Judith Wilson papers
name: label: Creator
content: Wilson, Judith, 1952-
label: Names
content: Thompson, Bob, 1937-1966
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art historians -- California -- San Francisco
label: Topic
content: Interviews
label: Topic
content: African American artists
label: Topic
content: Women art historians
label: Topic
content: African American educators
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated in 2012 by Judith Wilson-Pates.
creator: label: Creator
content: Wilson, Judith, 1952-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Judith Wilson papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of African American art historian Judith Wilson measure 11.2 linear feet and 27.94 GB and date from 1966 to 2010.  Wilson's career is documented through correspondence with friends, colleagues, artists, universities, and art organizations; notebooks; files on writing projects, conferences, lectures, symposia and other professional activities; and a small amount of printed material.  Also found is research material on artist Bob Thompson, including photographs, printed material, correspondence, notebooks and a documentary video recording. Additionally, the collection includes 124 cassette tapes of sound recordings of interviews of artists and art collectors, panel discussions and Wilson's lectures, and six video recordings. Some of the materials are in digital format.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Judith Wilson (1952- ) is an African American art historian in San Francisco, California.  Wilson began her career as an editor for Ms. Magazine in 1975.  In 1979 she wrote a profile of Alma Thomas for that magazine, after which she began writing regularly about visual art and cultural politics, reviewing exhibitions, writing feature articles, and serving as guest editor for several publications.  Her research interests included African American art and black visual culture.  She received her Ph.D. in art history from Yale University with a dissertation on the artist Bob Thompson.  Her teaching career included full-time positions in art history at University of Virginia, Yale, and the University of California, Irvine, as well as part-time and visiting professorships at several other schools.  In 2006 she retired from the University of California, Irvine after eight years.  During her career Wilson served on editorial and advisory boards for art publications and wrote many catalog essays, contributed to anthologies, and presented numerous conference papers, many of which were later published.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 11.2 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 27.94 Gigabytes
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1966-2010
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.wilsjudi
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1975-2009 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 2: Notebooks, 1977-2008 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)

Series 3: Writing Projects, 1972-2010 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)

Series 4: Conferences, Lectures, and Symposia, 1978-2009 (2.0 linear feet; Boxes 5-7, 17.11 GB; ER01-ER05)

Series 5: Professional Records, 1979-2009 (1.0 linear foot; Boxes 7-9)

Series 6: Research Material on Bob Thompson, 1966-2006 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 8-10, 1.70 GB; ER06-ER07)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1981-2010 (0.5 linear feet; Box 10)

Series 8: Interviews, 1978-2008 (1.0 linear foot; Boxes 11-12, 0.697 GB; ER08-ER09)

Series 9: Video Recordings, 1979-2007 (4 folders; Box 12, 8.42 GB; ER10-ER15)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Erin Kinhart in 2014. The collection has been minimally rearranged and retains the existing/original folder titles when possible. All materials have been rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but often staples and other fasteners have not been removed. Materials within folders have not been rearranged. Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2019 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund. Additional finding aid description of the sound recordings was completed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2023.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of art historian Judith Wilson measure 11.2 linear feet and 27.94 GB and date from 1966 to 2010.  Wilson's career is documented through correspondence with friends, colleagues, artists, universities, and art organizations; notebooks; files on writing projects, conferences, lectures, symposia and other professional activities; and a small amount of printed material.  Also found is research material on artist Bob Thompson, including photographs, printed material, correspondence, notebooks, and a documentary video recording. Additionally, the collection includes 124 cassette tapes of sound recordings of interviews of artists and art collectors, panel discussions and Wilson's lectures, and six video recordings. Numerous interview recordings are related to Wilson's dissertation on the artist Bob Thompson. Some of the materials are in digital format.