James W. Washington, Jr. papers
name: label: Creator
content: Washington, James W., Jr. (1908-2000)
label: Names
content: Artists Equity Association
label: Names
content: Mount Zion Baptist Church (Seattle, Wash.)
label: Names
content: Scottish Rite (Masonic order)
label: Names
content: Callahan, Kenneth, 1905-1986
label: Names
content: Hauberg, Anne Gould
label: Names
content: Huetter, Cindy
label: Names
content: Laigo, Val M., 1930-1992
label: Names
content: Tobey, Mark
label: Names
content: Tsutakawa, George
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
label: Topic
content: Race awareness
label: Topic
content: African American artists
label: Topic
content: African American painters
label: Topic
content: African American sculptors
label: Topic
content: Racial identity
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The James W. Washington, Jr. papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by James. W. Washington, Jr. in two accessions in 1984 and 1989.
creator: label: Creator
content: Washington, James W., Jr. (1908-2000)
setName: label: See more items in
content: James W. Washington, Jr. papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of artist James W. Washington, Jr. measure 2.3 linear feet and date from 1938 to 1989. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, professional records, material related to the Artists Equity Association, printed material, and photographic material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: James W. Washington, Jr. (1909-2000) was an African American painter and sculptor prominent in the Seattle, Washington art community. Religion was an important part of his life and he considered his art to be a spiritual undertaking. In addition to being active in his church community, he was a member of the Artists Equity Association, serving as the Seattle Chapter secretary from 1950 to 1960, and then as the president from 1960 to 1962. In 1990 the City of Seattle's Historic Landmark and Preservation Board designated Washington's home and studio at 1816 26th Avenue a cultural landmark.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2.3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1938-1989
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.washjame
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Transcripts
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1970-1989 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1938-1988 (Boxes 1-2; 1.4 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1958-circa 1986 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 4: Professional Records, 1950-1983 (Box 2; 7 folders)

Series 5: Artists Equity Association Files, 1948-1963 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1946-1989 (Boxes 2-3; 0.3 linear feet, OV 4)

Series 7: Photographic Material, 1951, 1964-1969, 1980s (Box 3; 2 folders, OV 4)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was minimally processed and a finding aid prepared by Rayna Andrews with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation in 2018.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Transcripts
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: The majority of the clippings in this collection are photocopies. The location of original clippings is not known.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of artist James W. Washington, Jr. measure 2.3 linear feet and date from 1938 to 1989. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, professional records, material related to the Artists Equity Association, printed material, and photographic material.

Biographical material includes resumes, a short biographical sketch, and the transcript of an interview conducted by Cindy Huetter.

Correspondence makes up the bulk of this collection and consists of letters to Washington from family and friends expressing admiration for his work, writings, and lectures. Also documented is his involvement in organizations including the Pacific Arts Center, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Correspondents include Kenneth Callahan, Anne Gould Hauberg, Val M. Laigo, and George Tsutakawa. This series also includes a file of correspondence related to Washington's articles for the Seattle Post Intelligencer. 

Writings include articles for Zionews, the Mt. Zion Baptist Church newsletter; the Seattle Post Intelligencer; and the Puget Sounding related to Washington's artwork; his thoughts on race; his teacher, Mark Tobey; and his strong religious beliefs. Also included are an unidentified editorial and assorted notes.

Professional records include material related to committees and professional groups, financial records, materials related to commissions and sculptures, materials related to Mark Tobey works loaned for exhibition, teaching files, and legal files. 

Artists Equity Association files consist of correspondence, membership information, constitution and by-laws, reports and meeting minutes, proposals, newsletters, and clippings. 

Printed material includes exhibition announcements, exhibition catalogs, newsletters and bulletins, magazine and newspaper clippings, programs, and religious material.

Photographic material consists of photographs of artwork, photographs of Washington with his work, and one oversized portrait of Washington.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with James W. Washington, Jr., one conducted by Dorothy Bestor, October 13, 1965, the other by Paul Karlstrom, June 29, 1987.