Alice Denney papers
name: label: Creator
content: Denney, Alice, 1922-2023
label: Names
content: Jefferson Place Gallery
label: Names
content: Washington Gallery of Modern Art (Washington, D.C.)
label: Names
content: Washington Project for the Arts (D.C.)
topic: label: Occupation
content: Arts administrators -- Washington (D.C.)
label: Occupation
content: Art museum curators -- Washington (D.C.)
label: Topic
content: Women arts administrators
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated in 2024 by Jill Denney, Alice Denney's daughter.
creator: label: Creator
content: Denney, Alice, 1922-2023
setName: label: See more items in
content: Alice Denney papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Alice Denney papers measure 14.7 linear feet and 3.80 gigabytes, and date from circa 1957-2010. They document her career as an arts administrator and curator which made a lasting impact in the Washington D.C. scene. Included are records related to the D.C. institutions she founded: the Jefferson Place Gallery, the Washington Gallery of Modern Art and the Washington Project for the Arts. Material also includes correspondence; information related to Denney's Private Arts Foundation; personal business records, artist files, and photographic material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Alice Denney (1922-2023) was an arts administrator and art curator in Washington, DC. Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, she completed a bachelor's degree in nutrition at Drexel University, after studying at Duke University, practicing briefly as a social worker before moving to D.C. with her husband and government lawyer, George Denney. She received a rather informal education in art history through classes at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as well as socially as a regular at the Cedar Tavern frequented by the Abstract Expressionists. 

By the time the Denneys relocated to D.C. in 1950, they brought along their relationships with the New York and international avant-garde artists. Alice Denney spent the rest of her career bringing a world-class art scene to the nation's capital. She was a founding director of three mainstays in the Washington art scene: the Jefferson Place Gallery (1957-1961), the Washington Gallery of Modern Art (1962-1965), as well as the Washington Project for the Arts (1975-1979), serving as a board member and advisor formally and informally after she had stepped down. At each of these institutions she organized impactful exhibitions such as the Popular Image Exhibition in 1963, with accompanying Pop Art Festival, and the Punk Art Show in 1978.

 An early advocate for Robert Rauschenberg, Alice would go on to serve as the vice commissioner to the American Pavilion's participation in the 1964 Venice Biennale alongside Alan Solomon. Founder of the Private Arts Foundation around 1965, Alice Denney would raise funds for organizations like Washington Project for the Art's general funding until she left in 1979, as well as for festivals like the NOW Art Festival in 1966, dedicated projects such as Martin Scorcese's film preservation project in 1981, and countless arts performances for emerging and favorite figures outside of the visual arts such as Meredith Monk and Merce Cunningham. 

Beyond being a champion for bringing the world's art to D.C. Alice was known for serving her community and local art scene by serving on several boards and advisory committees, engaging local politics on issues such as zoning when necessary. This came naturally as she was the originator of one of the nation's and D.C.'s earliest alternative or artist-run spaces. Denney passed in 2023 from a stroke at the age of 101.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 14.7 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 3.8 Gigabytes
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1957-2010
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.denneali
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Motion picture film
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as six series:

Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1962-2014 ( 0.5 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Institutional Files, circa 1957-2009 (4.1 Linear feet: Boxes 1-5, 14, OV15-OV17, FC24-FC27)

Series 3: Private Arts Foundation, circa 1962-2010 (2.4 Linear feet: Boxes 5-7, 14, OV18-29, FC28-FC30; 0.677 Gigabytes: ER0001)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1959-2025 (2.2 Linear feet: Boxes 8-10, 14, FC32-FC37; 1.62 Gigabytes: ER0002-ER0004)

Series 5: Artist Files, circa 1958-2000 (2.5 Linear feet: Boxes 10-12, OV20-OV23;  1.5 Gigabytes: ER0005-ER0006)

Series 6: Photographic Material , circa1958-2000 (0 .8 Linear feet: Boxes 12-14)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed and a finding aid prepared (including born-digital processing) by Ryan Evans in 2025.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Motion picture film
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Alice Denney papers measure 14.7 linear feet and 3.80 gigabytes, and date from circa 1957-2010. They document her career as an arts administrator and curator which made a lasting impact in the Washington D.C. scene. Correspondence is mostly professional in nature, including letters with artist friends who she produced events and exhibitions with. Institutional Files relate to the three organizations she founded: the Jefferson Place Gallery, the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, and the Washington Project for the Arts. Materials often date past Denney's direct involvement in each organization. They include correspondence, fund raising, bylaws and board minutes, as well as exhibition files and documentation including audio-visual and digital formats.  

Private Arts Foundation records relate to the foundation Denney founded to raise money for institutions and projects that she initiated, as well as the programming they produced such as the NOW Festival (1966) or the artists she was in conversations with. The personal business series includes organizations and initiatives that Alice Denney acted as advisor or board member for, including the 1964 Venice Biennale and Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) Washington chapter. Artist Files include correspondence as well as printed and promotional material, for artists at all stages Denney's involvement with artists. Photographic material includes images of Denney throughout her career, as well as professional photography from the festivals and events she curated. Also included are a significant portion of minimally identified audio-visual recordings.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Related materials at the Archives of American Art include the oral history interview with Alice Denney, 1975 December 9-1976 January 27, and the interview with Alice Denney, 1976 May 13, transferred from the National Museum of American Art.