Miscellaneous records of the deans of the school as well as records of the
departments that preceded the school's creation in 1963. Collection documents the
development of curricula, budgeting of the departments and the school at large,
planning of events, performances, and art exhibitions. The majority of the records
are correspondence sent to or by the dean's office and the departments of Film,
Theatre and Dance, Music, and Art. The files also contain agendas, minutes, and
supporting materials from departmental ad hoc and standing committees, including the
Academic Appeals Committee, the Anonymous Funds Committee, the Budget Advisory
Committee, departmental Executive Committees, the Master of Fine Arts Planning
Committee, and the Promotion and Tenure Committee.
The files on Affirmative Action (1973-1978) consist of statistics on hiring in the
School of Fine Arts and statistical breakdowns of the school's enrollment and fine
arts degrees awarded in the United States. These files also include guidelines set
by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
There is a folder of items regarding the Artists-In-Residence program. This program
brought artists in music, painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, and poetry to UWM.
While at the university, the artists would offer performances or exhibitions, engage
in informal discussion sessions, and teach short classes in their respective media.
The files contain correspondence between the school and the artists as well as some
biographies of artists.
The Correspondence files contain the letters to and from the dean with individuals
regarding funding, staffing, and policy issues. There are letters to and from
artists, prospective faculty and deans of other fine arts schools. There is some
overlap in other correspondence items found in committee, departmental, and program
files.
Files on the Curriculum Committee contain minutes and agendas. The committee reviewed
plans for majors and minors. The committee also reviewed matters regarding course
addition or deletion and name changes as well as credit amounts and plans for
inter-arts majors.
Fine Arts Quartet files contain performance programs, reviews of performances, and
correspondence. The group, which was originally the Fine Arts Quartet of Chicago,
joined the UWM faculty in 1963.
The Fine Arts Center opened in 1968 with Inaugural Week of events that included a
film festival, a play, several music performances, and a dance concert. These files
include event planning, correspondence, programs, and three lectures on audio
reels.
Several folders of Posters and Related Materials include event flyers and posters
announcing performances, exhibitions, and symposia.
Search and Screen files contain meeting minutes and correspondence of several Search
and Screen Committees, concerning the searches for two of the school's deans (in
1974 and 1985) and various faculty and department chair positions.
Several files are included on the University Arts Council, which was involved in the
arts activities of the University of Wisconsin System. This council was involved in
events planning, administering surveys, and distributing a monthly newsletter to
arts programs and schools.
The Wisconsin Artists Calendars were printed in the mid to late 1930s by the
Wisconsin Printmakers, an artists' organization which supported the graphic arts.
The calendars feature wood and linoleum cuts by artists who were students of the
Milwaukee State Teachers College, a predecessor of UWM.
The May 2016 addition to the collection contains administration, program, and
exhibition records, including records of development of the Master of Fine Arts
program, and records relating to the collaboration between the School of Fine Arts
and the Milwaukee Public Schools to offer art classes to MPS students. Also included
are records of the People's Theater, a community organization to which the School
provided significant financial and administrative support, including shared
personnel, between 1968-1988. Much of this recent addition is comprised of folders
on the future of the UWM Art Museum, including responses to a proposal to sell some
of UWM's art collection.
