Archives and Special Collections
92 Snell Library
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2351
archives@neu.edu

Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids

Printable Finding Aid. Back to Browsing Version.
Collection Overview
Title:	Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists records
Dates:	1966-1998
Location:	69/3-4
Call Number:	M44
Volume:	8.15 cubic ft. (10 boxes)
Scope and Content Abstract:	The collection documents the administration of the museum; its role in arts education to children and adults; and its exhibitions and collection of African, Caribbean, and Afro-American fine arts. The collection also documents the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists' promotion of African and Afro-American fine arts, and its relationship and collaborations with other international, national and local artists and arts organizations.
Historical Abstract:	Established in 1969 as a division of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists is an art museum dedicated to the education, promotion, exhibition, and collection of African, Caribbean, and Afro-American fine arts worldwide.
Arrangement:	Organized into 4 series: 1. Administration; 2. Director's Files; 3. Acquisitions and Exhibits; and 4. Events and Programs.
Subjects and Contributors:	Chandler Jr., Dana. Gaither, Edmund Barry, b. 1944. Lewis, Elma. Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts. National Center of Afro-American Artists. National Center of Afro-American Artists. Museum. African American arts -- Massachusetts -- Boston. African American artists -- Massachusetts -- Boston. African Americans -- Education -- Massachusetts -- Boston. Art centers -- Massachusetts -- Boston. Artists and museums -- Massachusetts -- Boston. Arts and children -- Massachusetts -- Boston. Education -- Exhibitions. Education -- Museums.
Restrictions:	The collection is unrestricted.
Related Materials:	Elma Ina Lewis papers (M38), National Center of Afro-American Artists (M42), Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts (M43)
Processor:	Finding aid prepared by Michelle Maing, Processing of this collection was funded in part by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission., August 1999

Scope and Content Note
The collection documents the administration and personnel of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists; its active role in educating and promoting the history of African and Afro-American fine arts to children and adults; the museum's exhibitions and collection of African, Caribbean, and Afro-American fine arts; and other international, national, and local organizations related to African and Afro-American arts. A highlight of this collection is the Acquisitions and Exhibits series which documents the process of collecting artwork and organizing and promoting the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists' exhibits. Visual materials and materials documenting the museum's fund-raising activities, financial operations, and public relations are found in the National Center of Afro-American Artists records (M42).

Historical Note
Established in 1969 as a division of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists is an art museum dedicated to the education, promotion, exhibition, and collection of African, Caribbean, and Afro- American fine arts worldwide. It is one of only two Afro-American art museums in the United States, and it is the only art museum in New England dedicated exclusively to African, Caribbean, and Afro American fine arts. The museum's collection includes prints, drawings, photographs, paintings, sculpture, and artifacts of African masks and terra cottas. The Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists has offered educational programs to promote and teach the history of Afro-American fine arts to children and adults, including a lecture series, art camps, internships, a Kids' Fair, and the Mobile Museum, an innovative educational program of the 1970s, that brought artwork to public school children. Exhibitions have included such topics as the contemporary art of Senegal, Jamaican art, Christian art in Ethiopia, and a retrospective of Allan Rohan Crite's work. Since 1969 the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists has had an association with the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, Mass.). Their first collaborative exhibit in 1970, Afro-American Artists: New York and Boston, was at that time the largest and most comprehensive exhibition on the work of contemporary Afro-American artists shown to the American public. In 1980 the museum moved from 122 Elm Hill Avenue to its new location at 300 Walnut Avenue, Roxbury, Massachusetts. In 1994 the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists opened its first permanent exhibition, Aspelta: A Nubian King's Burial Chamber.

Bibliography
Exhibits: Treasures from the Museum, Box 5 Museum Web site. (http://www.afamnet.com/ncaaamuseum/)


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Series:	1. Administration, 1970-1998
Volume:	0.25 cubic ft.
Arrangement:	Alphabetical
Summary:	The series documents the organization, management, and staffing of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists and contains Advisory Board correspondence and minutes, annual reports, and personnel procedures. Of special interest are transcripts of the Subcommittee hearings on the Museum Services Act in which Director Edmund Barry Gaither testified in favor of a bill to provide financial assistance for improving and operating museums, and a folder on the history of the museum.
Box	Title		Date
1	Activities Summary		1970-1972
	Advistory Board
1		Correspondence	1974-1993
1		Lists	n.d., 1976
1		Minutes	1976
1	Annual Reports (2 folders)		1970-1978
1	Holiday Card		n.d.
1	Interoffice Memoranda		1975-1993
1	A Journal of Affairs of Black Artists		ca. 1971
1	Legal		1974-1993
1	Letterhead		n.d.
1	Museum History		1973-1998
1	Museum Services Act: Subcommittee Hearings		1974
	Personnel
1		Action for Boston Community Development	1977-1980
1		Boston Private Industry Council Summer Jobs Program	1982-1993
1		Guidelines	1978
1		Issues	1974-1993
1		Job Descriptions	n.d., 1973
1		Letters of Recommendation	1971-1992
1		Meeting	1974-1991
1		National Urban League	1980-1981
1		Resumes and Lists	n.d., 1984-1994
1	Space Rental Procedures		n.d.
1	Volunter Data Collection Sheet		n.d.
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Series:	2. Director's Files, 1970-1996
Volume:	1.25 cubic ft.
Arrangement:	Alphabetical
Summary:	This series is comprised of the working files and background files for the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists' collections, exhibits, programs, and events. The series also documents other international, national, and local organizations dedicated to Afro-American arts heritage. The series contains correspondence to and from museums such as the Afro-American Museum of Detroit and the Museum of Afro American History, art galleries, art dealers, potential donors and lenders, artists, academic institutions, researchers, arts organizations, and art associations and societies. Also documented here are Director Edmund Barry Gaither's professional activities outside of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists. Gaither served as a board member, panelist, judge, lecturer, professor, and committee member for arts organizations and societies, academic institutions, conferences, and museums. The series contains correspondence and minutes that document these associations.
Box	Title		Date
7-9	Museum Correspondence		n.d., 1971-1996
	Professional Correspondence
1		General (15 folders)	1970-1995
1		Africa in the School and Community	1980-1985
1		African American Museums Association (6 folders)	1978-1994
1		Afro-American Cultures Meeting: Buenos Aires	1990-1991
1-2		American Association of Museums (4 folders)	1975-1993
2		The Art of Black America in Japan	1987
2		Artists Foundation	1982-1984
2		Artists International	1991-1992
2		Boston Cultural Partnership	n.d., 1991-1993
2		Children's Museum (Boston)	1980-1993
2		Education and Resources Group	1987
2		Educational Technology Center	1991-1992
2		Massachusetts College of Art	1979-1993
2		Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities	1974-1988
2		Massachusetts Cultural Alliance (4 folders)	1978-1988
2		Midtown District Task Force	1987-1988
2		Musuem of Afro-American Ethnohistory, Inc.	1978-1984
2		Museum of Science	1986-1987
2		National Conference on Artists	1975-1985
2		National Endowment for the Arts	1978-1993
2		Peabody Museum	1978-1993
2		Public Media Foundation	1980-1981
2		Publications	1970-1994
2		Roxbury Community College	1983-1987
2		Roxbury Heritage State Park Advisory Committee	1984-1993
2		Smithsonian Institution	1980-1991
2		Urbanarts	1984-1994
2		WGBH (2 folders)	1980-1993
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Series:	3. Acquisitions and Exhibits, 1966-1996
Volume:	2.75 cubic ft.
Arrangement:	Alphabetical
Summary:	The series documents the acquisition of works of art for the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists' collection, and the process of organizing and promoting the museum's exhibits. The series contains correspondence to and from artists and correspondence on the installation and transportation of artwork. The bulk of the series documents the exhibits and contains mostly exhibit brochures and other promotional materials. These materials are arranged by artist and by exhibit. Artists include Benny Andrews, Dana Chandler, Allan Rohan Crite, and Lois Mailou Jones. General information on exhibits including correspondence, calendars, and proposal forms is located at the beginning of the Exhibits section.
Box	Title		Date
	Acquisitions
2		Acquisition Proposals	1970-1993
2		Acquisitions	n.d., 1970-1994
2		Artists Raymond Lark	1993-1994
2		Artist Lists and Resumes	n.d., 1973-1975
2		Dr. Charles Richard Drew Bronze Bust Unveiling	1974
2		Eternal Presence Sculpture Replication	1990-1991
2		Fine Arts Insurance	1972-1987
2		Loans (to and from other museums)	n.d., 1972-1993
2		Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Sculpture	1984-1989
2		Slide Archive (4 folders)	n.d., 1970-1993
2	Exhibits: General
2		Calendars	1972-1994
2		Correspondence	n.d., 1972-1993
2		Labels	n.d.
2		Proposal Forms	n.d.
2-3		Proposals (3 forms)	1969-1994
	Exhibits by Artist
3		Abad, Palita	1982
3		Alston, Charles (2 folders)	1983-1993
3		Anderson, Dorothy (2 folders)	n.d., 1983-1984
3		Andrades, Ernest	1984
3		Andrews, Benny (7 folders)	1966-1991
3		Andrews, Bert	1983-1984
3		Ayorinde, Omobowale	1984-1985
3		Banks, Ellen (2 folders)	1974-1988
3		Bearden, Romare (2 folders)	1970-1982
3		Bearden, Romare, Jacob Lawrence, Horace Pippin, Charles White, Hale Woodruff	1970
3		Belachew, Girma	1987
3		Blackburn, Robert	1985-1986
3		Boutte, Ronald	1986
3		Burnett, Calvin	1972, 1995
3		Burnett, Calvin, Milton Derr, Richard Stroud	1994-1995
3		Burton, Aukram	1987
3		Byron, Carlos W.	1994
3		Chandler Jr., Dana (2 folders)	1974-1979
3		Cissoko, Roberta	1986
3		Coblyn, Michael E.	n.d.
3		Cook, George and Theresa Cook	1989
3		Cortor, Eldzier, Hughie Lee-Smith, Rex Goreleigh	1973
3		Crite, Allan Rohan (2 folders)	1975-1995
3		Cunningham, Fern (2 folders)	1972-1984
3		Day, Thomas	1985
3		de Leon, Henry (2 folders)	1975-1982
3		Diab, Rashid	1994
3		do Nascimento, Abdias	1971
3		Duncanson, Robert S., Edward M. Bannister	1972
3		Dunwell, Anna	1982
3		Ferguson, Amos	1985
3		Fuller, Meta Warrick (2 folders)	1974-1994
3		Galloway, Deta	1986-1987
3		Geter, Tyrone (2 folders)	1979-1986
3		Goreleigh, Rex, Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith	1973
3		Graham, Robert H.	1987
3		Harleston, Edwin A.: Painter of an Era, 1831-1931 (2 folders)	1983-1985
3		Hill, Dorrance James	1983-1984
3		Hudson, Robert Charles	1985
3		Hunt, George	1993-1994
3		Hurley, Arnold	1982
3		Iyaniwura, Ifatohun	1990
3		Jackson, Reginald L. (2 folders)	1981-1989
3		Jackson, Richard	1987-1989
3		Jennings, Wilmer, Hamilton Smith	1986
3		Johnson, Larry	1988-1989
3		Jones, Lois Mailou, Verniaud Pierre-Noel Louis	1983-1985
3		Jones, Lois Mailou (2 folders)	1972-1996
3		Jones, Michael	1984
3		Jones-Henderson, Napoleon (2 folders)	1980-1993
3		Kayiga, Kofi (2 folders)	1980-1993
3		Kearsley, Hank	1988
3		Kennedy, Harriet Forte (2 folders)	1972-1995
3		Keys, Ah John W.	1986
3		Kodi, Khalid	1992
3		Lee-Smith, Hughie, Eldzier Cortor, Rex Goreleigh	1973
3		Lee-Smith, Hughie (General)	1975
3		Lindsay, Arturo (2 folders)	1982-1994
3		McCluney, Edward	1987
3		McLean, Taylor (2 folders)	1980-1982
4		Melton, Janice Munnings	1982-1984
4		Montford, James, Catherine Bernard, Chukwuanugo S. Okeke	1990
4		Murrell, Robert, Leon H. Robinson	1984
4		Norman, Joseph	1989
4		Perinchief, Roxanne	1985
4		Phillips, James	1992
4		Pigatt, Anderson J.	1973-1975
4		Pinkney, Jerry	1987-1988
4		Polk, P.H.	1982-1986
4		Puryear, Martin (2 folders)	1974-1985
4		Raquib, Hakim	1986-1991
4		Roberts, Richard S.	1987-1988
4		Robinson, Leon H., Robert W. Murrell	1984
4		Robinson, Leon (General)	1983
4		Robinson, Rudolph (2 folders)	1972-1987
4		Rodriguez, James (2 folders)	n.d., 1980-1992
4		Ryder, Mahler B. (2 folders)	1980-1986
4		Ryder, Mahler, Romare Bearden	1977
4		Saar, Betye	1987
4		Sharpe-Etteh, Gilda	1986
4		Smith, Alfred J.	1976
4		Smith, Hamilton, Wilmer Jennings	1986
4		Smith, Michael P.	1986
4		Stone, Robert Lee	1988
4		Stour, Renee, Angel Suarez-Rosado, Y. David Chung, Jenni Lukac, James Luna	1992
4		Strickland, Edward	1983-1984
4		Stroud, Dick	1987-1988
4		Stull, Robert J.	1983-1984
4		Sykes, Larry	1977
4		Tinch, Jr., Robert (2 folders)	1984-1986
4		Washington, Clarence	1983-1984
4		White, Charles (2 folders)	1980-1983
4		Whitlock, Edwina Harleston	1984
4		Widdiss, Claudia	1985
4		Wignall, Diane	1987
4		Wilson, John (2 folders)	1983-1988
4		Wong, Elaine	1984
4		Woodruff, Hale, Wilmer Jennings, Allan R. Crite	1979-1984
4		Woodruff, Hale (General)	1980-1982
4		Yarde, Richard (2 folders)	1973-1993
	Exhibits by Exhibit Name
4		African American Artists: Works in Traditional Crafts Media	1982
4		African and Afro-American Artist	1985
4		African and Oceanic Sculpture	1993-1994
4		African Art of the Dogon	1973
4		African Reflections	1974
4		Afro-American Artists	1986-1987
4		Afro-American Artists Abroad	1970
4		Afro-American Artists in Boston, 1776-1960	1980
4, 10		Afro-American Artists in New York/Boston, Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists/Museum of Fine Arts (3 folders)	1970
4		Afro-American Artists of the Seventies	1980
4		Afro-American Printmakers of the Thirties	1979
4		Afro-American Prints and Drawings (2 folders)	1988
4		Afro-American Tradition in the Decorative Arts	1983
4		Ah, Haiti	1973
4		Ancestral Vibrations	1975
4		Art of the Christian Church in Ethiopia	1973
4		Aspects of the 70s: Spiral (2 folders)	1979-1980
4		Aspelta: A Nubian King's Burial Chamber	1994
4		Black Art	1987
4		Black Art – Ancestral Legacy	1988
4		Black Boston	1993
4		Black Women Artists	1987
4		Blossoming of New Promises	1983-1984
4		Celebrate: The Black Preacher	1973
4		Conjurgraphs, Conjuforms, and Images	1977
4		Contemporary African Artists: Changing Traditions	1991
4		Contemporary Art of Senegal	1980
4		Contemporary Haitian Artists	1988
4		Contemporary Nigerian Fabrics and Prints	1973
4		Design Diaspora: Black Architects and International Architecture, 1970-1990	1994
4		Designs of the Ndebele	1979-1980
4		External Presence and Primal Rites	1983
4		Ethopia: A Christian Art in an African Nation	1982
4		Facets of Our Experience	1973
4		Festival Bostonian	1975
4		First Annual Invitational Show	1975
4		Flashback: Contemporary Afro-American Artists	1973
4		For Us	n.d.
4		Haiti, Haiti	1971
4		Head-Heart-Hands-Heritage	1981
4		Highlights from Atlanta University Collection of Afro-American Art	1974
4		Holy War in the Sudan	1994
4		If I Didn't Care	1975
4		Impressions: Prints and Drawings of Afro-Americans	1978-1979
4		Impressions/Expressions: Black American Graphics	1984
4		In Be Bop Time	1993
4		Jamaican Art, 1922-1982	1983
4		Jamaican Art Since the 30s	1970
5		Jubilee: Afro-American Artists on Afro-America (2 folders)	1975-1976
5		Kindred Spirits	1974-1975
5		Kindred Spirits, Barbados	1981
5		Massachusetts Masters: Afro-American Artists, Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists/Museum of Fine Arts	1987-1988
5		The Mexican Scene	1983
10		New Black Artists	1970
5		1970s: Prints and Drawings by Afro-Americans (7 folders)	1977-1980
5		19th-Century: Afro-American Artists, Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists/Museum of Fine Arts	n.d.
5		The Nubia Show	1994
5		Our Commonwealth: Our Collections	1990
5		Our Treasures Explored	1989
5		People's Art: Black Murals, 1967-1978	1986-1987
5		The Portrayal of the Black Musician in American Art	1986-1988
5		Prudential Bicentennial Pavilion	1974-1975
5		Rambling on My Mind: Folk Art of the Southwest	1987-1988
5		Roxbury: Yesteryears	1974-1976
5		Selected Works from the Museum	1987
5		Selections from the Collection of the Museum	1986
5		Sent For You Yesterday	1973
5		Southern Roads/City Pavements	1984-1985
5		Struggles Against Racism	1994
5		Student Art Exhibit	1995
5		Takin' Care of Business	1971
5		Tradition and Conflict: Images of a Turbulent Decade Spirit World	1984-1987
5		Treasures from the Museum	1993
5		Younger Boston Black Artists	n.d.
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Series:	4. Events and Programs, 1967-1994
Volume:	2.00 cubic ft.
Arrangement:	Alphabetical then chronological
Summary:	The series documents the events and programs organized to promote the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists to funders and the general public. The educational programs in particular underscore the museum's mission to promote and teach the history of Afro-American fine arts to children and adults. The series contains correspondence, memoranda, and brochures on the educational programs and curricula, the docent program, Mobile Museum, summer programs, conferences, projects, receptions, and the long-standing partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts. Also included are school visit agreements with schools and colleges from New England and New York, and background historical summaries on the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists' programs.
Box	Title			Date
	Events
5		African Delegation		1981
5		Arts Career Workshop		1981
5		Black Film Festival		1975
5		Book Party for Black Women Writers		1982
5		Boston 200		1975
5		Celebration of Eternal Presence Sculpture		1982-1989
5		A Conversation with Three Artists: Lois Jones Mailou, Richard Yarde, Robert Freeman		1988
5		Crystallizing the Idea Symposium		1983
5		Directions in the Seventies		1972
5		Events for Outside Organizations (2 folders)		1978-1994
5		First Anniversary		1981
5		Great Cities of the World Conference		1980
5		Gus and Lucy's Fashion Carousel		1974-1986
5		Honorary Dinner for Lois Mailou Jones		1981
5		Islands Day		1985
5		Manuel Hughes Workshop		1981
5		National Conference of Artists		1982
5		Other Events		n.d., 1973-1974
5		Sankofa Screening		1993
5		Senegalese Delegation		1980
5		Soviet Educational Delegation		1986
	Programs
5		Abbotsford Project		1989
5		Africa for Fouth Graders		n.d., 1981
5		African Arts and Culture		1981
5		Africans in the Americas: A Study Guide for Teachers		n.d.
5		Art Week Boston		1979-1984
5		Background: Historical Summaries		n.d., 1991
5		Black History Month		1973-1987
5		The Cuatro		1988
5		Education Department Description		1981
5		Educational Art Camp: Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts		1992-1993
5		Evaluations: Yoruba Art and Culture in Africa and the Americas		1991
6		Fifth Grade Docent Program (3 folders)		1983-1993
6		Frederick Douglass Memorial Sculpture Project		1987
		International Partnerships
6			Barbados	1990-1993
6			Haiti	1991-1992
6			Jamaica	1983
6		Internships		1981-1993
6		Introduction to Africa for Youngsters		1989
6		Introduction to Africa with a Project		1989
6		Kellogg Museum Education Project		1983
6		Kids' Fair		1980-1987
6		Kindred Spirits: Partnership with Organization of American States		1983-1985
6		Landscape Architecture Program		1994
6		LEF Grant Proposal: For Girls Only		1993
6		Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Drum Major for Justice		1991
6		Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller Project		1994
6		Mobile Museum (6 folders)		n.d., 1970-1978
		Museum of Fine Arts
6			Education Plan	1987
6			Five Years Report on Alliance between the Museum of Fine Arts and the National Center of Afro-American Artists	1976
6			Joint Educational Program	1984-1985
6			Partnership (3 folders)	n.d., 1969-1994
6		National Black Programming Consortium Request for Proposals		1993
6		19th Century Afro-America		n.d., 1989
6		Over and Under Boston: A Guide for 7-14 Year Olds and Their Counselors		1986
6		Paul Cuffe Curriculum Project		1988-1989
6		Performing Arts Program		1974-1991
6		Proposals		1979-1994
6		Resthaven Arts Project		1985-1987
6		Roxbury Community College Sculpture Project		1981-1985
		School Visit
6			Agreement (5 folders)	1986-1993
6			Correspondence	1974-1993
7			Forms	1980-1983
7			Thank-You Letters (3 folders)	1971-1993
7		Summer Programs		n.d., 1990-1994
		Teaching Resources
7			Americanization of 15th Century Africans	n.d.
7			Hatch/Billops Collection	1974
7			Minorities in the Visual Arts: Gaither	1984
7			Other Teaching Resources	n.d., 1967-1995
7		The Three Kings Festival		1988
7		The Three Kings Festival in Puerto Rico		1990
7		Watercolor Class		1993
7		Williams College Museum of Art Partnership		1988-1989
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Archives and Special Collections 92 Snell Library 360 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115 (617) 373-2351 archives@neu.edu

Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids

Printable Finding Aid. Back to Browsing Version.

Series:

1. Administration, 1970-1998

Series:

2. Director's Files, 1970-1996

Series:

3. Acquisitions and Exhibits, 1966-1996

Series:

4. Events and Programs, 1967-1994

Archives and Special Collections
92 Snell Library
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2351
archives@neu.edu