Research in the Archives

The ACC Library & Archives is home to four major archival collections documenting the history of contemporary craft:

• The American Craft Council (1940–present)
• The Museum of Contemporary Crafts / American Craft Museum (1956–1990)
• The World Crafts Council (1964–present)
• The Craft Students League of New York (1920s–2005)

In addition, we hold many smaller collections related to individuals and organizations within the craft field:

Individuals

• David R. Campbell (Architect, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Crafts)
• M. Anna Fariello (Artist, Curator, Educator, Writer)
• Bernard Kester (Artist, Exhibition Designer)
• Michael McTwigan (Editor, American Ceramics magazine)
• Lois Moran (Editor, American Craft magazine)
• Paul J. Smith (Director, Museum of Contemporary Crafts / American Craft Museum)
• Aileen Osborn Webb (Founder, American Craft Council)

Organizations

• Art Jewelry Forum
• Rotasa Foundation
• Susan Cummins Gallery

Special Collections

• Object Collection
• Organization Files
• Poster Collections
• ACC Poster Collection
• Paul J. Smith Poster Collection
• Marvin Lipofsky Poster Collection
• Slide Collections

Researchers can conduct preliminary research in the archives collections by consulting the finding-aid documents, available through the links above. The finding aids provide context and an overview for each processed collection. The Library provides access to all archival collections onsite.

For information on donating materials to the archive, please visit our Library Donation Policy page.

Digitized Archive Collections

Some materials are available online as part of the American Craft Council Library Digital Collections. The content available online represents a small percentage of archival documentation available at the ACC Library. Digitization of the archives is ongoing. At present, select materials from the following ACC archives collections are available:

• Craft Horizons magazine (1941–1979) / American Craft magazine (1979–1990)
• ACC Conferences, Exhibitions and Fairs
• 1940s–1950s
• 1960s
• 1970s
• 1980s–1990s
• ACC Newsletters (1957–1986)
• Artists and Their Works
• America House

Digitized collections from other craft organizations are also available. Visit the American Craft Council Library Digital Collections home page to view all of the collection offerings.

NOTE: To access digital resources on specific exhibitions held at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts / American Craft Museum between 1956 and 1990, please check out our Museum Finding Aid.

If you have more information about any materials included in the archives collections or if you are the copyright owner and believe our website has not properly attributed your work to you or has used it without permission, please let us know. Email us at [email protected] with your contact information and a link to the relevant content.