Department of Art Collection
Scope and Contents
The Department of Art Collection consists of materials related to the administration and promotion of the department’s functioning and creative outputs. It includes administrative records, such as annual reports, faculty records, and minutes; ephemeral content including brochures; and department publications. The materials date from c. 1963 to 2020.
The Department of Art materials acquired in 2022 largely consist of departmental and Gallery of Art news clippings and promotional materials advertising various works of art and exhibitions. There are a small number of administrative records, such as faculty vitae, one course syllabus, and a handful of correspondence and financial records that are bundled with the promotional materials. Clippings were organized in three ring binders upon their arrival at Rod Library; they remain grouped / organized together as they were when SC&UA acquired them. The clippings are from a mix of local, regional, and campus newspapers and publications. They focus on department news and art gallery exhibitions and related news.
Also included the 2022 acquisition were a variety of departmental and gallery booklets detailing art exhibits, art on campus, 75th anniversary events and exhibitions, faculty work, and more. Some posters and department promotional materials are oversized.
Please note that there is topical and material type overlap between the pre-2022 acquisition and the 2022 acquisition. Researchers may want to browse the entire collection.
Dates
- c. 1960s-2020
Conditions Governing Access
Most materials are open for research. Materials related to the confidentiality of personnel, student, medical, and other legally protected records are CLOSED to researchers for 70 years from the date of creation. Consult the archivist with any questions or concerns.
General Use, Reproduction, and Copyright Policies
Many items housed in the Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives, including unpublished images and manuscripts, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, trademarks, or model release rights which the library does not own and for which the library cannot grant permission or licensing. Materials currently under copyright are usually still available for research and limited reproduction under Fair Use laws. However, it is the sole responsibility of the patron to determine whether or not their use of a given material falls within Fair Use guidelines and to obtain permission for said use from the rightful copyright owner.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy or similar laws, and the Iowa Open Records Law (see Iowa Code § 22.7). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Northern Iowa assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
Art instruction has been offered in some capacity at the University of Northern Iowa since it was founded (as the Iowa State Normal School) in 1876. The Art Department, which offered both art and music classes, existed until 1892, when it split into the Penmanship and Drawing Department and the Vocal and Instrumental Music Department. In 1894, the Penmanship and Drawing Department name changed to the Drawing Department, before becoming the Art Department in 1896.
The Art Department was absorbed into the Manual Arts Department upon its creation in 1907 before again becoming an independent Art Department from 1909 to 1922. At this point, the Art Department and Manual Arts Department combined to become the Art and Manual Arts Department, a combination which lasted until 1935 when the department became the Arts Department. In 1948, the Arts Department split into the Industrial Arts Department and the Art Department. Since then, the Art Department has remained an independent department. Following university designation and the creation of the college structure, the Department of Art has been part of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and its successor, the College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.
Extent
9.15 Linear Feet (20 boxes)
3.58 Linear Feet (oversize folder)
Language of Materials
Undetermined
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The 2022 acquisition was given to SC&UA by Department of Art head, Elizabeth Sutton.
Processing Information
2022 acquisition processed and finding aid updated by Archival Processor Tessa Wakefield, March 2023.
- Title
- Department of Art Collection
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script