Finding Aid for the League of Allied Arts records, 1940-2011
Processed by Tiffany Dawn Jones; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
The processing of this collection was generously supported by
Arcadia
funds.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/
© 2012
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: League of Allied Arts records
Date (inclusive): 1940-2011
Collection number: 1856
Creator:
League of Allied Arts
Extent:
16 document boxes (8.0 linear ft.)
2 flat boxes
Abstract: This collection documents the history and administration of the League of Allied Arts, one of the oldest existing Black women's
non-profit arts organizations in Los Angeles. Founded in 1939 by Dorothy Vena Johnson and Juanita Miller, the League was established
to promote and support the arts in Los Angeles by providing cultural enrichment programs for the community, honoring the creative
accomplishments of Black artists, and awarding scholarships to talented students from Los Angeles pursuing scholarly studies
in the arts. The collection consists of administrative documents such as meeting minutes and agendas, financial reports, ephemera
from various arts programs and events, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and media.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Copyright of this collection has been assigned to UCLA Library Special Collections. The library can grant permission to publish
for materials to which it holds the copyright. All requests for permission to publish or quote must be submitted in writing
to UCLA Library Special Collections. Credit shall be given as follows: © 2012 The Regents of the University of California
on behalf of UCLA Library Special Collections.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of the League of Allied Arts, 2012.
The following League of Allied Arts members retained documents, photographs, ephemera, and other materials on behalf of the
organization:
Haroldine Brewington, Kathryn Carr, Jean Davis Clements, Mary Ann Greene, Carol Hall Holliday, Bertha Hurd, Beverly Ryder,
Patricia Ryder, Shirley Starke-Wallace, Dorothy Thornhill.
Processing Note
Processed by Tiffany Dawn Jones in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Jillian Cuellar;
August 14, 2012.
The processing of this collection was generously supported by
Arcadia
funds.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], League of Allied Arts records (Collection Number 1856). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles
E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Biography/History
The League of Allied Arts is one of the oldest existing Black women’s non-profit arts organizations in Los Angeles. Founded
in 1939 by Dorothy Vena Johnson, a poet and creative writing teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District, and Juanita
Miller, a social worker for the County of Los Angeles and wife of distinguished civil rights attorney Loren Miller, the League
of Allied Arts was established to support and promote the arts in Los Angeles. Langston Hughes was one of the League’s first
beneficiaries. When the young Harlem Renaissance poet and playwright came to Los Angeles to visit friends, he wanted to present
a play. However, due to racism, no theater would allow Hughes to present his work. The industrious and civic-minded Juanita
Miller and Dorothy Vena Johnson thereby pooled their resources together to help support Langston Hughes successfully present
his play,
Don’t You Want to Be Free? at his recently established New Negro Theater. From this experience, Johnson and Miller went on to officially establish the
League of Allied Arts whose mission is to promote and support the arts in Los Angeles. The League provides cultural enrichment
programs for the community, honors the creative accomplishments of Black artists, and awards scholarships to talented students
from Los Angeles pursuing scholarly studies in the arts. The League estimates that since its inception it has given away over
$500,000 in scholarships and charitable donations to students and various organizations in Los Angeles and nationwide.
The League of Allied Arts is a volunteer organization with a long history of distinguished membership and leadership. In addition
to Juanita Miller and co-founder Dorothy Vena Johnson, who served as the League’s president for over 25 years, another notable
and early member of the League of Allied Arts was Miriam Matthews, the first credentialed Black librarian in the state of
California and a librarian for the Los Angeles Public Library.
The League of Allied Arts has provided numerous cultural enrichment programs for the Los Angeles community since its founding.
The League of Allied Arts awarded its first scholarships in the early 1940s. In the same decade, the League was part of a
consortium of community organizations that promoted Jacob Lawrence’s
The Migration Series, a sequence of paintings depicting the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between
World War I and World War II. The paintings were lent by the Museum of Modern Art and presented at the Music Town Gallery
in Los Angeles. The League also sponsored
The Art of Aaron Douglas exhibit at the Chabot Art Gallery on Robertson Boulevard.
In the 1950s, the League presented a poetry reading by Langston Hughes with accompaniment by the Buddy Collette Quintet. In
addition, the League donated funds to the Lester Horton Dance School, Our Author’s Study Club, and the Legal Defense Fund
of the NAACP.
During the 1960s, the League honored William Grant Still on his seventieth birthday at the Los Angeles Music Center, donated
funds to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and purchased a seat in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The League joined the Ahmanson Foundation, Charles Drew Medical Society Auxiliary, and the Los Angeles chapter of the Links
in providing funds for the presentation of a Richard Hunt sculpture at LACMA in the 1970s.
In the 1980s, the League sponsored the musical
Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the Aquarius Theater in Hollywood and honored artists Richmond Barthe, Melonee Blocker, Elizabeth Catlett, Alonzo Davis,
Maren Massinger, Varnette Honeywood, William Pajaud, Betye Saar, Ruth Waddy, and Yvonne Meo, who was also a member of the
League.
In 2000, the membership of the League of Allied Arts traveled to Paris, and in 2009 it celebrated its 70th anniversary by
hosting a reception in honor of actor Laurence Fishburne for his performance in the play
Thurgood which was presented at the Geffen Playhouse. The League made tickets available for 100 students to see the play and discuss
their experience.
The League of Allied Arts remains a pillar in the Los Angeles community by continuing to support and promote the arts.
Scope and Content
The League of Allied Arts records consist of administrative documents such as meeting minutes and agendas, financial reports,
ephemera from various arts programs and events, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and media.
Highlights of the collection include meeting minutes, which record the major activities of the League; correspondence from
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; and scrapbooks which detail the League's early activities.
The collection covers the years 1940 to 2011, with the bulk of administrative records ranging from 1981 to 2011.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
- Administrative Records, 1981-2011
- Financial, 1969-2011
- Public Relations, 1940-2010
- Correspondence, 1980-2010
- Historical Information, 1943-2007
- Photographs and Media, 1967-2008
Series are arranged chronologically by year.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
League of Allied Arts --Archives.
Related Material
Container List
Series 1: Administrative Records
1981-2011
Scope and Content
Series 1: Administrative Records contains meeting minutes, agendas, and notices primarily from general membership meetings.
Also included are records from the Executive Board and various committees, such as the Membership, Program, Ways and Means,
Cultural Projects, Scholarship, and Closing Event Committees.
Organized chronologically by year, this series reveals the organization's focus, administrative functioning, and event planning
activities, as well as information about its arts advocacy and community outreach efforts in Los Angeles and beyond. Information
about League membership and scholarships are also included in this series.
Box 1, Folder 1
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1981, 1982
Box 1, Folder 2
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1984, 1985, 1986
Box 1, Folder 3
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1987, 1988
Box 1, Folder 4
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1989
Box 1, Folder 5
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1990
Box 1, Folder 6
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1991
Box 1, Folder 7
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1992
Box 1, Folder 8
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1993
Box 1, Folder 9
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1994
Box 1, Folder 10
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1995
Box 1, Folder 11
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1996
Box 1, Folder 12
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1997
Box 1, Folder 13
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1998
Box 1, Folder 14
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
1999
Box 1, Folder 15
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2000
Box 2, Folder 1
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2001
Box 2, Folder 2
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2002
Box 2, Folder 3
Meeting Minutes and Agendas: Retreat,
2002
Box 2, Folder 4
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2003
Box 2, Folder 5
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2004
Box 2, Folder 6
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2005
Box 2, Folder 7
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2006
Box 2, Folder 8
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2007
Box 3, Folder 1
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2008
Box 3, Folder 2
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2009
Box 3, Folder 3
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2010
Box 3, Folder 4
Meeting Minutes and Agendas,
2011
Box 3, Folder 5
Membership: Poetry, Recipes,
Undated
Box 3, Folder 6
Membership: Yvonne Meo,
Undated
Box 3, Folder 7
Membership: Rosters,
1989-2008
Box 3, Folder 8
Membership: Questionnaires,
2001, 2007
Box 3, Folder 9
Membership: Questionnaires,
2005
Box 3, Folder 10
Membership: Obituaries,
2006, 2009
Series 2: Financial,
1969-2011
Scope and Content
Series 2: Financial contains information about the fiscal activities of the League. Organized chronologically by year, this
series includes treasurer's reports, budget reports, closing event reports, charitable donations, statements of income and
expenses, requests for payments, and breakdown of funds.
Box 6, Folder 6
Expenses: Ledger,
1969-1973
Box 6, Folder 11
Expenses: Ledger,
1993-1998
Box 6, Folder 13
Expenses,
1995, 1996, 1997
Series 3: Public Relations,
1940-2011
Scope and Content
Series 3: Public Relations contains ephemera such as programs, announcements, invitations, response cards, and fliers from
League events. Some highlights include invitations for the League’s yearly closing events; a program for the art exhibit
Treasures of Ancient Nigeria at the California Museum of Science and Industry; announcements for Patti LaBelle and Althea Waites concerts as well as receptions
in honor of opera singer Denyce Graves and civil rights activist Roy Wilkins; and programs for the League’s 60th and 65th
Anniversary galas. This series also contains information about art related events in the Los Angeles community as well as
newspaper clippings featuring the League of Allied Arts.
Box 8, Folder 5
Events: Burr Singer,
1940
Box 8, Folder 6
Events: William Grant Still,
1965
Box 8, Folder 7
Events: The 5th Dimension,
1974
Box 8, Folder 8
Events: Dr. Joseph H. Howard,
1975
Box 8, Folder 9
Events:
Ain't Misbehavin' ,
1979
Box 8, Folder 10
Events:
Treasures of Ancient Nigeria, Roy Wilkins,
1980, 1981, 1982
Box 8, Folder 11
Events,
1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
Box 8, Folder 12
Events: Althea Waites,
1990, 1991
Box 8, Folder 17
Events: Gertrude Rivers Robinson,
1996
Box 8, Folder 18
Events: Patti LaBelle,
1997
Box 9, Folder 2
Events: 60th Anniversary,
1999
Box 9, Folder 4
Events: BEEM Foundation, Marion Maddox,
2000
Box 9, Folder 7
Events: Denyce Graves,
2003
Box 9, Folder 8
Events: 65th Anniversary, Langston Hughes,
2004
Box 9, Folder 9
Events: August Wilson,
2005
Box 9, Folder 11
Events: Long Beach Museum of Art,
2006
Box 9, Folder 12
Events: The Huntington Library, Langston Hughes,
2007
Box 10, Folder 3
Events: 70th Anniversary,
2010
Box 10, Folder 5
Newspaper Clippings,
1941, 1963, 1979
Box 10, Folder 6
Newspaper Clippings,
1973, 1978-1985
Box 10, Folder 7
Newspaper Clippings,
1984-2009
Box 10, Folder 8
Newspaper Clippings,
1991-1992
Box 10, Folder 9
Newspaper Clippings,
1993
Box 10, Folder 10
Newspaper Clippings,
1995
Box 10, Folder 11
Newspaper Clippings,
1996
Box 10, Folder 12
Newspaper Clippings,
1997
Box 10, Folder 13
Newspaper Clippings,
1998
Box 10, Folder 14
Newspaper Clippings,
1999
Box 10, Folder 15
Newspaper Clippings,
2001-2007
Box 10, Folder 16
Newspaper Clippings,
2002-2003
Series 4: Correspondence,
1980-2010
Scope and Content
Series 4: Correspondence contains letters, memos, cards, and printed emails sent by the League to its membership, political
figures, and various vendors. Also includes internal correspondence from League presidents Antoinette Atkinson, Dorothy Thornhill,
and Carol Hall Holliday.
Box 10, Folder 20
Correspondence,
1980-1989
Box 10, Folder 21
Correspondence,
1990-1994
Box 10, Folder 22
Correspondence,
1995-1997
Box 10, Folder 23
Correspondence,
1998-1999
Box 10, Folder 24
Correspondence,
2000- 2002
Box 11, Folder 7
Correspondence,
2009-2010
Series 5: Historical Information,
1943-2007
Scope and Content
Series 5: Historical Information contains various versions of the history of the League of Allied Arts written by members
as well as the organization’s constitution. This series also contains scrapbooks created by League members, which visually
presents the League’s chronological history through photographs, event ephemera, and newspaper clippings.
Box 11, Folder 8
League Constitution,
Undated
Box 11, Folder 9
League Constitution,
Undated
Box 11, Folder 10
League History: Miriam Matthews,
Undated
Box 11, Folder 11
League History: Marion Maddox,
Undated
Box 11, Folder 12
League History,
1973-1981
Box 11, Folder 14
League Constitutions and Membership,
1978
Box 11, Folder 15
League History,
1993-1995, 1997-2001, 2003, 2004
Box 12, Folder 1
League History: Dorothy Vena Johnson,
Undated, 2006
Box 12, Folder 3
Scrapbooks: William Grant Still, Jacob Lawrence, Aaron Douglas, Alice Taylor Gafford,
1943-1956
Box 12, Folder 4
Scrapbooks: Langston Hughes, Buddy Collette, Jacqueline Kennedy,
1957-1965
Box 12, Folder 5
Scrapbooks: Loren Miller, Alice Taylor Gafford,
1966-1969
Box 12, Folder 8
Scrapbooks: Mrs. Ralph J. Bunche,
1975
Box 13, Folder 1
Scrapbooks: Thelma Houston, Jane Aileen Floyd, Our Authors Study Club,
1976, 1977
Box 13, Folder 2
Scrapbooks: Treasures of Tutankhamun,
1978
Box 13, Folder 3
Scrapbooks: Richard Hunt, Frances Johnson Barnes,
1978
Box 13, Folder 4
Scrapbooks:
Ain't Misbehavin',
1979, 1980
Box 13, Folder 6
Scrapbooks,
1982, 1984, 1986
Box 15, Folder 1
Scrapbooks (1 of 9),
1990, 1991
Box 15, Folder 2
Scrapbooks (2 of 9),
1991-1994
Box 15, Folder 3
Scrapbooks (3 of 9),
1994-1996
Box 15, Folder 4
Scrapbooks (4 of 9),
1996, 1997
Box 15, Folder 5
Scrapbooks (5 of 9),
1995
Box 15, Folder 6
Scrapbooks (6 of 9),
1995
Box 15, Folder 7
Scrapbooks (7 of 9),
1996, 1997
Box 15, Folder 8
Scrapbooks (8 of 9),
1998
Box 15, Folder 9
Scrapbooks (9 of 9),
1998
Box 16, Folder 2
Scrapbooks: Misty Copeland,
1999
Box 16, Folder 8
Scrapbooks,
1999, 2000, 2007
Series 6: Photographs and Media,
1967-2008
Scope and Content
Series 6: Photographs & Media contains photographs of the League of Allied Arts members and events, including closing events.
The series also contains photographic slides and CDs as well as audio and video recordings of a limited number of League events.
Box 14, Folder 3
Photographs: Alice Taylor Gafford, Ruth Warrick,
1967
Box 14, Folder 4
Photographs,
1970, 1975, 1978
Box 14, Folder 6
Photographs: Closing Event,
1990
Box 14, Folder 7
Photographs: Closing Event,
1991
Box 14, Folder 14
Photographs: August Wilson,
1989, 2003
Box 14, Folder 15
Photographs,
2003-2006, 2008
Box 18, Folder 4
Media: Open Reel Tapes,
Undated
Box 18, Folder 5
Media: DVDs and VHS,
Undated, 2004, 2006, 2007
Scope and Content
- DVD-R x 4: "League of Allied Arts, October 17, 2004, DVD Presentation, Created by South Street Studios," 10/17/2004, 4.7GB
- 120MIN Video, Memorex DVDs (2 in case):
“League of Allied Arts Corporation, Founded 1939, 62nd Scholarship Awards Luncheon 6/11/2006," 2006
DVD 1: 50MINS, DVD2: 1HOUR, Unknown Manufacturer VHS tape: “Krista Selico 626.844.6994,” Undated, Unknown Time, Unknown Manufacturer
Box 18, Folder 6
Media: Compact Audio Cassettes,
Undated, 1999
Scope and Content
- Audio: Compact Cassette: Untitled, Undated, 60 MIN, TDK
- Audio: Compact Cassette: “League of Allied Arts 10/10/1999” (CD 1: Cuts 1-13), 10/10/1999, 60 MIN, Unknown Manufacturer
- Audio: Compact Cassette: “League of Allied Arts 10/10/1999” (CD 2: Cuts 1-16), 10/10/1999, 60 MIN, Unknown Manufacturer
Box 18, Folder 7
Media: CDs and 3-inch Floppy Disks,
Undated, 2003, 2004, 2007
Scope and Content
- CD-R80: “League updated history,” Undated, 700MB / 52x
- Phillips CD x 2: “Langston Hughes” photos by Hamilton, Undated, Unknown Speed
- Unknown Manufacturer CD-R: Untitled (Los Angeles Women’s Appointment Collaboration – Photos – Carol Hall Holliday, League
president), 11/6/2003, 80MIN / 700MB
- Prime Peripherals CD-R: “2004 Langston Hughes Gala Kit,” 2004, 700MB / 80MINS / 52x
- Great Quality CD-R: Untitled (League 65th Anniversary PR docs), 2004, 700MB / 80MINS
- TDK CD: “League of Allied Arts: Langston Hughes Tribute & 65th Anniversary Celebration,” 10/17/2004, Unknown Speed
- Unknown Manufacturer CD: “League of Allied Arts: 65th Gala & Tribute to Langston Hughes event photos," 10/17/2004, Unknown
Speed
- Unknown Manufacturer CD: “Photography by Hamilton, 2007 League Members,” 2007, Unknown Speed
- Unknown Manufacturer 3.5 inch Floppy Disk: “League of Allied Arts Finances (Quicken) 98 Version, Undated, 2HD, 1.44 MB
- Maxwell 3.5 inch Floppy Disk: “League of Allied Arts ‘Save the Date’" Undated, 2HD, 1.44 MB
- Office Depot 3.5 inch Floppy Disk: “League 2004,” Undated
