Archives 101: What is an Archival Collection?

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In this series, Phillips Manager, Archives and Library Resources Juli Folk and Digital Assets Librarian Rachel Jacobson explain the ins and outs of how archives work.

It’s usually fair to say that the average person is more familiar with libraries than archives. If that is the case for you, here are some helpful distinctions aimed at enhancing your next visit to The Phillips Collection Library & Archives.

Libraries hold published books and materials, which are secondary sources that were consciously created and intended to be distributed for review. Books are collected and circulated through libraries as individual items and are cataloged and organized according to standards that have been well-established for hundreds of years.

Archives are different in that they are made up of primary-source materials that were created over the course of normal daily business and life. Archival materials can include receipts, correspondence, photographs, ledgers, digital media, and related ephemera. In order to maintain their context, archival items are classified in aggregate as “collections,” instead of as standalone items.

The Phillips Collection Library & Archives holds numerous collections that include materials documenting the inner workings of the museum. Some items that may have seemed run of the mill at the time have since become treasures. For example, this undated handwritten note was left for Duncan Phillips at the front desk of the museum by Georgia O’Keeffe during one of her visits.

There are a variety of different kinds of archival collections. For example, institutional departmental collections manage and preserve the records of the business or institution. These collections exist to serve the needs of researchers and staff members, to document historical discussion and decisions over time, and to support strategic institutional goals. Two examples of these types of collections in our archive are the Records of the Music Department and the Exhibition History Records.

The Records of the Music Department consist of materials dated from 1925 and include correspondence, press clippings and reviews, photographs, concert programs, serial publications, pamphlets, press releases, and other ephemera pertaining to concerts and performers.

Archival boxes housing the Music Department records are organized chronologically, ready for research. Courtesy of The Phillips Collection Library & Archives

Exhibition History records are dated from the early 1900s and contain material that was created and collected by the Curatorial Department to support activities related to the research, planning, preparation, logistics, and catalogue for individual shows. The collections include articles, brochures, catalogues, checklists, correspondence, and reviews.

Photograph collections are compiled or created by individuals, families, or organizations and are preserved for their enduring evidentiary value and context. Our recently digitized Historic Photographs Collection is arranged chronologically with items that date from the late 1800s. The collection includes images of the museum building interior and exterior, the immediate and extended families of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips, art exhibitions, notable visitors, special events, and construction projects. The materials are in a variety of formats and sizes, with both color and black-and-white prints. This collection will be available digitally soon!

Duncan Phillips (left) and his younger brother Jim Phillips in the late 1800s. Courtesy of The Phillips Collection Library & Archives

Annex installation from the 1960s exhibition Sculpture Seen Anew: The Bronze Age to Brancusi, including works by Constantin Brancusi and Henry Moore. Courtesy of The Phillips Collection Library & Archives

Stay tuned for the next post in this series, which will focus on Archival Processing to describe the steps we take to make our collections more accessible and useful to researchers.

Marketing and Communications In-Depth

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Marketing and Communications Intern Chloe Akazawa details her work during her spring 20222 paid internship.

As the Marketing and Communications intern at The Phillips Collection, I gained experience in social media management, community engagement, and survey evaluation.

I drafted social copy for the museum’s social media platforms, where I learned how to research, edit, and create engaging content in concise ways. I created posts for upcoming events such as the weekly virtual meditations and music concerts. For posts about artists’ birthdays and special holidays, I searched the collection for works that related to these themes. My favorite posts I created were for Joan Mitchell’s birthday and Earth Day.

Sample social media posts drafted by Chloe

I also compiled a database of local businesses and organizations for future community engagement. The Phillips offers many programs related to music, health, education, and nature; thus, I researched related organizations and compiled the contact information of 175 embassies, wellness centers, educational programs, music organizations, and environmental organizations located near the Phillips. This document can be used to promote upcoming exhibitions and events and to build long-lasting relationships between the museum and the surrounding community.

Another long-term project was the evaluation of The Phillips Collection’s “Pay What You Wish” ticket (offered and the top of every hour). I analyzed visitor survey responses to better understand the current state of the special promotion. This ticket offering was launched in March 2021 to celebrate the centennial. I worked with colleagues in Marketing and Communications, Admissions, Operations, and Visitor Services to understand the full scope of the promotion from different departments. In the beginning of my research, I focused on the initial goals of the ticket: if these goals are being fulfilled, and how we can make the promotion better. I scoped out peer institutions with similar promotions and compared how the Phillips marketed and described their ticket to the public. Karina Gaytan (one of our Sherman Fairchild Fellows) provided me with visitor experience survey responses from February through March 2022. These surveys are sent to visitors after their visit and reveal information about how they heard about the Pay-What-You-Wish ticket as well as other demographics such as age, ethnicity, region, and gender. I compiled this information and created graph visualizations of what I found, presenting this to the Marketing and Communications team. My evaluation helped the department brainstorm strategies to raise awareness to more audiences. With the help of the Web Manager, we made changes to the museum’s website to make the ticket offering more visible online.

Graphics breaking down the demographics of Pay-What-You-Wish visitors

Overall, my internship at The Phillips Collection showed me many facets of Marketing and Communications, and I learned valuable skills that I will use in my future museum career.

Meet Our Spring Interns: Emily, Gabriela, Adriana, Jason

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Our spring 2022 interns reflect on the projects they’ve been working on and what they’ve learned during their time at The Phillips Collection.

Emily Roberson, American University

“My name is Emily Roberson and I am the Curatorial Intern. My main project has been researching female artists from the Harlem Renaissance. I’ve really enjoyed visiting institutions in Washington, DC, to conduct primary and secondary source research. Many of the artists I’m studying have received very little scholarly attention, so it’s exciting to be working on a project that will really contribute to the conversation about their lives and work. I’m a second-year art history master’s student at American University, and my research specialization is 18th- and 19th-century European art. I’m especially interested in feminist approaches to art history and studying under-researched artists. I moved to Washington, DC, during the pandemic, so I still feel like I have a lot of the city to explore, but I keep returning to the Phillips because the increasing focus on under-represented artists is refreshing and inspiring to me. I also really value the emphasis on transcultural and diachronic exhibitions that connect modern and contemporary artists in creative ways.”

Gabriela Sepulveda Maiz, George Washington University

“Hi! My name is Gabriela Sepulveda and I’m the Community Engagement Intern. I’m originally from Puerto Rico, and moved to DC in August 2020 for my master’s in Museum Studies at George Washington University. I love birdwatching, running, hiking, and dancing. I’m interested in moving museums toward deeper and more meaningful engagement with their surrounding communities. As the Community Engagement Intern, I create, develop, and design the wellness kits we distribute to the community. It’s been an intellectually enriching process and I’ve been honored to meet and interact with the community directly.”

Adriana Vergara, George Washington University

“I am Adriana Vergara, a graduating senior at The George Washington University, minoring in Italian and majoring in art history. This spring, I have been working as the Contemporary Art Conservation intern under the mentorship of Associate Conservator Patricia Favero. During my internship I created documentation for the time-based media works in the collection. Specifically, I chose to focus on the work Transfigured Night by John Akomfrah because I had the opportunity to see it on display at The Phillips Collection last spring and I wanted to learn more about the work and aid in its conservation. Throughout this internship I learned that the museum is truly a collaborative environment, and that each department is eager to help the others succeed. This internship has also pushed me to think more deeply about what characteristics are most important to an artwork’s identity and it has allowed me to better understand the complexities of conserving time-based media. As an aspiring conservator, this has truly been an invaluable experience for me.”

Jason Rosenberg, George Washington University

“I’m Jason Rosenberg and I am originally from South Florida. I am currently an undergraduate at The George Washington University majoring in art history and political communication. In addition to art, I also enjoy spending my time singing in GW’s a cappella group “Sons of Pitch,” riding on my school’s equestrian team, and developing film in the darkroom photo lab. This past spring, I’ve had the absolute privilege of interning in the Curatorial Department with my mentor, Vesela Sretenovic. Throughout this process, I’ve experienced the opening of an exhibition, meet local artists, learned more about the grant-funding process, delved into copyright law within fine art, and gained first-hand understanding of how a museum operates—with a special focus on the pivotal role curators play. Work I’ve done has included: writing and publishing blog posts, researching artist foundation profiles for potential funding, attending staff meetings, drafting email templates for derivative copyright permissions, and sorting through library collections. My mentor and all the staff I’ve met at the Phillips have illuminated a whole other side of the art world that I’ve never had access to. I know this opportunity will have a lasting impact as I continue my studies in graduate school and prepare for an exciting career in art law down the line. Thank you!”