The Curatorial Office Records of Brian T. Allen, 1990-2004
Scope and Contents of the Records
The Curatorial Office Records of Brian T. Allen, 1990-2004, contains records created and accumulated by Brian T. Allen in his capacity as a curator of the Clark Art Institute. This collection includes correspondence to and from Allen and the curatorial office, invoices, contracts and loan information, budgeting for programming, trustees meeting minutes, and papers detailing the involvement of outside organizations with the Clark, such as the National Endowment of the Arts. The collection is also comprised of information about the planning of exhibitions, including grant proposals, exhibition proposal documents, paperwork for the acquisition of items, and research conducted by curatorial staff. Reinstallation and deaccession agreements for the shows are within this collection, as well as the planning for a series of music programs in 1999-2001.
Series One, Administrative Files, is comprised of records from the curatorial offices and Brian T. Allen. These records include information regarding different subscriptions and contact information for the curatorial department, staff announcements, annual reports, the department’s strategic planning information, and correspondence to and from different museum professionals and organizations. Details of the Clark's Board of Trustees meetings are included in this series, as are meeting minutes and department proposals for the Board. Subseries A, Financial Documentation, includes all the budgetary, loan, and invoice paperwork accumulated by Allen and the Curatorial Department, including budgets for individual exhibitions and acquisitions. Subseries E, Clark Specific Files, details documents within the collection that pertain to only internal affairs of the Clark, including plans of the building and grounds, work-study position postings, master documents for multiple departments at the Clark as well as more technical paperwork such as the sabbatical policy and a code of ethics.
Series Two, “Professional Files” contains the personal work of Brian T. Allen. This includes course concepts and articles he used in his teaching; multiple essays and letters of recommendation; Allen's 1998 Yale PhD Dissertation, and details of lectures and talks given during his tenure at the Clark.
Series Three, Exhibitions and Programming, includes the original Acoustiguide Audio Tour for the Clark's Permanent Collection. Subsequent files include the written transcript of the recording that was used for The Clark, the planning process for the guide, and a sample from the Toledo Museum’s audio tour.
The Elizabeth Burrows Silver collection was appraised and brought to The Clark for exhibition in 1999 and 2000. Information regarding the Clark's acquisition of the Burrows silver collection, the process of planning the exhibition, A Fresh and Large Assortment, and images of the appraised objects are included in these files.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1997 - 2004
- 1990 - 2004
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is open to research with some exceptions. Financial documents and loan information are permanently closed to research.
History of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
Brian T. Allen began his curatorial career in 1997 at the Clark Art Institute. He was appointed as the Director of Collections and Exhibitions and worked as a curator. Allen earned his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University; a Master’s in Art History from Williams College; and, in 1998, a PhD in Art History from Yale University. Specializing in early 19th century American painting, Allen was also an expert in French Old Master art, Spanish and Italian art, and French Impressionism.
Allen organized several exhibitions for the Clark, including Noble Dreams, Wicked Pleasures: Orientalism in America, 1870-1930, in April of 2000, and Sugaring Off: The Maple Sugar Paintings of Eastman Johnson, in August of 2003. Allen taught courses for the Williams College Graduate Program in Art History while working at the Clark, utilizing the museum's permanent collection to educate students and scholars in his classes.
In 2004, Allen was hired at the Philips Academy, of Andover, MA, as the Director of the Addison Gallery of American Art. During his tenure at the Addison, Allen increased the collection by a third and oversaw the first major acquisition the gallery had seen in 75 years. In 2014, Allen was hired as the Vice President and the Museum Division Director at the New-York Historical Society. Here he oversaw several exhibitions, many on American art created during the First World War. Sine 2015, Allen has published widely as an art critic.
Extent
6.21 Linear feet (6 paige boxes) and (1 15.25" x 2.5" x 10.25")
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Curatorial Office Records of Brian T. Allen, 1990-2004, is comprised of documents accumulated by the Curatorial department at the Clark just before and during Brain T. Allen’s time as Director of Collections and Exhibitions. Records contained in this collection include general office files such as invoices, budgets, loan information, contracts, and long-range planning material which planned futurecollection and exhibition endeavors. Also included are administrative records of the Clark Art Institute, including staff meeting minutes, master copy documents and policies for staff.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection was divided into four series. Two of which have subseries.
• Series I: Administrative Files
- Subseries A: General Records, filed alphabetically
- Subseries B: Trustees Information, filed alphabetically
- Subseries C: Correspondence, filed chronologically
- Subseries D: Financial Documentation, filed chronologically, then alphabetically by vendor name
- Subseries E: Clark Records, arranged alphabetically
• Series II: Professional Files from Brian T. Allen, arranged chronologically
• Series III: Programs, Exhibitions, and Collecting
- Subseries A: Collection and Research, filed alphabetically
- Subseries B: Exhibitions and Programs, filed chronologically
• Series IV: Outside Organizations, filed alphabetically
Custodial History
These materials were kept in Allen's former office, They remained in situ after Allen's departure in 2004 and were transferred to the Archives in December 2008.
Acquisition Information
These materials were acquired from the office of Richard Rand, Senior Curator and Curator of Paintings and Sculpture in December 2008.
Separated Materials
A number of folders containing exhibition related material which originally belonged to this series were removed and filed in The Clark Art Institute: Exhibition Records, 1994 - 2010
Processing Information
This collection is the result of combining the previously assembled collection, Guide to the Curatorial Office records of Brian T. Allen, CAI ARC 2008.30, and four boxes previously inventoried; the original folder names were preserved when possible.
- Annual reports
- Application forms
- Art museum
- Art museum -- Exhibitions
- Art museum curators
- Art museum directors
- Arts Education Awards
- Audioguides
- Budgets
- Committee reports
- Condition reports
- Correspondence
- Getty Grant Program
- King, Tony
- Lenett Fellowship
- Memorandums
- Minutes
- Official reports
- Personal correspondence
- Programs
- Technical reports
- Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art
- Williamstown (Mass)
- Title
- The Curatorial Office Records of Brian T. Allen, 1990-2004
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Inventory prepared by Helen Ledbury. Revised by Lauren Piekos in December, 2023.
- Date
- March 31, 2009
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Archives Repository