Brooklyn Society of Artists records
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Abstract
The records consist of correspondence, administrative files, membership lists, and exhibition records, dating from 1941 to 1965.
Historical note
The Brooklyn Society of Artists was founded in 1917. According to The History of the American Society of Contemporary Artists, by Frank Mann and Charles Keller, "charter members were committed to creating an exhibiting organization dedicated to the broadening of opportunity for artists to display their work." While membership in the society was originally limited to arists living or working in the borough of Brooklyn, its constitution was amended in 1919 to extend membership to artists living in the greater New York area. Its first exhibition was held in 1919 at Brooklyn's Pouch Gallery. Later exhibition venues included Abraham and Straus, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Riverside Museum, and the Lever House. By the 1950s, the society was curating traveling exhibitions and issuing scholarships. In 1963, the society officially changed its name to the American Society of Contemporary Artists (ASCA).
Based on The History of the American Society of Contemporary Artists by Frank Mann and Charles Keller.
Arrangement
The records are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Folder titles are derived from their original labels.
Scope and Contents
The records consist of correspondence, administrative files, membership lists, and exhibition records, dating from 1941 to 1965. The records include the files of two of the society's presidents, Mary Kellner and Nancy Ranson.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Rights to unpublished material produced by individuals, including correspondence, are held for the life of the author +70 years. Unpublished material produced by the Brooklyn Society of Artists will enter the public domain in 120 years from the date of creation. Published material, such as programs and advertisments, are in the public domain.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records were donated to the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1997 by Elizabeth Losey. The records were originally in the possession of Elizabeth Erlanger, then inherited by her daughter, Jeane Erlanger Jonas, who passed them on her to daughter, Ms. Losey.
