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Inventory of the Art Association Records, bulk 1930 - 1938

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Descriptive Summary

Title
Art Association Records, bulk 1930 - 1938.
Creator
Duke University. Art Association.
Extent
1.0 Linear Feet,
1000 Items
Repository
University Archives, Duke University
Abstract
The Duke University Art Association was formed by William K. Boyd in 1930. The Association planned and organized art exhibits, gallery talks, and other art appreciation activities on the Duke campus until the early 1940s. Collection includes minutes, correspondence, photographs, exhibit catalogs, lists of objects, membership lists, and related materials. Major subjects include faculty spouses, art appreciation, the Woman's College Library, the American Federation of Arts, the Carl Shurz Memorial Foundation for the Development of Cultural Relations Between the United States and Germany, the College Art Association, and the Southern States Art League. The bulk of the materials range in date from 1930 to 1938.
Language
English.
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Administrative Information

Access Restrictions
Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
In off-site storage; 24 hours advance notice is required for use.
Use Restrictions
Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Art Association Records, University Archives, Duke University.
Provenance
The Art Association Records were received by the University Archives as a transfer in 1971-1981.
Processing Information
Processed by University Archives staff
Completed 1994
Encoded by Jill Katte, June 2005
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Historical Note

In 1930, Duke University professor William K. Boyd, pursuing the early concept of a library-museum for the Woman's College Library, negotiated with Margaret L. Barber for a twenty-five year loan of a substantial part of her collection. Mrs. Barber, of Williamsburg, Missouri, spent her life collecting art and antiques. In a letter calling the organizing meeting in October 1930, Boyd wrote: "I have a feeling that the time has come for us to organize a Duke Art Club or Art League with the immediate objective of finding ways and means to purchase the paintings and books sent to us by Mrs. Barber."

In response to Boyd's letter, a group of prominent Duke faculty and administrators and their spouses met in the Woman's College Library on October 21, 1930 to discuss the organization of the Art League of Duke University. The meeting minutes state: "Dr. Boyd appointed the following executive committee to serve with him: Mrs. White, Mrs. Webb, Dr. R. L. Flowers, Mrs. Few, Dr. Harvie Branscombe, Mrs. Gross, Dr. Paul Baum, and Mrs. Griggs. The following officers were selected: W. K. Boyd, Chairman; Mrs. N. I. White, Vice-Chairman; Mrs. Lillian B. Griggs, Secretary-Treasurer." At one of the first meetings, members decided to change the name of the organization to the Art Association.

The Art Association continued to plan and organize exhibits, gallery talks, and other art events, until Boyd's death in 1938, after which the activities of the Art Association went into decline. However, the formal study of art at Duke University began with the establishment of the Department of Aesthetics, Art, and Music in 1942. The Barber Collection was displayed at the Woman's College Library until 1956, when the twenty-five year plan ended. At that time, Duke University purchased a few pieces from the Barber estate.

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Collection Overview

The Art Association Records include minutes, correspondence, photographs, exhibit catalogs, lists of objects, membership lists, and related materials. Major subjects include faculty spouses, art appreciation, the American Federation of Arts, the Carl Shurz Memorial Foundation for the Development of Cultural Relations Between the United States and Germany, the College Art Association, and the Southern States Art League.
The collection is arranged alphabetically. Correspondence was divided by correspondent, and this order has been maintained.

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Subject Headings

These and related materials may be accessed under the following subject headings in the Duke University Libraries online catalog.
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Related Material

Dept. of Art and Art History records.
University Archives, Duke University.

Duke Artists Series records.
University Archives, Duke University.

List of Series in Collection
Container List
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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Box 1
General information, 1921, 1931
American Federation of Arts
Art Shop, Greensboro, N.C.
Boyd correspondence
Brewer correspondence
Business papers
Includes list of art objects in the Woman's College Library, including the Barber collection.
Carl Shurz Memorial Foundation
Carnegie Corporation
Charleston Museum
Clippings
College Art Association
Correspondence
Ennis correspondence
Jones correspondence
Looney correspondence
Mathewson correspondence
Membership
Minutes
Museum of Modern Art
North Carolina Inventory
Box 2
3 Photographs of artwork
Price correspondence
Pritchard correspondence
Southern States Art League
Financial materials