Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences publications and ephemera
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Abstract
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences publications and ephemera date from 1861 to the 2000s and document the activities of the general Institute along with several of its divisions, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Items mainly consist of annual reports and news publications, though additional ephemeral material is included.
Historical Note
The origins of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences extend back to 1823, with the founding of the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library. The Library, located at the corner of Cranberry and Henry Streets in the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, was established for the education and cultural enrichment of young tradesmen. In 1841, the Library relocated to the building of the Brooklyn Lyceum, an organization devoted to intellectual pursuits in the arts and sciences, at the corner of Washington and Concord Streets. In 1843, the Library and the Lyceum merged to form the Brooklyn Institute, an organization offering a variety of scientific, literary, cultural, and educational programs.
In 1890, the Institute was renamed the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences in reflection of an ambitious new initiative to expand its programming through the development of several divisions devoted to the arts and sciences. In accordance with this initiative, four new divisions were established between 1890 and 1911, including the Brooklyn Museum, devoted to the collecting of fine arts and the natural sciences; the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the world's first cultural and educational center devoted entirely to children; the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which functioned as a city park and an institution devoted to the collection and exhibition of plants and trees, as well as the dissemination of botanical knowledge; and the Biological Laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor in Long Island, devoted to education and research in the biological sciences. Later in 1936, the Institute absorbed Brooklyn's premier performing arts center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), which had been founded in 1859.
To coincide with its organizational expansion, the Institute developed plans for the construction of a grand museum building on Eastern Parkway. The building, designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, was intended to eventually serve as the center for all the Institute's programs and activities. Initial construction took place between 1895 and 1926, with the west wing being opened to the public as part of the Brooklyn Museum as early as 1897. However, the Institute's original plan for a grandiose, all-encompassing building proved to be too ambitious, and the finished building was only one-quarter the size that the Institute had originally intended. Rather than serving as a comprehensive facility for the Institute's myriad activities, the new building instead came to exclusively house the Brooklyn Museum.
In the early 1920s, the Institute transferred the Biological Laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor to the Long Island Biological Association. With the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, the Institute was compelled to further narrow its focus. The Brooklyn Museum was refashioned exclusively as an art museum, and its scientific exhibitions were transferred to other institutions. In time, the Institute came to be primarily associated with the Brooklyn Museum, and in the ensuing decades the Institute's other divisions began operating more and more as self-sufficient organizations. In the 1970s, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and BAM all became independent entities separate from the Institute. The Institute's name was later officially changed to the Brooklyn Museum.
Sources:
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden. "A Brief History of BBG." Accessed January 4, 2011. http://www.bbg.org/about/history/
- Brooklyn Children's Museum. "History." Accessed January 4, 2011. http://www.brooklynkids.org/index.php/whoweare/history
- Brooklyn Museum. "About: The Museum's Building." Accessed January 4, 2011. http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/about/building.php
- Brooklyn Museum. "Initial Construction (1890s-1920s)." Accessed January 4, 2011. http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/about/initial_construction.php
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. "History." Accessed January 4, 2011. http://www.cshl.edu/About-Us/History/
- Lopate, Carol. Education and Culture in Brooklyn: A History of Ten Institutions. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Educational & Cultural Alliance, c1979.
Scope and Contents
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences publications and ephemera span the period 1861 to the 2000s, with the bulk of the material dating from 1904 to 1990, and document the activities of the general Institute along with several of its divisions, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Items mainly consist of annual reports and news publications, though additional ephemeral material is included.
Items pertaining to the Institute on a general level include a 1917 copy of the Institute's regular bulletin, two copies of the annual report for the 1965 to 1966 year, monthly news bulletins spanning the period 1943 to 1947, and copies of the Institute's monthly magazine for the period 1949 to 1953. The annual report includes summary reports from the directors of each of the Institute's divisions, the treasurer's report, financial statements, lists of donors and contributors, and lists of the Institute's senior staff members, as well as lists of members of the Institute's board of trustees and various committees. The bulletins and magazines contain various articles relevant to the arts and sciences on a local, national, and international level, as well as information on various performances, exhibitions, lectures, and other events being presented by the Institute at its various divisions.
Items pertaining to the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Children's Museum include annual reports dating from 1904 to 1986, and news bulletins dating from 1905 to 1959. Annual reports contain extensive summary information on the museums, including lists of boards, trustees, officers, committees, and staff; departmental reports; financial statements; and lists of donors and members. Bulletins contain schedules of events, descriptions of featured collections and programs, and information on exhibitions and new acquisitions. Annual reports from 1904 to 1946, and bulletins from 1905 to 1913, consolidate information on both institutions, while remaining reports and bulletins pertain to each museum as a singular organization. The Brooklyn Museum is further represented in the collection by a 1967 handbook/catalog, several press releases from 1969 to 1974, exhibition programs and invitations from 1953 and 1960, event calendars from 1974, programs for fundraising events from 1963 to 1973, and a 1975 catalog for the Brooklyn Museum Art School. The Children's Museum is further represented by a program for the Museum's planetarium, circa 1955.
Items pertaining to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden span the years 1910 to 1998 and consist primarily of three publications: Plants and Gardens, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record, and Leaflets. Issues of Plants and Gardens date from the period 1945 to 1958 and contain news on the activities of the Garden, as well as horticultural information and updates on botanical research conducted over the years by Garden staff, often accompanied by photographs and images. Issues of Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record span the period 1912 to 1945 and contain annual reports; reports from the Director, Curator of Plants, Librarian, and Secretary; membership lists; and general news and information relating to the Garden, botany, or horticulture. Other issues of the Record focus on specific themes or topics such as public education at the Garden, books on botany, or one plant species (such as lilacs). Issues of Leaflets span the years 1913 to 1942 and contain informational reports and status updates pertaining to the Garden and its plants, as well as educational lessons on botany, aimed at the novice, and to be used by teachers.
Additional materials on the Garden include financial reports and membership lists for the years 1952 to 1953 and 1961 to 1975; annual reports dating from the 1950s; and various publications, such as a report on botanical research conducted at the Garden from 1910 to 1927, and programs for public education courses offered at the Garden.
Items pertaining to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) span the period 1861 to 1991 and document BAM's activities during its time as an independent performing arts center from 1861 to 1936, as a division of the Brooklyn Institute from 1936 to 1971, and again as an independent institution from 1971 onward. Materials include copies of BAM's monthly magazine, monthly news bulletins, seasonal and series programs, performance and event programs, yearly schedules of events, invitations and tickets for a variety of performances and events, press releases, newsletters from BAM to its members, and membership renewals. While a significant number of performing arts companies, orchestras, and festivals are represented by these items, a few are particularly prominent, including the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra (BAM's resident orchestra), BAM's well-known Next Wave Festival, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which performed several concert series at BAM throughout the 20th century.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences publications and ephemera, ARC.138, box number; Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Portions of this collection were the gift of Elizabeth Feldhusen, 1990, and Lewis W. Francis, Jr., date unknown. Some material was formerly the property of the Kings County Historical Society. The July 1915 issue of The Brooklyn Museum Quarterly was the gift of Ellyse Berg, 2017. The 1908 BAM opening banquet program was the gift of Cathie Gandel, 2020. The 1883 BAM program was the gift of the Clinton County Historical Society, 2022. The sources and dates of acquisition for the remaining items in the collection are unknown.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level by Patricia Glowinski and Nicholas Pavlik, January 2011. Box-level description added to the finding aid by John Zarrillo, December 2015. July 1915 issue of The Brooklyn Museum Quarterly added to the collection by John Zarrillo, February 2017. Additional material added to the collection by John Zarrillo, March 2017. Additional material added and collection reorganized by Diana Bowers-Smith, 2021-2022.
