Reference Request
Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Accession 20-144
Robbins, Warren M.
Warren M. Robbins Papers, 1945-2016
Descriptive Entry
This accession consists of materials created and maintained by Warren M. Robbins, founder and director of the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA). The materials cover a wide range of his life, including his time as an education officer at the American Embassy in Vienna, Austria; his work at the American Consulate General in Stuttgart, Germany; his work at the American Embassy in Bonn, Germany; the activities of the Center for Cross Cultural Communications (later the Robbins Center for Cross Cultural Communications); and the work of the Museum of African Art (precursor to NMAfA). Of note are the records related to the Frederick Douglass house and the materials related to Robbins' conflict with the Smithsonian after his termination. Some materials date to after the death of Robbins in 2008. For more biographical information on Robbins please see Accession 11-001: Warren M. Robbins Papers, circa 1927-2009. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, brochures, scrapbooks, picture postcards, journals, a book, invitations, meeting minutes, conference records, images, clippings, ephemera, and a locket.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Robbins, Warren M.
- Douglass, Frederick, 1817?-1895
- Robbins Center for Cross Cultural Communication
- Center for Cross Cultural Communication
- Smithsonian Institution
- Museum of African Art (U.S.)
- National Museum of African Art (U.S.)
- United States. Foreign Service
- Man for All Reasons: Letters of a Visionary (Monograph : 2014)
Subject
- Museums -- Management
- Museum directors
- Museums -- Educational aspects
- Museums and community
- Art, African
- Cultural relations
- Communication
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 20-144, Warren M. Robbins Papers