools for fellow prisoners. The latest episode of
Sidedoor: A Podcast from the Smithsonian, explores his incredible life and impact: https://www.si.edu/sidedoor/chiura-obatas-glorious-struggle.

Since May, have transcribed hundreds of pages from Obata's collection at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art. Now we're seeking help from those of you with Japanese-language skills to make even more of these records accessible - including his personal diaries from Topaz in 1943. Head to our site to find projects and help share Obata's story: https://s.si.edu/3F5DiyI.
And Yet It Moves: Ethics, Power and Politics in the Stories of Collecting, Archiving and Displaying of Drawings and Models.
Federica Goffi.
Diego Rivera became a memorable figure in 20th-century art, who actively painted from 1907 to 1957. He was born in 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Inspired by the political ideals of the Mexican Revolution and the Russian Revolution, Rivera wanted to make art that reflected the lives of the working class and native peoples of Mexico. He developed an interest in making murals during a trip to Italy, finding inspiration in the Renaissance frescos there.

Returning to Mexico, Rivera began to express his artistic ideas about his homeland through murals telling the history of the country's people on the walls of public buildings. His work was fundamental to establish the mural movement in Mexican and international art.

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Diego Rivera se convirtió en una figura memorable en el arte del siglo XX, quien pintó activamente desde 1907 hasta 1957. El nació en un día como hoy en 1886 en Guanajuato, México.

Inspirado por los ideales políticos de la Revolución Mexicana y la Revolución Rusa, Rivera quería hacer un arte que reflejara la vida de la clase trabajadora y los pueblos originarios de México. Desarrolló un interés en la realización de murales durante un viaje a Italia, y se inspiró en los frescos renacentistas allí.

Al regresar a México, Rivera comenzó a expresar sus ideas artísticas sobre su tierra natal a través de murales que cuentan la historia de la gente del país en las paredes de los edificios públicos. Su trabajo fue fundamental para establecer el movimiento del murallismo en el arte mexicano e internacional.

📷 Diego Rivera at work in his studio, 194-./Diego Rivera en su estudio, 194-. Florence Arquin papers, 1923-1985. Smithsonian's Archives of American Art.
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Other Museums in Washington D.C. (show all)

Lunder Conservation Center National Portrait Gallery USA National Law Enforcement Museum National Building Museum Shop National Building Museum NMWA Special Events National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund NewseumED Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology Genome: Unlocking Life's Code Recovering Voices NSF REU Site: Natural History Research Experiences Korea Gallery Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History