National Society of Arts and Letters records
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- National Society of Arts and Letters records
- Date
- 1949-2011, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Park, Judith A.
- Extent
- 4.35 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Arts -- Competitions
- Arts -- United States -- Societies, etc.
- Performing arts.
- Arts, Visual.
- Literature
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged into 7 series by subject and format: Administrative files, Officer records, Chapters, Conferences and competitions, Financials, Printed materials, and Audiovisual materials.
- Preferred Citation
- 2015ms046 : [identification of item], National Society of Arts and Letters records, 1949-2011, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) was founded in Washington, D. C. in 1944 by Mollie Davis Nicholson and Francesca Nielsen as a women's member organization with a mission to advocate for the arts and provide financial support for young artists studying literature, music, and the visual arts.
- From its inception, NSAL has held an annual national conference, hosted by an individual NSAL chapter. The first national conference was held by the Chicago chapter in June of 1945 and included eight chapters: Washington, D. C., Chicago, Florida, Colorado, North Dakota, California, Texas, and Kentucky. The first scholarships were awarded in 1945 by the Washington and Chicago chapters, headed by NSAL founders Nicholson and Nielsen.
- The growth of NSAL led to its incorporation as a nonprofit in 1949 and the expansion of its annual competition to include dance and theatre. Now with men and women from seventeen regional chapters across the United States, the NSAL continues to sponsor emerging artists through annual award competitions, mentoring programs, master classes and critiques, and arts scholarships.
- Scope and Content
- The National Society of Arts and Letters records (dated 1949-2011, undated; 4.35 cubic feet; 4 record cartons, 1 document box) comprise conference and competition programs for the annual NSAL meeting, award fund financial reports, administrative manuals for regional chapters, and national membership directories and newsletters that document the Society's mission to support students of the performing, literary, and visual arts.
- The records also include chapter files, primarily for the Kentucky chapter based in Lexington, and photographs and videocassettes of competitions, chapter members, and contestants.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Administrative files, 1982-2009, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises administrative manuals, scholarship applications and correspondence, board reports and meeting minutes, National Society of Arts and Letters brochures, and planning documents that detail the mission and vision of the Society. Arranged alphabetically by subject and format. Arranged alphabetically by subject and format.
Administrative support, 1996
Arts medal nomination, Ann Hamilton, 2000
Board and executive meeting minutes, 1992-2005
Board reports, 2003
Brochures, 1994-2004
Bylaws, 1994-2009
Competition applications and brochures, 1990-2008, undated
Executive Director's report, 1991 May 31
"How To Be a Fundraiser for National Society of Arts and Letters" by Joan Franklin Smutny and Rita Margaret Weaver, 1990 May
Job procedure manuals, 1990-1992, undated
Liaison for award winners reports, 1982-1993, undated
Membership, 2000-2004, undated
Mission and vision, 1999-2000
National Historian's report, 2000
National Society of Arts and Letters button, undated
Sheila Summers scholars, 2000-2001, undated
Strategic planning, 2000
Winston Scholarships, 2005
Officer records, 1949-2008, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises correspondence, meeting materials, and administrative materials from NSAL Officers, including National Second Vice President Helen Caldwell, Liaison for Award Winners Joan Edie, Public Information Chairman Gail Moore, and National Presidents Minerva Wilson (1994-1996), Reva Shiner (1998-2000), and Nancy E. Brockman (2004-2006).
Nancy E. Brockman, 1949-2008
50th anniversary celebration, Washington, D.C, 1994
Bylaws and amendment materials, 2001
Meeting notes and chapter correspondence, 1949-1952, 1994-2008
San Antonio, Texas meetings, 1994
President Nancy E. Brockman notebook, 2002-2004
Hawaii itinerary and Sheration information, 2003
Hawaii conference, 2005
Helen Caldwell, 1990-1992
Reva Shiner, 1987-2000, undated
Assorted staff files, 1982-2002
Joan Edie, competition contestants and winners, 1994, 2000-2002
Mrs. Terrell Price correspondence, 1984, 1996
Gail Moore, Public Information Chairman, 1982
Minerva Wilson binder, 1994-1996
Chapters, 1979-2009, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises correspondence, invitations, fliers, and member applications that document the events and constitutents of regional chapters of the National Society of Arts and Letters. Also includes guidelines and manuals for chapter administration and correspondence and applications of dissolved chapters.
Chapter administration, 1984-2001, undated
Chapter applications, 1984-2000, undated
Chapter organization guidelines, 1998, undated
Chapter contestants, 1991-1994, undated
Manual for chapter presidents, 1991, 2001, undated
Chapter files, 1987-1997
Chicago chapter, 1987-1989
Evanston, Illinois chapter, 1997
Honolulu, Hawaii chapter, 1997
Iowa chapter, 1990-1991
Los Angeles, California chapter, 1989-1992
North Florida chapter, 1996-1997
Kentucky chapter, 1998-2009
1998-2001
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2009
Dissolved chapters, 1979-1998, undated
Austin, Texas, 1993-1994
Bossier City, Louisiana, 1979, 1985
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1984-1989, undated
Cochise, Arizona, 1990-1991
Des Moines, Iowa, 1995-1996
Fresno, California, 1989-1998
Northern Minnesota, 1991
Richmond, Virginia, 1990-1991, 1998
San Diego, California, 1984-1996, undated
Shreveport, Louisana, 1990-1991
Conferences and competitions, 1979-2010, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises agendas and programs for the annual NSAL conference and pamphlets and applications for NSAL's competitions in the performing, visual, and literary arts. Also includes a guide to planning the annual convention, a publication on NSAL's awards history, and clippings on awards winners. Arranged chronologically by conference and competition date, with materials not specific to one event at the end of the series.
Teleplay competition, Washington, D.C., 1993
Presidents' luncheon, Jacksonville, Florida, 1995
Career awards competition in ceramics finalists, St. Louis, Missouri, 1996 May
Birmingham, Alabama conference, 1997
Ann Arbor, Michigan conference, 1998
Literature competition, 1998
Cincinnati, Ohio conference, 1999
Chicago, Illinois conference, 2000
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conference, 2001
Boca Raton, Florida conference, 2002
Piano competition, 2003
Literature and poetry competitions, 2003
Lexington, Kentucky conference, 2003
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois conference, 2004
Honolulu, Hawaii conference, 2005
Jacksonville, Florida conference, 2006
Tempe, Arizona conference, 2007
Water media on paper art exhibit, 2007
Bloomington, Indiana conference, 2008
Acting competitions, Washington, D.C., 2009
Clearwater Beach, Florida conference, 2010
Award winners, 1979-2004, undated
Awards History: 1945-1993 by the National Society of Arts and Letters Washington DC Chapter, circa 1993
Washington chapter winners, 1987-1994, undated
Convention planning guide, undated
Financials, 1983-2010
Scope and Contents
Comprises reports and account statements of NSAL award funds, audit and investment reports of NSAL accounts, and NSAL Treasurer financial files and correspondence. Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Audit reports and tax documents, 1996-2008
Award fund reports and statements, 1983-2010
Audrey Peery Award Fund, 2007-2010
Kathy Lee Morgan Fund for Art, 2010
Marina Svetlova Endowment for Dance, 2010
Mary Peery Fife Fund, 1998-2010
Nicholson-Nielsen Trust Fund, 1983-2010
1983-1995
1995-1997
1998-1999
2000-2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008-2010
Financial and investment reports, 1996-2009
Financial reports, 1996, 1999
Financial reports, 2000-2003
Economic and investment reviews, 2007
Economic and investment reviews, 2008 July-2009 April
Economic and investment reviews, 2009 July-October
Investment reviews, 1996-2001
Investment reviews, 2002-2003
Treasurer files, 1986-2009
Printed materials, 1979-2011
Scope and Contents
Comprises printed membership directories and newsletters that document NSAL members and events. The membership directories, the Roster and Review, and the Yearbook and Roster list national board members and officers, chapter presidents and members, standing and special committee members, and national advisory council members. NSAL newsletters and NSAL's annual publication, The Record, feature highlights of the national competition and NSAL chapter activities.
Arranged alphabetically by format and title.
Membership directories, 1994-2009
Newsletters, 1985-2011
The Record, 1979-2010
1979 Fall
1980 Fall
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1986-1987
1987-1988
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Roster and Review, 1988-1992
Audiovisual materials, 1994-2000, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises photographs and videocassettes that document NSAL members, competitions, and conferences.
Photographs, 1994-2000, undated
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Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
