Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin papers
name: label: Creator
content: DeMonte, Claudia, 1947-
label: Creator
content: McGowin, Ed, 1938-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Mixed-media artists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Maryland -- College Park
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Collagists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women sculptors
label: Topic
content: Women educators
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin papers were donated in 1994 by Claudia DeMonte and in 2020 and 2024 by Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin.
creator: label: Creator
content: DeMonte, Claudia, 1947-
label: Creator
content: McGowin, Ed, 1938-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin measure 9.2 linear feet and date between 1947 and 2023. The papers primarily document Claudia DeMonte's career as a painter, and to a lesser extent her husband's career, through correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, and art institutions; notebooks, poetry, and other writings; scrapbooks; curriculum vitas, awards and certificates, commissions, and other professional activity; exhibition announcements and catalogs, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and other printed material; sketchbooks and other artwork; personal photographs, portraits, of artwork, and other photographic material.

There is a 2.0 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2024 that includes project files with drawings, photographs, contracts; correspondence and artists statements; catalogs; personal and professional correspondence; photographs and negatives of DeMonte, works of art, and others; lists of works of art and appraisals; photographs of people and works of art; lists of works of art and values; printed material including newspaper and magazine clippings catalogs and invitations; biographical material including DeMonte's certificates, diplomas and awards; sketchbook; a CD; notebooks and journals; a calendar and an address book. Materials date from circa 1947-2023.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Claudia DeMonte (1947- ) was born and raised in Astoria, New York City. She has more than 100 one-person shows and 600 group exhibitions nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at the Corcoran Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Mississippi Museum, Tucson Museum, Flint Institute of Art, Museum of the Southwest, etc.

Her work is in numerous museum permanent collections, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Stamford Museum, Boca Raton Museum, and in major corporate collections such as those of Hyatt Regency Hotels, Exxon, Citibank and Siemens. Her public commissions have come from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Brooklyn Library System, Queens Supreme Court, Prudential Life Insurance, the State of New Mexico, and New York City School Construction Authority.

DeMonte is also the curator of "Women of the World: A Global Collection of Art." This traveling exhibition, with accompanying books, includes works of women from 177 countries dealing with the images of women.

DeMonte's work is heavily influenced by her travels to over 80 countries, her interest in the roles of women in contemporary society and Outsider Art, a collection compiled with her husband, artist Ed McGowin.

For 33 years, DeMonte has served on the faculty of the University of Maryland, where she was named Distinguished Scholar Teacher and Professor Emerita. In 2006, She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the College of Santa Fe.

DeMonte presently lives with her husband in New York City and Kent, Connecticut.


Ed McGowin (1938- ) was born in 1938 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and grew up in Mississippi and Alabama, receiving the M.A. from the University of Alabama. He has had one-person exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the Baltimore Museum; and the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris, France. Since 1979, McGowin has executed major outdoor commissions for numerous public and private organizations, often collaborating with his wife, Claudia DeMonte.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 9.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1947-2023
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.democlau
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1967-2013 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 2: Writings, 1975-2013 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)

Series 3: Scrapbooks, 1967-2009 (1.0 linear feet; Box 3, 9-10)

Series 4: Professional Activity Files, 1964-2013 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 3-5, 9)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1960-2018 (1.9 linear feet; Boxes 5-7)

Series 6: Artwork, circa 1973 (0.1 linear feet; Box 7)

Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1977-2010 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 8: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1947-2023 (2.0 linear feet; Boxes 11-12)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2020.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin measure 9.2 linear feet and date between 1947 and 2023. The papers primarily document Claudia DeMonte's career as a painter, and to a lesser extent her husband's career, through correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, and art institutions; notebooks, poetry, and other writings; scrapbooks; curriculum vitas, awards and certificates, commissions, and other professional activity; exhibition announcements and catalogs, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and other printed material; sketchbooks and other artwork; personal photographs, portraits, of artwork, and other photographic material.

Correspondence includes letters and postcards to and from family, friends, colleagues, and art institutions.

Writings includes a file of poetry written by DeMonte, manuscripts of books written by DeMonte, and a series of notebooks. Some of the notebooks are a combination of notes and sketches.

Scrapbooks consist of eight scrapbooks consisting of mixed material such as notes, photographs, sketches, and printed material.

Professional material consists of awards and certificates, a large number of calendars, commision work including an art project for the University of Northern Iowa completed by both DeMonte and McGowin, and a number of VHS and Betamax cassettes documenting DeMonte's career and interviews in connection with her Women of the World exhibition.

Printed material consists of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, exhibition announcements and catalogs, exhibition posters, and newsletters.

Artwork consists of a file of drawings and some sketchbooks.

Photographic material consists of photographs and slides of DeMonte, her artwork, and some of her exhibitions. There is also a file of photographs of DeMonte and McGowin at the White House with First Lady Laura Bush, and there are personal photographs of DeMonte and McGowin traveling and with family and friends.

There is a 2.0 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2024 that includes project files with drawings, photographs, contracts; correspondence and artists statements; catalogs; personal and professional correspondence; photographs and negatives of DeMonte, works of art, and others; lists of works of art and appraisals; photographs of people and works of art; lists of works of art and values; printed material including newspaper and magazine clippings catalogs and invitations; biographical material including DeMonte's certificates, diplomas and awards; sketchbook; a CD; notebooks and journals; a calendar and an address book. Materials date from circa 1947-2023.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Claudia DeMonte conducted by Liza Kirwin between February 13 and April 24, 1991; and the Ed McGowin papers, 1962-1998.