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Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Accession 97-104

National Air and Space Museum. Art Department

Exhibition Records, 1976-1997

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:National Air and Space Museum. Art Department
Title:Exhibition Records
Dates:1976-1997
Quantity:6 cu. ft. (6 record storage boxes)
Collection:Accession 97-104
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Art Department was established in 1976 with James Dean as curator from 1975-1978. In 1978, Mary Henderson succeeded Dean as head of the department, and she served until December 1996 when the department was dissolved. Other curatorial staff included William Good and Susan Lawson-Bell (1985-1996). The Art Department was responsible for the collections management of the Museum's art collections, the operation of the Flights and Arts Gallery, and its personnel curated art exhibitions and maintained correspondence with artists. Many active files were transferred to Dom Pisano of the Department of Aeronautics. These records were created and/or maintained by Susan Lawson-Bell, and document most of the exhibitions curated by the department staff. Additional records document collections management activities, art reproduction issues, and acquisitions. The administrative records document the activities of the Art Department and its collections of air and space related artwork. Included is information on art reproductions, catalogs, conservation, acquisitions, and NASM Loan Committee activities. The exhibition records document the majority of the Art Department's exhibitions of air and space related artwork, consisting of exhibition scripts, photo documentation of exhibits, photographic reproductions of art work, press clippings, and other related material. Consult the Archives' control file for a comprehensive list of exhibitions by the Art Department. The correspondence files were created and maintained by Lawson-Bell and consist of incoming and outgoing letters, 1988-1996. Topics include public inquiries for art reproductions and artists' biographies, and offers to sell or donate works of art.

Descriptive Entry

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Art Department was established in 1976 with James Dean as curator from 1975-1978. In 1978, Mary Henderson succeeded Dean as head of the department, and she served until December 1996 when the department was dissolved. Other curatorial staff included William Good and Susan Lawson-Bell (1985-1996). The Art Department was responsible for the collections management of the Museum's art collections, the operation of the Flights and Arts Gallery, and its personnel curated art exhibitions and maintained correspondence with artists. Many active files were transferred to Dom Pisano of the Department of Aeronautics.

These records were created and/or maintained by Susan Lawson-Bell, and document most of the exhibitions curated by the department staff. Additional records document collections management activities, art reproduction issues, and acquisitions.

The administrative records document the activities of the Art Department and its collections of air and space related artwork. Included is information on art reproductions, catalogs, conservation, acquisitions, and NASM Loan Committee activities.

The exhibition records document the majority of the Art Department's exhibitions of air and space related artwork, consisting of exhibition scripts, photo documentation of exhibits, photographic reproductions of art work, press clippings, and other related material. Some exhibition records are missing. Consult the Archives' control file for a comprehensive list of exhibitions by the Art Department.

The correspondence files were created and maintained by Lawson-Bell and consist of incoming and outgoing letters, 1988-1996. Topics include public inquiries for art reproductions and artists' biographies, and offers to sell or donate works of art.

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This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.

Subject

Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection

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Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 97-104, National Air and Space Museum. Art Department, Exhibition Records

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Container List

Box 1

Art Catalog/ Artists Biographies/ Ruth

Box 1 of 6

Art Catalog/ Database

Box 1 of 6

Art Catalog/ Photography log

Box 1 of 6

Art Collections Rationale

Box 1 of 6

NASM Art Conservation: Issues

Box 1 of 6

NASM Art Conservation: Framing

Box 1 of 6

NASM Art Conservation: Light Levels

Box 1 of 6

NASM Art Conservation: Women's Committee Proposal, 1993

Box 1 of 6

Art in Offices Policy

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: Director's Report, 1989

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: Holiday Card

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: NASM Publications

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: SI Product and Licensing

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: SI Product and Licensing 1995 Golden Age of Flight Calendar

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: Various Requests

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: Smithsonian Book of Flight, 1987

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: Lost Causes/ Closed Matters

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: Outside Requests

Box 1 of 6

Art Reproduction: Smithsonian Institution (SI) Museum Shops

Box 1 of 6

Art Acquisitions: Processes/ Justifications, ca. 1982-1985

Box 1 of 6

Biennial Artifact Inventory, 1996

Box 1 of 6

Ceiling Replacement Project/ Art Relocation, 1992-1993 (2 folders)

Box 1 of 6

CIS Application Committee, 1992-1993

Box 1 of 6

Juror: Aviation Week and Space Technology, 1995

Box 1 of 6

Juror: Your Aviation Art Contest, NASA, 1993-1996

Box 1 of 6

Advisory Committee: American Institute of Physics, 1994

Box 1 of 6

NASM Loan Committee

Box 1 of 6

Box 2

Flight and the Arts Inaugural Exhibition, 1976-1978 (2 folders)

Box 2 of 6

Our Beautiful Earth: The View From Air and Space, 1979-1981

Box 2 of 6

Chelsey Bonestell, 1980-1982 (2 folders)

Box 2 of 6

Assignment: Aviation. The Stuart M. Speiser Photo-Realist Collection, 1981-1982

Box 2 of 6

The Artist and the Space Shuttle, 1982-1983

Box 2 of 6

At Home in the Sky: The Aviation Art of Frank Wootton, 1983-1984 (4 folders)

Box 2 of 6

The Golden Age of Flight Art Competition and Exhibition, 1984-1985 (5 folders)

Box 2 of 6

Sightseeing: A Space Panorama, 1985

Box 2 of 6

Fire and Ice: A History of Comets in Art, 1985-1986 (5 folders)

Box 2 of 6

Box 3

Earth Views: Looking at Earth Art Competition and Exhibition, 1986-1987 (5 folder)

Box 3 of 6

Portraits from the Permanent Collection (proposed), 1987

Box 3 of 6

Into the Sunlight Splendor: The Aviation Art of William S. Phillips, 1987-1988

Box 3 of 6

Eyewitness to Apollo 11, 1989 (2 folders)

Box 3 of 6

Aeropittura Futurista: Images of Flight in Italian Art from 1913 to 1942

Box 3 of 6

Art of the Cosmic Age, 1990-1991 (5 folders)

Box 3 of 6

Box 4

Art of the Cosmic Age, 1990-1991 (6 folders)

Box 4 of 6

Star Trek: The Exhibition, 1992-1993 (3 folders including 4 volumes visitor comments)

Box 4 of 6

A Blueprint for Space: From Colliers Magazine 1952 to 1954, 1993-1994 (2 folders)

Box 4 of 6

The Planets (proposed), 1994

Box 4 of 6

Box 5

Aerial Inspiration: Silk Batiks by Mary Edna Fraser, 1994-1995 (19 folders)

Box 5 of 6

Box 6

Flights of Fancy: Photographs by Jacques-Henri Latrigue, 1995-1996 (4 folders)

Box 6 of 6

U.S. Air Force 50th Anniversary Art Exhibition, 1996-1997 (4 folders)

Box 6 of 6

NASM Galleries: Various Art Labels

Box 6 of 6

Flight Related Art Exhibitions (2 folders)

Box 6 of 6

Art department correspondence, 1988-1996 (2 folders)

Box 6 of 6

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