Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference (Bard Graduate Center) exhibition records

The collection consists of records that pertain to the research, curatorial planning, publicity, and presentation of the exhibition and its accompanying catalogue. Many materials throughout the collection include handwritten annotations.

Series I: Catalogue - Materials related to the contents and production of the catalogue Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference [ed. Pat Kirkham]. Includes research notes, essay drafts, author files, meeting notes, correspondence, illustration lists, checklists. Also includes files on a “Context Line” timeline, created for the exhibition by designer Deborah Sussman.

Series II: Checklists and Objects - Materials documenting the checklist of objects in the exhibition and its development through drafts and prospective loan research. Includes final checklist, preliminary checklists, object captions, notes on revisions and changes, correspondence, loan prospect lists, and slides. Includes a series of file folders covering objects by exhibition section (labeled A-F), with annotated research files.

Series III: Interpretation - Interpretive materials relating to the exhibition, including wall labels.

Series IV: Publicity and Press - Press, publicity, and marketing materials for the exhibition and catalogue. Includes press clippings and reviews, opening invitations, brochures, listings, promotional materials, and posters.

Series V: Correspondence - Curatorial correspondence, mostly regarding object research and loans, the catalogue, or image permissions. Some correspondents are internal, others include include designers, authors, lenders, and image vendors. Lender correspondence is filed alphabetically. A folder of notable correspondents includes notes from Isabel and Ruben Toledo, D.D. Tillett, and Cristina Grajales. Note: some correspondence also appears in other series.

Series VI: Exhibition Planning and General Curatorial - General files related to curatorial activities. Includes files on funding, exhibition tour prospectus, relevant conferences and public programs, gallery installation planning, curatorial planning notes, correspondence, objects lists.

Series VII: Loans and Registrar - Records related to object lenders and prospective lenders. Includes loan agreements, loan requests, lender lists, image reproduction agreements, correspondence, installation and condition photographs. Files include institutional, commercial, and individual lenders and are arranged alphabetically.

Series VIII: Research - This series includes primary and secondary sources gathered in the development of the exhibition and catalogue. Most items include handwritten annotations. It primarily consists of folders on individual designers, firms, schools, or organizations, arranged alphabetically. It also includes a run of file folders arranged by exhibition theme or subtopic. Note that the extent of each folder's contents varies from a single item to many pages. FOR A LIST OF ALL FOLDERS IN THIS SERIES, please see the Series VIII description at the end of this finding aid, or click on "Series VIII: Research" under Collection Organization at right.

Files include reprints, clippings, periodicals, bibliographies, designer resumes/CVs, conference materials, newsletters, and promotional materials. Some contain photographs and slides, and correspondence.

Also included are notes and transcripts from interview conducted by the project team with designers including Ruth Carter, Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Lella Vignelli, Lucia DeRespinis, Jackie Peters, Rose Ransier Piper, Dorothy Hafner, Anita Stewart, and Carole Bilson.