WOMEN'S CAUCUS FOR ART, 1978 - 2003

This collection contains material and documents primarily related to Elsa Honig Fine's professional work as an art historian, writer, and founder of the Woman's Art Journal.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of material relating Fine's work as editor and founder of the Womean's Art Journal. Editorial correspondence from 1978 to 2006 make up the bulk of the material and document research, writing, and what goes into publishing the Woman's Art Journal from this time. Subscription lists, reviews, photo proofs, and material regarding the publication of Volume 25, No. 1 of the Women's Art Journal. Furthermore, there are a number of items documenting an exhibit held in 1989 and 1990 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the publication of the Women's Art Journal. This exhibition was called American Women Artsts: The 20th Century, and was shown in Knoxville, Tennessee andd Bayside, New York. Please see the scope and content note for the Women's Art Journal series for more information.

The writings series primarily contains material related to the writing and publishing of Fine's book, Women & Art: A History of Women Painters and Sculptors From the Renaissance to the 20th Century, which was published in 1978. Material included here are drafts of the chapters, photo proofs of images used in the book, research, information on the contract and royalties, and reviews of the book. Also included in this series are other writings by Fine, including her dissertation, Education and the Afro-American Artist, personal correspondence with some hand-drawn cards, and information on and an essay about an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit that was filed by Fine in the 1970s.

This collection also includes material related to conferences that were attended by Fine, lectures given, and honors Fine received. Material includes conference programs, speeches given, and slides presented, indicating and showing some of the professional involvement of Fine in the art world.

Furthermore, this collection contains material related to research conducted by Fine about women artists. This material includes articles, correspondence, and photocopies of two books that were published in the 19th Century about women artists: Women Artists in All Ages and Countries, originally published in 1859, by Elizabeth Ellet, and English Female Artist, originally published in 1876, by Ellen C. Clayton.

Of note, there are a number of catalogs documenting exhibitions of women artists during the 1970s and 1980s. This includes catalogs of solo exhibitions as well as catalogs of group exhibitions, noteably of women's art exhibitons. While not an exhaustive collection of catalogs from this time, it is an interesting documentation of the shows attended or known about by Fine at this time, especially considering the Women's Art Journal was founded during this time. There are catalogs throughout the collection, noteably in the editorial correspondence and Women's Caucus for Art series, not just in the catalog series.

Also included in this collection are material related to the Women's Caucus for Art (WCA). This includes Honor Awards catalogs and information about a monograph created by Fine for the WCA on the practices around teaching about women and art history. The Honor Awards catalogs range from 1979 and continue through 2003. Please note that not all catalogs are represented here. In late 1970s and early 1980s, Fine compiled a compilation of syllabi and articles that "describe the rich variety of active women's studies programs that relate to the field of art and art history." A draft of this compilation, titled Women's Studies and the Arts is included in the Women's Caucus for Art series. Material found here include copyright registration, fliers, correspondence regarding republishing, and a draft of the monograh with syllabi and course outlines. This creates an interesting snapshot of how art history of women artists was being taught around the US at the time.