Collections

Collections


Each of the collections of original art have been preserved and made accessible in the Library through the generous support of the Myers Foundations.

Contact Info

The Gottesman Libraries
Teachers College, Columbia University
525 W. 120th Street, Box 307
New York, NY 10027
Telephone: (212) 678-3494
library.tc.columbia.edu

Darvin and Kriegman Memorial Library

The Program maintains a small library established in memory of a recent faculty member and doctoral student. The library is open during the day and contains a range of classic art education texts and journals. Students may consult any of the texts as they need.

Manuscripts

The papers of a widely influential progressive art educator, director of education at the Museum of Modern Art from 1937 to 1969, and organizer of art "carnivals" in New York, Barcelona, Milan, Brussels, and New Delhi. Documentation includes correspondence, drafts of lectures and articles, photographs, slides, and architectural drawings.

The papers of a long-time leader in art education, teacher at Downtown Community School (1951-1965) and Professor of art education at Kean College until 1993. Included is documentation of programs and curricula she developed, including slides and examples of the work of children and teachers in various media.

Papers reflecting a wide range of activities in progressive aspects of art education from the 1950s-1980s, including teaching at Bank Street College of Education and New Lincoln School, work with Victor D'Amico at MOMA, and participation in the National Committee on Art Education.

A collection of books dealing with textiles, concentrating on hand weaving in traditional patterns and methods in cultures around the world. Originally created by Professor Florence House of Teachers College and consisting primarily of pre-1950 publications, the collection is being augmented with appropriate recently-published works.

Unusual and ephemeral international art education materials, collected by Al Hurwitz, Professor of art education at Johns Hopkins University. Included are hundreds of publications documenting children's art and art education, including exhibition catalogs, periodicals, curriculum guides, and conference reports, published primarily in the 1950s-1980s.

For more information about Hurwitz's work, please visit this link to access his timeline.

Original Artwork of Children and Teachers

A unique collection of the “Art of Adolescence,” consisting of about 350 selected works by children from 31 countries around the world. Collected and exhibited in 1957, with support from UNESCO, these works provide a resource for study and analysis of both cross-cultural and developmental issues in art education.

Answering the question “What would peace look like,” posed shortly after the 1967 war, Jewish and Arab children in Israel produced this collection of 50 drawings and paintings. They provide exceptional opportunity to study the effects of war and political tension on children and children’s art.

Originally exhibited at Teachers College in 1935, this collection of 24 works presents a view of children’s art under Soviet sponsorship, and is accompanied by an official statement of “socialist” philosophy of art education.

Over 300 works by the Teachers College students in the fine arts program in the period approximately 1905-1923, who studied under Professor Arthur Dow, a leader in the arts and crafts movement. The collection provides extensive evidence of the links between Dow’s theories and the actual curriculum experienced by teachers in training; and includes a number of clearly successful works in various media.

A carefully selected and annotated collection of about 200 drawings by young children. The focus is on stages of child development and the corresponding forms of artistic expression.

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