COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
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ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART RECEIVES GRANT FROM THE WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION 

TO SUPPORT DIGITIZATION OF COLLECTIONS

The Archives of American Art (“AAA”) has received a three-year grant of up to $900,000 from the Walton 

Family Foundation to support the ongoing digitization of the Archives’ collections. AAA is obliged to 

match the grant that will be given in three annual installments of up to $300,000 each. The support will 

enable the AAA to double its current rate of collections digitization in stages from 50 linear feet to 100 

linear feet per year; and will result in at least 240 additional linear feet of archival material to be available 

online by September 2019.

AAA holds nearly 6,000 collections of archival material on the artists, collectors, dealers, and scholars 

who have shaped the history of art in America. Its oral-history program, containing interviews with 

important artists ranging from Charles Burchfield to Kehinde Wiley, preserves the voices and personal 

stories of nearly 2,300 art-world luminaries recorded since 1958. Transcripts for many of these are 

available on the AAA website.

“The Archives, with more than 20 million items in our ever-expanding collections, is the world’s largest 

and most widely used resource dedicated to collecting and preserving the papers and primary records 

of the visual arts in America,” said Secretary David Skorton. “This generous grant from the Walton Family 

Foundation will help us provide more material available online at a faster pace. On behalf of the Archives

and the growing number of people around the globe who explore our singular collections online, we are 

deeply grateful for the foundation’s support.”

Since the inception of its digitization program in 2004, and with support from the Terra Foundation for 

American Art, AAA has created nearly 2.5 million digital images that represent full online access to more 

than 160 of its most important collections. The collections include the papers of art world luminaries,

such as Milton Avery, Joseph Cornell, Lee Krasner, Horace Pippin, Jackson Pollock, and Grant Wood,

among many others. As the program has grown, visitation to AAA has increased from about 2,000 users 

a year, via its reading rooms and interlibrary loan program for its microfilm, to more than 500,000 users 

a year, with the vast majority visiting online.

“The task of digitizing the Archives’ vast collections for broad accessibility requires a dedicated team of 

experts and time,” said Kate Haw, director of the Archives of American Art. “This challenge grant from 

the distinguished Walton Family Foundation allows us to expand both our technical and staff capacities 

to ramp up our pace beyond what we could have imagined. We look forward to getting underway to 

achieve our ultimate goal of making our collections available to anyone, anytime, anywhere and 

stimulating understanding and appreciation of American art worldwide.”
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HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH 

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S OFFICE OF ART IN EMBASSIES

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (“HMSG”) announced a new, long-term partnership with 

the US Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies, a global program that fosters public diplomacy 

through the visual arts. The collaboration will allow both institutions to develop international 

exhibitions, extended collection loans, artist residencies, and programming. It will kick off on January 

11, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. in HMSG’s Ring Auditorium, with a public discussion and reception featuring 

renowned contemporary artists Nick Cave, Imran Qureshi, and Pat Steir.

“Throughout the past 50 years, Art in Embassies has played a critical role in encouraging international 

cultural exchange, creating lasting connections through a shared passion in the visual arts,” said 

Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “As a public institution with a global audience, we are excited by the 

opportunity to join forces as we advance our mission of showcasing renowned contemporary artists who 

explore the most significant political and cultural issues of our time.”

The day after the discussion, the US Department of State will recognize artists Nick Cave, Jenny Holzer, 

Wolf Kahn, Qureshi, Steir, and Rachel Whiteread with the International Medal of Arts during a biennial 

awards ceremony.

“Through culture, we can introduce ideas, and each of these artists has contributed to the artistic 

landscape of our nation in significant ways,” said Virginia Shore, Art in Embassies’ acting director and 

chief curator. “Their artwork evokes our universal aspirations as human beings and highlights our shared 

experiences with people of other lands, backgrounds and faiths.” Future partnership initiatives will be 

announced in spring 2017. 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE 

RECEIVES HISTORIC FREEDMEN’S BUREAU DATABASE

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (“NMAAHC”) received the newly indexed 

database of the historic Freedmen’s Bureau Records on December 6, 2016, from FamilySearch, the 

world’s largest genealogy organization. The database contains genealogical information of African 

Americans and refugees freed after the Civil War.

D. Todd Christofferson, an elder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presented the 

database to the museum before an audience of congressional leaders, genealogy experts, and volunteers 

who were key to the project’s success.

“Using modern, digital and web-based technology and the power of volunteers, this project is unlocking 

information from a transformative era in the history of African American families and the American 

nation,” said Hollis Gentry, a genealogical specialist at the museum. “Making that information available 

globally via the web will allow all of us to enlarge our understanding of the past.”
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“I can think of no better way to honor the unprecedented commitment of over 25,000 volunteers who 

helped uncover the names of 1.8 million newly freed slaves, than to have their work symbolically housed 

at the National Museum of African American History and Culture,” said Christofferson. “Countless 

African Americans can now trace their family history and shine the light on their courageous ancestors.”

The Freedmen’s Bureau, organized under an 1865 Congressional order at the conclusion of the Civil War, 

offered assistance to freed slaves in many ways. Handwritten records of these transactions include 

records such as marriage registers, hospital or patient registers, educational efforts, census lists, labor 

contracts and indenture or apprenticeship papers, among others. The records were compiled in 15 states 

and the District of Columbia.

Using the index and document scans provided by FamilySearch, the museum has begun a collaboration 

with the Smithsonian’s Transcription Center. The Transcription Center is an online platform for 

volunteers to digitally transcribe and review transcriptions of Smithsonian collections. With almost two

million individual records, the Freedmen’s Bureau Transcription Project will be the largest crowdsourcing 

project ever sponsored by the Smithsonian. To supplement the indexing work done by FamilySearch 

volunteers, the Freedmen’s Bureau Transcription Project will transcribe word-for-word every document 

in the collection. When completed, the papers will be searchable online. This joint effort will help 

increase access to the Freedmen’s Bureau collection and help the public learn more about the United 

States during Reconstruction. 

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE RECEIVES 

$2.5 MILLION GIFT FROM THE LEBRON JAMES FAMILY FOUNDATION

NMAAHC announced that LeBron James will give $2.5 million to support the museum and its 

presentation titled “Muhammad Ali: A Force for Change.” On view since the museum’s September 

opening, it tells the story of how Ali’s contributions transcended the world of sport—his commitment to 

challenging racial barriers helped lay the groundwork for the successful careers of so many African 

Americans in athletics and beyond.

James’ business partner Maverick Carter will also be part of the $2.5 million contribution to the Ali 

exhibit. With this gift, the LeBron James Family Foundation and Carter will join the list of founding donors 

for NMAAHC.

“Every professional athlete, regardless of race and gender, owes a huge debt of gratitude to Muhammad 

Ali,” James said. “His legacy deserves to be studied and revered by every generation. I am honored to 

partner with the Smithsonian to celebrate one of the most influential figures in our nation’s history who, 

along with Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens, used the power of sports to advance our civil rights.” 

“I am overwhelmed by the incredible generosity LeBron James has shown to the Smithsonian’s National 

Museum of African American History and Culture and to Muhammad’s legacy,” said Lonnie Ali, Ali’s 

widow. “This exhibit will enable children visiting the Smithsonian to learn more about Muhammad’s 

work outside of the ring, particularly his humanitarian work and stance on social justice for all people. 
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Thank you to LeBron James and the Smithsonian for making this possible. I know that if Muhammad was 

alive today he would be honored.”

The story of Ali spans both the “Sports Gallery” and the “Making a Way out of No Way” Gallery. It 

includes collection highlights such as the heavyweight champion’s headgear and training robe worn at 

Dundee’s Fifth Street Gym. The exhibit allows visitors to look at Ali not only for his athletic achievement, 

but also for his achievements in community activism, resistance, politics, spirituality, and culture.

“We are extremely grateful to LeBron James for his support of the museum,” said Damion Thomas, 

curator of the Sports Gallery. “As the most socially active superstar in sports today, LeBron James is a 

testament to the influence of Muhammad Ali. Ali embodied the racial and social tumult of his times, 

blurring lines between politics and sports, activism and entertainment.”

In the 1960s and 1970s, Ali offered unwavering critiques of racism, heightened the profile of the Nation 

of Islam and raised awareness of the Vietnam War. After his boxing career, Ali continued to work globally 

as a force for change as a social activist, cultural critic, and humanitarian.

Ali is also featured in the Michael Jordan Game Changers Hall of the Sports Gallery, which looks at the 

contributions of athletes, community leaders and institutions whose actions changed their sport, 

transcended their game and transformed the country both on and off the field.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART ACQUIRES YINKA SHONIBARE MBE’S 

“WIND SCULPTURE VII”

The National Museum of African Art acquired 

the outdoor sculpture “Wind Sculpture VII” 

by celebrated contemporary artist Yinka 

Shonibare MBE, installed in front of the 

museum on December 3, 2016.

Part of a series of seven individually designed 

sculptures, “Wind Sculpture VII” is the first 

artwork installed permanently in front of the 

museum. Constructed from fiberglass, this 

unique, gold-leaf version of Shonibare’s 

Wind Sculptures series evokes the sails of 

ships that have crossed the Atlantic and 

other oceans, connecting nations through 

the exchange of ideas, products and people. 

In its form, it captures histories that can be inspiring or brutal but always complex. It suggests that the 

opening of the seas led not only to the slave trade and colonization but also to the dynamic contributions 

of Africans and African heritage worldwide. Using yellow, blue, rose and gold, Shonibare celebrates the 
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African men, women and children who have shaped the United States, Great Britain and other nations 

of today and for the future.

“The museum is proud to present this stunning and monumental public sculpture at the museum,” said 

Karen Milbourne, curator and project lead. “This work of art will transform the façade of our museum 

and pay tribute to the connections between Africa and America. The patterns emblazoned on this 

sculpture replicate so-called ‘African print cloth,’ which are in fact based on Indonesian batiks 

manufactured in the Netherlands and United Kingdom, and then exported to West Africa where they 

have become synonymous with African identity. Shonibare draws on this entangled history to direct 

attention to the global connections that unite individuals and communities worldwide. Africa’s global 

connections and the vision of its artists are the focus of this national museum; this sculpture will inspire 

visitors and spark conversation.”

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM RECEIVES GIFT FROM THE 

COLLECTION OF MARGARET Z. ROBSON

The Smithsonian American Art Museum received a gift of 93 works of art from the collection of Margaret 

Z. Robson. The Robson collection includes important paintings, drawings, and sculptures by 48 major 

self-taught artists, including James Castle, Ulysses Davis, Thornton Dial Sr., William Edmondson, Howard 

Finster, Bessie Harvey, Judith Scott, Bill Traylor, and many others. The collection adds strength and depth 

to this specialty area of the collection with 11 new artists. The Robson gift comprises the largest 

acquisition of self-taught artworks in 20 years and signals the museum’s deep and lasting commitment 

to this area of artistic production. The museum’s acquisition of the collection, given by her son, Douglas 

O. Robson, was approved by the museum’s Board of Commissioners at its November meeting.

“We are truly honored to be entrusted with the stewardship of this work,” said Leslie Umberger, curator 

of folk and self-taught art. “The Robson collection has enormous range. It includes major works, such as 

William Edmondson’s ‘Untitled (Birdbath)’ and Bill Traylor’s ‘Untitled (Seated Woman).’ A 1942 relief 

carving by Ulysses Davis is a key example of the early work of a master wood carver who would become 

known for his presidential busts and wild beasts. The collection also includes exceptional works by 

lesser-known artists such as Albert “Kid” Mertz, whose painted stack of 1,265 railroad spikes was part of 

his vivid painted environment, and Leroy Person, who carved patterns into the window sills and doors 

of his North Carolina home before creating a large body of similarly incised abstract woodcarvings.”

Robson began collecting the work of folk and self-taught artists in the 1980s and became a highly 

respected collector and advocate. The artworks she selected reveal her personal point of view and 

preference for works that exemplify a particular culture, time and place.

“Margaret Robson was a thoughtful woman, with a keen eye and a unique personal vision,” Umberger 

said. “She began collecting at a time when few grasped the inherent value of art that was often made 

amid challenging circumstances and by those who lacked the agency of the mainstream art world. The 

collection speaks of empowerment and a ‘can-do’ spirit, and it will be cherished and shared here at the 

Smithsonian American Art Museum.”
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Currently, four works from the Robson collection—hanging mixed-media assemblages by Emery 

Blagdon—are on view in the museum’s first-floor galleries. Other pieces from the collection will debut 

in 2017. Five Bill Traylor paintings from the gift will be included in the 2018 retrospective “Between 

Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor” that Umberger is organizing. The museum will produce an exhibition and 

book dedicated to the Robson collection in its entirety at a future date.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum was among the first major museums to collect works by selftaught artists and to advocate for a diverse populist voice within the context of what is traditionally 

considered great art. The museum began collecting this kind of work in 1970, when the astonishing “The 

Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly,” made by James Hampton, 

came to light in a makeshift studio not far from the museum following the artist’s death. Several donors 

made it possible for this iconic work to become the cornerstone of a collection that aimed to tell an everexpanding story of America through the art of its people.

In the early 1980s and 1990s, Chuck and Jan Rosenak donated many important works to the museum. 

The museum’s largest single acquisition of works by self-taught artists came in 1986 with more than 500 

works from the ground-breaking collection of Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr., which firmly established the 

museum’s ongoing commitment to this work. Important gifts from Bill Arnett, David L. Davies, the Kallir 

Family, Judy A. Saslow, Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan, and others followed, and the collection has 

grown to be one of the most visited and widely admired of its kind.

Recent exhibitions featuring major acquisitions have included “Untitled: The Art of James Castle” (2014), 

“Ralph Fasanella: Lest We Forget” (2014) and “Mingering Mike’s Supersonic Greatest Hits” (2015). The 

museum has had dedicated gallery spaces for folk and self-taught art for more than 45 years. A new 

installation of these galleries, organized by Umberger, opened to the public October 21.