Dates
- 1974-2001 (bulk 1978-1998)
Scope and Content Note
The Women's Caucus for Art New York City Chapter Records document the chapter's activities and programming from its founding in 1978 to its dissolution in 2001, the bulk of which date from 1978 to 1996. The collection contains both textual documents and media. Document types include financial statements, correspondence, newsletters, exhibition catalogs, press releases, news clippings, postcards and ephemera. Media in the collection include audio cassette tapes, photographs, slides, negatives, and prints. The bulk of the textual materials are related to the various conferences and exhibitions sponsored by and related to the WCA/NYC. Especially well covered is the exhibition In Three Dimensions: Women Sculptors of the '90s and WCA National Conferences in New York City during 1990 and 1994.
The collection is arranged in ten series. OFFICIAL CHAPTER DOCUMENTS (1975-2001; 4 folders) contains the organization's constitution and bylaws and documents the process by which the chapter established itself as a tax-exempt organization. NEWSLETTERS (1988-1998; 1 folder) contains a comprehensive collection of two WCA/NYC publications, Women's Caucus for Art New York City Chapter Newsletter, Fall 1988 through Spring 1996, and Women's Caucus for Art New York City Chapter Bulletin, Spring 1996 through Winter 1998. EXHIBITIONS FILES (1975-1996; 6 folders) is divided into two sub-series: Exhibition Catalogs, including documentation on WCA/NYC-associated exhibitions from 1975 through 1996; and In Three Dimensions: Women Sculptors of the '90s, hosted by WCA/NYC through 1995 and 1996. Materials in EXHIBITIONS FILES include exhibition catalogs, price lists, postcard announcements, artists' statements, planning correspondence, and gallery floor plans. CHAPTER ACTIVITIES FILES (1975-2001; 10 folders) is comprised of announcements for meetings, events, exhibits, and discussions, as well as grant applications, annual reports, leadership council minutes, and correspondence and supporting documentation for various protests. This series provides insight into the day-to-day activities of WCA/NYC and the manner in which members attempted to carry out the organization's mission. One such activity featured in the CHAPTER ACTIVITIES FILES is WCA/NYC's collection of statistics on women artists in museum collections, related protests, and an attempted lawsuit against such museums as the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. CONFERENCES FILES (1985-1994; 9 folders) is separated into three sub-series for each WCA National Conference hosted by the New York City chapter: WCA National Conference, 1986, WCA National Conference, 1990, and WCA National Conference, 1994. This series includes planning correspondence for the conferences and related exhibitions, financial documentation, conference packets, and press coverage. CHAPTER ADVISORY BOARD FILES (1982-1994; 3 folders) contains board meeting agendas, minutes, board membership lists, and correspondence related to fund-raising activities and grant applications.
The final four series in the collection are media-specific and contain visual and audio documentation of WCA/NYC activities. MEDIA AND DOCUMENTATION (1979-1994; 8 folders) contains small groups of slides and slide scripts, negatives, large photographs, proof sheets, artwork and ephemera from WCA/NYC members. Slides and slide scripts are also included in this series, particularly those from the 1986 WCA National Conference and accompanying exhibition, Liberty and the Pursuit of Liberty. AUDIO CASSETTE TAPES (1984-1995; 32 cassette tapes in 1 drop front box) is divided into two sub-series, WCA National Conference, 1994, documenting the keynote, panels, and meetings at WCA's National Conference in New York City, and Miscellaneous Audio Cassette Tapes, which includes other lectures and conference panels, as well as 1993 interviews with Jenny Tango, Linda Cunningham, Clarissa Sligh, and Joan Arbeiter. SLIDES (1980-1994; 24 slide boxes in 1 phase box) contains labeled slide boxes with relevant ordered slides housed therein. The bulk of these slides are individually labeled. The series is divided into three sub-series: WCA 1980s Slide Registry, comprehensive documentation of women artists in the WCA/NYC realm, WCA National Conference, 1986, with conference scenes and exhibition spaces, and Miscellaneous Slides, showing other exhibitions and WCA/NYC activities, such as a co-sponsored electric sign in Times Square. Lastly, PHOTOGRAPHS (1986-1996; 11 folders in 1 short lid box) includes both black and white and color photographs of WCA/NYC exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and retreats, heavily featuring many WCA/NYC members and their artwork.
Extent
2.5 Cubic Feet (2 records cartons, 1 photo box)
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Abstract
The Women's Caucus for Art New York Chapter Records document the chapter's activities and programming from its founding in 1978 to its dissolution in 2001, the bulk of which date from 1978 to 1996. These records primarily focus on New York City. The collection contains both textual documents and media. Document types include financial statements, correspondence, newsletters, exhibition catalogs, press releases, news clippings, postcards and ephemera. Media in the collection include audio cassette tapes, photographs, slides, negatives, and prints. The bulk of the textual materials are related to the various conferences and exhibitions sponsored by and related to the WCA/NYC. Especially well covered is the exhibition In Three Dimensions: Women Sculptors of the '90s and WCA National Conferences in New York City during 1990 and 1994.
Administrative History
The Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) is a national organization of women professionals in the visual arts. It was founded in 1972 as part of the College Art Association (CAA) and became a separate organization in 1975. Its aim is to establish a climate of equality and inclusivity for all visual art professionals. During the late 1970s, WCA chapters were founded across the country in order to better share information, offer support, and pursue smaller-scale WCA goals such as exhibitions and combining slide registries. The New York City Chapter (WCA/NYC) was one such chapter, founded in 1978.
During the tenure of its eight presidents from 1978 to 1995, the WCA/NYC held regular meetings, exhibitions, lectures, seminars, and workshops. It also established a local slide registry, published a newsletter, and collected museum statistics as part of an agenda to more accurately represent the proportion of women artists in art galleries.
After the conclusion of Susan Grabel's tenure as Chapter President in 1995, a steering committee ran the chapter for an additional three years. As no one was willing to take on the central leadership position, the officers resigned and the chapter ceased collecting fees. In the fall of 2000, Susan Grabel and the steering committee (Sharon Vatsky, Hilda Demsky, Sheila Benedis, and Devorah Sperber) decided to disband the chapter. In February of 2001, the decision was made to use the remaining chapter funds to support the Ceres Project Room, part of the Ceres Gallery, a nonprofit, artist-run organization in Chelsea that promotes women in the arts.
Arrangement Note
The original order of files has been maintained. Information within the folders is arranged chronologically.
- Title
- Inventory to the Women's Caucus for Art. New York Chapter Records MC 1487
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Author
- Reuben Kaller, Diane Kinney, Weatherly Stephan, Stephanie Crawford and Fernanda Perrone
- Date
- April 2010
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
- Sponsor
- Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
Part of the New Brunswick Special Collections Repository