Staff Voices

Processing archivist Sarah Mundy explores myths and superstitions about the black cat. 

Reference specialist Elizabeth Botten shares documents that tell the story of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Artists’ Soap Box Derbies in the 1970s.

Curator of manuscripts Mary Savig highlights the Ben Buchanan Photographs of Artists, recently acquired by the Archives of American Art. The following essay was originally published in the spring 2017 issue (vol. 56, no. 1) of the Archives of American Art Journal. 

Archivist Megan Burdi looks at the process of transcription and how it aids research and improves access. 

Registrar Susan Cary and archivist Rihoko Ueno find real life counterparts to some of the cats featured in our current exhibition.

We are pleased to announce that our 200th fully digitized collection, the Bob Thompson papers, is now available online. 

Latino collections specialist Josh T. Franco highlights the Kathy Vargas papers, recently acquired by the Archives of American Art. The following essay was originally published in the spring 2017 issue (vol. 56, no. 1) of the Archives of American Art Journal. 

Reference specialist Elizabeth Botten explores the papers of Gertrude Abercrombie to find out what’s in a name.

Deputy director Liza Kirwin highlights the Roy De Forest papers, recently acquired by the Archives of American Art. The following essay was originally published in the spring 2017 issue (vol. 56, no. 1) of the Archives of American Art Journal. 

Rihoko Ueno, a co-curator of our current exhibition, Before Internet Cats: Feline Finds from the Archives of American Art, looks at one of Romare Bearden's great loves, his cats.