Mead Art Museum Records, 1874-present (bulk 1946-present)

Requests for permission to publish material from the Records should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

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Historical Note

Professor Charles H. Morgan of the College's Fine Arts Department was responsible for developing the museum's original art collection. He became the museum's first director in 1948, a position which he held for twenty years. (Morgan wrote a detailed history of the collection in 1972, entitled The Development of the Art Collection of Amherst College, 1821- 1971).

The Mead Art Museum building was constructed in 1948-49 on the site of the Stearns Church (the Stearns Church spire was retained). Construction was financed by gift from architect William R. Mead (AC 1867) and directed by the college architect, James Kellum Smith of the firm McKim, Mead and White, in collaboration with Professor Morgan. Originally the Mead facility served as both a venue for displaying works of art and a teaching facility with offices and studio space.

As the Fine Arts Department evolved, it shifted its curriculum slightly away from the scholarly study of art and towards the creation of art in the studio. As early as the 1970s Mead's studio facilities became obsolete. In 1985 the college planned a major renovation and extension of the museum, but these plans were postponed; the Arts department relied instead on the use of the Fayerweather building for studio space. Finally, in 1999, when it was apparent that Mead's facilities were inadequate to even preserve its existing collection, the College began an ambitious renovation project. The interior of the building was completely gutted, offices and studios made way for display and storage space, and state-of-the-art climate control and security systems were installed to protect the collection. The museum reopened in March 2001.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection contains correspondence, research notes, news clippings, guest books, exhibition catalogues, monographs, press releases, and photographs relating to Amherst College's Mead Art Museum. The records include significant documentation of the museum's first major exhibition, the Armory Show Retrospective of 1958.

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into three series:

• Exhibition Files, 1946-present
• Printed Material, 1930s-present
• Art Gallery Guest Books, 1874-1879, 1970-1980

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Series 1: EXHIBITION FILES

Series 1, Exhibition Files, comprises the bulk of the records and consists of publications and other documents related to specific exhibitions in the museum. Chiefly included here are catalogs and promotional materials, but for some exhibitions, photographs and planning documents are available as well.

One notable part of this series is the files on the exhibition "The 1913 Armory Show in Retrospect, 1957-1964." This material consists primarily of correspondence related to the organization and administration of the exhibition, including requests for the loan of artwork. The Armory Show Retrospective, arranged by the Mead Art Museum in February 1958, was the most ambitious one undertaken by the Amherst College Fine Arts Department to date. It was organized by Professor Frank Anderson Trapp, comprised sixty works of art, most of them borrowed from other institutions and from private collections. Research notes and administrative details for the preparation of the exhibition and related publications are also included. Of special interest are forty letters from two family members, an art historian, and artists whose works were included in the original 1913 Armory Show and were also a part of the 45th anniversary retrospective at Amherst. Correspondence subsequent to the opening of the exhibitions, particularly that of other institutions that later organized Armory Show retrospectives, is also found here.

See also series 2, subseries D: Posters.

Series 2: PRINTED MATERIAL

Series 2, Printed Material, 1930s-present, is organized into five sub-series:

A. Annual Reports, 2008-

B. Mead Monographs, 1979-1989: a collection of book-length publications on Mead collections of a certain period, country, or style. Arranged chronologically.

C. Art Notes, 1998-2008: an occasional publication of the museum highlighting various aspects of its collection.

D. Posters, 1934-2010: Exhibition posters related to Mead gallery shows as well as shows in the former Mather Art Gallery in Williston Hall.

E. Articles and Miscellaneous: Printed matter from newspapers and journals related to exhibitions and holdings of the Mead.

Subseries A: Annual Reports

Subseries B: Mead Monographs, 1979-1989

Subseries C: Art Notes, 1998-2007

Subseries D: Posters

Subseries E: Articles and Miscellaneous

Series 3: ART GALLERY GUEST BOOKS 1874-1879, 1970-1980

Guest books recording visitor entries to museum galleries.

Arranged chronologically.