The idea for the AMA’s current show Uncrated has been slowing developing for some time, thanks to the efforts of AMA interns and staff members, especially Eumir Aroche-Sanchez. They have been carefully restoring some of the pieces in our permanent collection and sorting through decades-old photographs, records, and memorabilia stored in all kinds of nooks and crannies throughout our building (itself a relic of the past).
But as every researcher knows, at some point you run out of source material within arm’s reach. That’s when Kendall Quirk, AMA Director of Exhibitions, and Amy Schultz, AMA Creative Director, reached out to the archivists at the University of Texas at Arlington to find out if and how they could help.
As it happens, UTA Libraries Special Collections is the keeper of Howard and Arista Joyner’s personal records as well as those of the Arlington Art Association (AAA). Founding chairperson of the UTA (then NTAC) Art Department and co-founder of the AAA (which evolved into the AMA), Howard Joyner’s fastidious record-keeping and prolific letter-writing was a goldmine for filling our gaps in understanding.
Kathryn Slover, Interim Director & Digital Archivist of the UTA Libraries Special Collections, and her team served as the museum’s tour guides to its past. We caught up with Kathryn recently to ask her about the process.
When someone reaches out to Special Collections, like the AMA did, what do your librarians do to prepare for our research?
The archivists on staff here at Special Collections are incredibly knowledgeable about the collections we hold. We often rely on their expertise on different collecting areas as well as utilizing different ways to search for materials like the library catalog or our guides for collections published online. Some of our material is digitized as well so we can search online for select images and documents. On the occasions where we don’t have what a researcher is looking for, we will assist them in finding a library or archive that does have material that will help them
Can you comment on how cool it is that one of the museum’s founders (Howard Joyner) is a major figure in UTA history?
It’s really amazing to see how UTA history and local history connect. UTA Special Collections holds the Howard and Arista Joyner Collection as well as the Arlington Art Association Records. Both collections focus on different topics, one UTA focused and the other community focused, but when you look at them together you can see a more complete picture of Joyner’s story at UTA and the Arlington Museum of Art. UTA’s history is part of Arlington’s history so it’s wonderful to be able to collaborate on an exhibit like this where UTA’s collections can have a positive impact more broadly in the city.
The fact that Special Collections is the keeper of Howard Joyner’s records was the breakthrough we were looking for. When someone comes to the Library and offers to donate records, how do you decide if they are a good fit for your collection?
UTA Special Collections has several collecting areas including labor, cartography, photographs, disability history, University history, and general Texas history with a focus on DFW. The first thing we do is look to see if the records fit into one of these categories. Then we will learn about the materials from the person wanting to donate them and consider how the materials meet our mission of collecting and preserving historical materials to support research and teaching. Ultimately, our goal is to make materials accessible to both UTA affiliates and the broader community so we want to collect records that allow us to do that.
What do you enjoy most about working in UTA Libraries Special Collections?
I think my favorite thing about working in Special Collections is that there is always so much to learn. I moved here from out of state and so I am constantly learning about UTA, Arlington, and Texas history on the job. Making materials available for use and helping people with the research questions allows me to constantly learn new things about the local community and be able to look at actual pieces of that history while I do it.
More about Uncrated: https://arlingtonmuseum.org/news/uncrated-an-exhibition-of-never-before-seen-art-and-historic-images-from-arlington-museum-of-art-archives-explores-its-75-year-evolution
