J. Paul Getty Museum Department of Education and Academic Affairs records, 1973-2004 and undated (bulk 1987-2002)

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Summary

Title:
Department of Education and Academic Affairs records
Dates:
1973-2004 and undated (bulk 1987-2002)
Creators:
J. Paul Getty Museum. Education Department
Abstract:
Records consist of memoranda, correspondence, reports, handouts, meeting notes, exhibit designs and related materials, public announcements, policy guidelines, visitor responses, educational materials, photographic materials, contracts, and publicity concerning the activities of the J. Paul Getty Museum Department of Education and Academic Affairs, dating 1973-2004 (bulk 1987-2002) and undated.
Extent:
37.45 linear feet (51 boxes, 3 flatfiles)
Language:
Collection material is in English
Preferred citation:

[Cite the item], Museum, Department of Education and Academic Affairs records, J. Paul Getty Museum. Department of Education. The Getty Research Institute (IA30010)

Background

Scope and content:

Records consist of memoranda, correspondence, reports, handouts, meeting notes, exhibit designs and related materials, public announcements, policy guidelines, visitor responses, educational materials, photographic materials, contracts, and publicity concerning the activities of the J. Paul Getty Museum Department of Education and Academic Affairs, dating 1973-2004 (bulk 1987-2002) and undated. The records are centered around four types of activities: administrative records, educational programs, public events and performances, and photographs.

The administrative records cover general departmental activities and procedures, as well as individual staff members' records.

Records relating to education and outreach cover adult courses, staff education and training, exhibitions and informative displays, school and youth programs, scholarly programs, and community outreach. School programs include student tours and informational game sets to be used in the Museum, and the Multicultural Art Print Series (MAPS) to reach out to students in the classroom. Scholarly programs records refer to interns and visiting guest scholars.

Records for public events and performances concern lectures and seminars, concert series, film series, and theatrical performances. Most of the files pertain to individual speakers and performers (or groups).

Photographic materials in the collection consist of promotional images from the opening of the Getty Center, daily activities from the Villa and the Center, and a "Slide Library" comprised of images of artwork used for reference and research that was maintained by Peggy Fogelman.

Significant contributors to the collection include Ann Friedman (Administrator of Lectures and Concerts), Diane Brigham (Head of Education), Laurie Fusco (Educator), Bret Waller (Associate Director for Education and Public Information), and David Ebitz (Head of Education).

Arrangement note

The records are organized into four series:

Series I. Administrative records, 1981-2004;

Series II. Education and outreach, 1980-2003, undated (bulk 1984-2001);

Series III. Public events and performances, 1973-1998 (bulk 1987-1998);

Series IV. Photographic materials, 1994-1999, undated.

Biographical / historical:

The J. Paul Getty Museum was established as a charitable trust in 1953 by oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in order to house his growing art collections, with his original Museum opening in 1954. Upon Getty's death in 1976 he bequeathed almost his entire estate to the Museum with a mission to promote "the diffusion of artistic and general knowledge." To fulfill this mission, the J. Paul Getty Trust (founded in 1981) immediately began developing new initiatives and programs, including the Education Department of the Museum.

The Education Department was formally created in 1982, and in 1984 Bret Waller became Associate Director for Education and Public Information. The Department merged with Academic Affairs in 1986; Laurie Fusco, who had been Head of Academic Affairs, accepted the position of Educator, while David Ebitz was hired as Head of the Department of Education and Academic Affairs. Diane Brigham became Head after Ebitz's resignation, and the Department was reorganized to include three divisions: Adult and Community Programs; Family, Student Teacher Programs; and Technical Resources, which was dissolved in 2002. (paraphrased from email from Jennifer Kellen to Clare Kunny, May 12, 2005)

As of 2013 the Getty Trust supports and oversees four programs: the Getty Foundation, The Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Research Institute, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. The Education Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum offers a range of educational programs and resources for a variety of audiences at both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa. Through education programs of the highest quality, the Department enables the Museum to engage and inspire visitors to look more closely and understand better the art objects they view. The audiences served include adults, college students and faculty, K-12 teachers and their students, families with kids, teens, community groups, and museum educators.

The Education Department supports the J. Paul Getty Museum's mission to encourage the appreciation and understanding of art, and its history, context, and meaning, by facilitating a variety of learning experiences centered on works of art; developing interpretive strategies that promote visual comprehension of the collection; enhancing educational opportunities for a wide range of audiences; and collaborating across the Getty in order to actively contribute to creative opportunities.

Acquisition information:
Accession 2009.IA.03 was transferred as part of the Legacy Records Appraisal Project in 2009. Accessions 2006.IA.19 and 2011.IA.22 were transferred from the Museum Education Department.
Processing information:

Processed by Lauren Jordan in 2012-2013.

Physical location:
Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record at library catalog record for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for general library access policy. See the Administrative Information section of this finding aid for access restrictions specific to the records described below. Please note, some of the records may be stored off site; advanced notice is required for access to these materials.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Lauren Jordan
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-12-06T11:16-0800

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open after review. The records in accessions 2006.IA.19, 2009.IA.03, and 2011.IA.22, subject to review for permanently closed information, are open to qualified researchers.

The following types of records are permanently closed: records containing personal information, records that compromise security or operations, legal communications, legal work product, and records related to donors. The J. Paul Getty Trust reserves the right to restrict access to any records held by the Institutional Archives.

Terms of access:

Contact Library Rights and Reproductions at the Getty Research Institute for copyright information and permission to publish.

Preferred citation:

[Cite the item], Museum, Department of Education and Academic Affairs records, J. Paul Getty Museum. Department of Education. The Getty Research Institute (IA30010)

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
Website