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Special Collections Research Center
William & Mary Special Collections Research CenterEarl Gregg Swem Library
400 Landrum Dr
Williamsburg, Virginia
Business Number: 757-221-3090
spcoll@wm.edu
URL: https://libraries.wm.edu/libraries-spaces/special-collections
Finding Aid Authors: Anne T. Johnson.
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Conditions Governing Access:
Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Preferred Citation:
This Century Art Gallery Records, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Acquisition Information:
Acc. 1997.47 gift of This Century Art Gallery through the Williamsburg Historic Records Association; Acc. 2004.17 gift of Glenna Shiflett through the Williamsburg Historic Records Association; Acc. 2005.52 gift of Glenna Shiflett through the Williamsburg Historic Records Association; Acc. 2009.281 gift of Glenna Shiflett through the Williamsburg Historic Records Association on 6/23/2009. Acc. 2010.644 gift of Miles Chappell and others.
Processing Information:
Processed by Anne Johnson in 2007.
Historical Note:
This Century Art Gallery - Williamsburg exhibits a wide variety of contemporary paintings, sculpture, and crafts by outstanding regional and national artists. The Gallery, adjacent to Merchants Square and the Historic Area in Williamsburg, Virginia, occupies a unique 1920 Sears Roebuck house that was modernized in the 1980s. The Gallery is a nonprofit organization that is wholly volunteer-operated. Members give their time generously to manage Gallery business and to run the many programs it offers. The Gallery was named Twentieth Century Gallery when it was organized in 1958 and is affiliated with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .
Scope and Contents
The records of This Century Art Gallery include office, financial, and personal files from various board members and officers, board minutes, printed material such as promotional material and newsletters, artist and exhibit information, inventory notebooks, daily logs, and loose papers.
Because Roger Sherman had made notes on many of the papers he gathered to help him write the history of the Gallery, they have been left together, but filed within the categories used for the rest of the collection, with his name as part of the folder heading. The exceptions are his actual drafts of the history, which are filed under his name.
Arrangement of Materials:
The collection has been arranged into six series: Office Files, Financial Records, Board of Directors, Roger Sherman's Files, Artists and Exhibits, and Additions.
Related Material
Glenna Shiflett Papers (Mss. Acc. 2006.19)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Art Gallery
- Artists
- Financial records
- Fliers (printed matter)
- Minutes
- Reports
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
- Williamsburg (Va.)--History--20th century
- Williamsburg Arts Council (Williamsburg, Va.)
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Sherman, Roger
- Shiflett, Glenna Graves
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- Williamsburg (Va.)--History--20th century
Container List
The office files include material pulled together from loose or scattered records and other records retained in their original order. All are housed within Box 1.
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 id2391
Office Files, Artificially Created1959-2001Scope and Contents
Office related files including correspondence, membership lists, logbooks, day book, promotion and publicity files, procedures, volunteer records, lease and other building related material. Most of this material was pulled together from loose material or scattered records to create an artificial grouping of office related files.
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 id2392
Office Files1959-1984Scope and Contents
The group of office files that arrived as a unit, already in folders, were kept together and the original file names retained. These files contain many newspaper clippings and promotional printed material. In the front of each Office File folder are 3 subfolders: one each for the original newspaper clippings, the copies of the clippings and original printed material.
- Mixed Materials Box: 2 id2393
Financial Records1965-2001Scope and Contents
Includes annual reports, bank records, tax records, business records, invoices, treasurers' reports and sales records.
- Mixed Materials Box: 3 id2394
Board of Directors1959-1985, 1987, 1989-2001Scope and Contents
The board of directors material was pulled together from various personal files, loose papers and groups of minutes. The series includes by-laws, job descriptions, member packets, handbooks, correspondence and minutes. The personal files of board members and officers included numerous duplications, particularly of monthly financial reports, board minutes and quarterly Bulletins. These records were pulled and combined in date order into the file headings of Treasurers' Reports, Board Minutes or Printed Material - Bulletins. At least 2 copies of each report were kept. If there were notes on any of the reports, it was kept. In a few instances, a board member's or officer's file contained material not duplicated elsewhere. These files were kept intact (except for removal of the duplicated reports) and the name of the board member or officer is noted on the folder as part of the heading. Files of unknown members that had very little material left in them after removing duplicate copies where merged into a folder entitled Board of Directors-Correspondence.
- Mixed Materials Box: 4 id2395
Roger Sherman's Files1959-1980Scope and Contents
Drafts of History of Twentieth Century Gallery by Roger Sherman, with notes and chronology. About 1980, Roger Sherman gathered material from the office files of the Twentieth Century Gallery to help him write a history of the Gallery. As part of the Gallery Papers, these files were included in a box of Roger Sherman material. Since the files had been removed from the original office files, they were returned to the main collection during processing except for the materials that had notes by Roger Sherman or were written by Roger Sherman.
- Mixed Materials Box: 5 id2399
Artists and Exhibits1984-2000Scope and Contents
While the records related to artists and exhibits span 1984-2000, there are some gaps in the records. Some files for a specific event (exhibit or show) arrived in notebooks. These files were put into new folders with their original order and heading maintained. New folder headings were created to pull together material on artists, exhibits and shows that were found either loose or scattered through individual files. They are grouped by artists, exhibits and inventory sheets. Some workshop material is included.
- Mixed Materials Box: 6 id57901
Twentieth Century Gallery History1959-1984Scope and Contents
Ten items relating to the history of the Twentieth Century Gallery in Williamsburg when it was located on Nicholson Street. Founded in 1959, its first President was Glenna Shiflett. Includes list of members, board members, film society membership and list of members of the Junior Woman's Club. 1959-1984. Accession 1997.47 Addition
- Mixed Materials Box: 6 id57902
Glenna Graves Shiflett Scrapbook and Records1959-1987Scope and Contents
Scrapbook of Twentieth Century Gallery which covers 1959-1969, created by Glenna Graves Shiflett. Folder with a few records from 1974-1987, including a January 13, 1981 deed from Thomas B. Shiflett and Glenna G. Shiflett to Glenna G. Shiflett, Lot #5 and part of Lot #6 in West Williamsburg Heights, Williamsburg, Virginia. Accession 2004.17 Addition
- Mixed Materials Box: 6 id57919
List of 1978 Members and Legal Documents1978-1981Scope and Contents
List of members, 1978, of Williamsburg Arts Council, bank statement, 1981, concerning Williamsburg Arts Council and a March 4, 1980 letter with appraisal of 501 Richmond Road, owned by Thomas B. Shiflett and wife. Accession 2005.52 Addition
- Mixed Materials Box: 6 id58399
Photographs and "The Twentieth Century Gallery Beginnings: Summer of 1958 and a Summary of 20th Century Gallery Activities"1958-2009Scope and Contents
This accession includes copies of early photographs of the 20th Century Gallery and a document prepared by the gallery's first president Sandy Shiflett in anticipation of an upcoming celebration for the gallery in 2009. She called the document "The Twentieth Century Gallery Beginnings: Summer of 1958 and a Summary of 20th Century Gallery Activities." Accession 2009.281 Addition