museum's leadership in documenting and interpreting con- 

 temporary urban and community history and culture. The 

 collaborative strategies that the museum uses to develop and 

 implement projects are useful models for other institutions. 



To complement "Black Mosaic," the museum sponsored 

 two conferences about music. "Musica Afro-Latino" explored 

 the history of Latin musica] forms in Washington, D.C., and 

 featured performances and discussions by some of the city's 

 pioneers and trendsetters. "Beyond the Reggae Beat" in- 

 creased public understanding of musical genres with origins 

 in English- and French-speaking Caribbean communities. 

 Free concerts followed both conferences. 



Three notable exhibitions were installed in the Community 

 Gallery. "In Search of Common Ground: Senior Citizens and 

 Community Life at Potomac Gardens" focused on eight resi- 

 dents of a public housing development. "Art Changes Things: 

 The Art and Activism of Georgette Powell" was a retrospec- 

 tive view of the life and work of a noted African American art 

 educator and artist who has been active since the 1930s. 

 "Anacostia: Not the Same Old Story" was developed by stu- 

 dents participating in the museum's partnership with the 

 Lucy Ellen Moten Elementary School. 



The National African American Museum Project became 

 part of the museum's administrative structure and was re- 

 named the Center for African American History and Culture. 

 The center mounted two exhibitions in the Arts and Indus- 

 tries Building. "Imagining Families" offered a provocative ex- 

 amination of family history through a variety of art forms. In 

 "The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of Art," the pub- 

 lic gained insight into the impact of individuals who decide 

 to commit themselves to collecting African American art. 



An advisory board began consulting with museum staff on 

 plans for the 1997 exhibition "Speak to My Heart: African 

 American Communities of Faith and Contemporary Life." 

 The exhibition, the second in a trilogy of major contemporary 

 urban history offerings, will explore the social and cultural 

 dynamics of Washington's African American spiritual institu- 

 tions. It will also address the impact of changes in vestments, 

 iconography, and liturgy on black religious traditions. 



Plans for the museum's Archives Study and Storage Center 

 were completed. Construction is slated for 1996 and 1997. The 

 addition will enable the museum to be more effective in col- 

 lecting and caring for manuscript, archival, and photographic 

 material that reflects black life. 



Archives of American Art 



Richard J. Wattenmaker 



Acquisitions 



Major groups of important papers were acquired this year by 

 the Archives of American Art. John Gruen (b. 1926), art critic 



and author, donated original manuscripts, tape recordings and 

 transcripts of interviews conducted with important artists 

 who constitute a "Who's Who" of figures in the art world 

 over the past 40 years. These comprise discussions with crit- 

 ics, including Harold Rosenberg and Clement Greenberg, as 

 well as the original, unedited draft manuscript of Gruen 's 

 book, The Party's Over, with much more data than was ulti- 

 mately published. 



A large group of personal papers were donated by the critic 

 Lucy Lippard (b. 1937) including drafts of her books Six Years, 

 Cross Fire. Mixed Blessings, and Eva Hesse, together with corre- 

 spondence from 1970-1992. Other papers given include clip- 

 pings, leaflets, broadsides on American culture and politics as 

 well as her teaching notes for the University of Colorado, 

 Boulder in 1986. 



The Archives received a group of rare catalogues (1944- 

 1992), newsletters and records of the Society of American 

 Graphic Artists from Vice-President Richard Dorian. SAGA 

 continues today as the leading organization of printmakers in 

 America. 



Papers and gallery records were received from Kraushaar 

 Galleries, New York. More than 35 cubic feet of documents 

 comprising correspondence with artists, collectors, dealers, 

 museums and other clients. These include artists such as John 

 Sloan, Guy Pene du Bois, and Gifford Beal. Kraushaar, 

 founded in 1885, is one of the oldest art galleries in America 

 and played an important role in fostering the successful ca- 

 reers of such American artists as the Prendergast brothers, 

 Maurice and Charles, William Glackens, and John Sloan. In 

 the 1920s the Gallery was a leading exhibitor of modern Euro- 

 pean painters. Vose Galleries of Boston, Inc. also donated cus- 

 tomer files 1914-1945 adding to a group of papers given by 

 Vose over a period of years. The Gallery is the oldest family 

 owned art gallery in America begun in Providence, RI in the 

 1840s and operating in Boston since before the turn of the 

 century. These exceptional records constitute a continuing 

 gift that will provide an invaluable resource for the study of 

 19th and 20th century art in America. 



Among other continuing gifts are the papers of scholar 

 Stanton L. Catlin (b. 1915), a leading authority on 19th and 

 20th century Latin American art. One of his most notable 

 achievements was the organization of the "Art of Latin Amer- 

 ica since Independence" exhibition at Yale and the University 

 of Texas in 1967. An addition to the papers of painter and 

 draughtsman Hyman Bloom (b. 1913) was also received. Fel- 

 low of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 

 i960, Bloom is well known for his figure and anatomical com- 

 positions, landscapes and Jewish genre subjects. 



The Archives acquired the papers of sculptress Bessie Vonnoh 

 Potter (1872-1955) who gained a national reputation for bronze 

 fountains, portrait busts and mother-and-child figure groups. 

 The collection also includes vintage photographs. Of special in- 

 terest are the artist's letters describing her visit to the 1900 Paris' 

 Exposition Universelle. The donor, Lulette J. Thompson, is 

 Vonnoh s 98-year old cousin and oldest surviving heir. 



" 



