Willem Volkersz Papers, 1985-2020

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Volkersz, Willem
Title
Willem Volkersz Papers
Dates
1985-2020 (inclusive)
Quantity
8 linear feet
Collection Number
2697
Summary
Willem Volkersz is a mixed-media artist and art collector. The Willem Volkersz papers consist of materials relating to his work as a professor at Montana State University and of his work as an artist.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Willem Volkersz is a mixed-media artist and art collector. He was born in 1939 in the Netherlands to Everhardus Gerard Volkersz and Elisabeth Volkersz-Merens. His family immigrated to the United States in 1953, when he was 14. He received his Bachelor of Arts from The University of Washington in 1965 and his Master of Fine Arts from Mills College in California in 1967.

Volkersz is most known for his work in neon sculptures and paint-by-numbers style painting, often incorporating multiple techniques, and occasionally found objects, into his pieces. His works have been featured in the Emerson Cultural Center (Bozeman, Montana), Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, Montana), Yellowstone Art Museum (Billings, Montana), Missoula Art Museum (Missoula, Montana), Holter Museum of Art (Helena, Montana), Museum of Neon Art (Glendale, California), Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (Great Falls, Montana), Plains Art Museum (Fargo, North Dekota), Museum of Northwest Art (La Conner, Washington), Coconino Center for the Arts (Flagstaff, Arizona), Reed Whipple Cultural Center (Las Vegas, Nevada), Francine Seders Gallery (Seattle, Washington), Leeds Polytechnic (Leeds, England), and others.

Volkersz was the Director of the School of Art at Montana State University (MSU) from 1986 until his retirement in 2001, when he was granted the status of Emeritus Professor. During his time as director his works were exhibited in galleries on campus and in faculty art magazines. Prior to teaching at MSU he taught at The Ohio State University (1967-1968), Leeds College of Art, Leeds, England (1972-1973), and Kansas City Art Institute (1968-1986).

He has received the Montana Governor's Arts Award in 2020, the James and Mary Ross Provost's Award for Excellence (Montana State University) in 1999, the Charles and Nora L. Wiley Research Award for Meritorious Research and Creativity (Montana State University) in 1998, and the Anna K. Fridley Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Teaching Award (Montana State University) in 1996.

Volkersz has also been an avid collector of folk art and the works of self-taught artists. In 1986 he donated a collection of audio cassettes of folk artist interviews to the Archives of American Art (Washington, D.C.). His collection of folk, outsider, and self-taught art now resides at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, Wisconsin), The Missoula Art Musem (Missoula, Montana), and the Hallie Form Museum of Art (Salem, Oregon).

He lives in Bozeman, Montana, with his wife Dianne Volkersz.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Willem Volkersz papers consist of materials relating to his work as a professor at Montana State University and his work as an artist. His teaching materials include his annual reviews, tenure review documentation, and his sabbatical work and documentation. His work as an artist is represented through gallery and auction announcements, publications of his exhibitions, video and audio interviews with him, professional correspondence, and sketches of his work. In addition to his teaching and artistic work, his collections of postcards, gallery cards, and correspondence cards are also included.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

This collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of Willem Volkersz, 2021. Additional materials (exhibit catalog and textile) were received in February 2022. In 2023 a binder of newspaper clippings and an oral history done with Willem by the Booth Western Art Museum (audiocassette titled "conversation with H.H. about drawings") were added. In July 2024 a small selection of announcements for "The View from Here" was added.

Processing Note

The collection is largely in the arrangement that Volkersz created. However, the Annual Review documents were arranged chronologically, and in the Works and Reviews series, publications of the same name were grouped together to enhance discoverability. The Gallery Cards and Personal Correspondence were transferred as close as possible to the original order, but oversized items were relocated to the "Oversized Exhibition Announcements" folder. In cases where Personally Identifiable Information (PII) was discovered, items were scanned with PII redacted and replaced with the print out of the scaned document.

Separated Materials

The Annual Review documents originally included the individual scantron student reviews. Most of the information from these documents was also included in a summary page. These scantron documents were removed from the collection and only the summary documents were retained. Additionally, any items that included FERPA protected information were removed. Duplicate materials were also removed. Lastly, among the books that were donated as part of the collection, Yellowstone Art Museum: Fifty Years, and Visual Workouts: A Collection of Art Making Problems were removed to be described bibliographically in the MSU Library catalog.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Teaching MaterialsReturn to Top

This series includes materials related to Willem Volkersz' teaching career. Included in this series are materials from the University of Washington, and Kansas City Art Institute, as well as annual reviews, sabbatical reports, and tenure review materials from Montana State University.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
University of Washington
1963-1964
1 2
Kansas City Art Institute Viewbook
1982
1 3-4
Second Year Review- Originals Xeroxed for Tenure and Second Year Review
1987
1 5
Sabbatical Originals
1986-1992
1 6-7
Tenure Review MSU
1988
2 1
Tenure Review MSU
1988
2 2
Annual Review Materials- Promotion and Tenure Materials
1988-1989
2 3
Annual Review
1989-1990
2 4
Tenure Review Student Evaluations/Teaching
1986-1991
2 5-6
Review
1992
2 7-8
Sabbatical
1993
3 1
Sabbatical
1993
3 2-3
Review Materials
1993-1994
3 4
Annual Review Clippings etc.
1995
3 5-6
Annual Review
1995
3 7
Teaching Evaluations and Sample Student Comments
1991-1996
3 8
Annual Review
1996
4 1
Annual Review
1996
4 2-3
Annual Review
1997
4 4-5
Annual Review
1998
4 6-7
Annual Review
1999
5 1
Annual Review
2000
5 2
Annual Review
2001
item
5 3
MSU School of Art T-Shirt
Folder
23 5
Business Card, Director, School of Art, MSU

Professional Files and CorrespondenceReturn to Top

The personal files and correspondence in this series are research files, contracts, and correspondence files between Willem Volkersz and galleries, museums, universities, professional organizations, and individuals regarding his work as an artist and as a professor. Additionally, some files cover the planning and description of some of his exhibitions.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
7 3
Montgomery Museum
2002-2006
7 4
Portrait Sketch of Willem Volkersz by Bob DeWeese
1987
7 5
B. Muller
1980-1981
7 6
John Muller and Co.
1985-1987
7 7
Murray State University
1986
7 8
Museum of Northwest Art
1999
7 9
Andy Nasisse
1984-2014
7 10
National Endowment for the Arts
1986-1992
7 11
Neon: Current
2000
7 12
Will Nettleship
1986-1988
7 13
Nevada Museum of Art
1989-1990
7 14
Newell Commission (Flint Hills) Tall Grass Prairie
2019-2020
7 15
Wilbur Niewald
2006
7 16
New York City
7 17
Nicolaysen Museum
2006-2020
7 18
Nine Dot Arts (Dairy Block)
2016
7 19
Nine Dot (Seattle Project)
2016
7 20
Richard T. Notkin
1978-1990
7 21
Oats Pack Art Center
2017
7 22
Pacific Northwest College of Art
1983-1986
7 23
Paper Trail
1998
7 24
Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
2007
7 25
Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art- 2008 Show
2008
7 26
Ernie Pepion
2005
7 27
Persistent Memories- Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) Condition Report
4237
7 28
Will Petersen
1977
7 29
Pinhole Cameras
7 30
Retirement
1997-1998
7 31
E. M. Plunkett
7 32
Pollock-Krasner (Final Application)
2006
7 33
Portland Art Museum
2015
7 34
Portland Maine School of Art
1983-1988
7 35
Charles Scheidt
2017-2018
7 36
Seattle Art Musuem
2016
8 1
Seders, F
2013
8 2
SF MOMA Sales and Rental Gallery
1989
8 3
Siddiqui, Ayesha
2009
8 4
Studio Building
1979-1988
8 5
George Sugarman Foundation
2007-2008
8 6
Todd, Bill
1988
8 7
Swanston, Foster and Hanchey
1984-1990
8 8
Tree of Life Holocaust education Center of Montana (Connie Ostrovsky)
2019-2020
8 9
Tucson Museum of Art
2018-2020
8 10
UM UC Art Gallery
2009-2010
8 11
U of Northern Iowa
8 12
University of Washington (1984 Job Application)
1983-1984
8 13
Visions West - Checklist and Contract and Final Details
2013-2016
8 14
Washington State Arts Committee
1991
8 15
Whitney Western Art Museum
2020
8 16
Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) "Boundless Visions" [Yellowstone Wildlife]
2015
8 17
Yellowstone Art Center
1986-1990
8 18
"Persistent Memories" (YAM 2015-16)
2015-2016
8 19
Who's Who in American Art
2010-2014
8 20
Willem Volkersz: A Life in Art
8 21
Working in the Dark
1984

Works and ReviewsReturn to Top

This series includes materials representing Willem Volkersz' work as an artist. The series includes books that include Volkersz' work, exhibition catalogues for exhibitions Volkersz produced or participated in, auction catalogues that include Volkersz' work, magazine articles that showcase Volkersz, interviews with Volkersz, and sketches and posters produced by Volkersz.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
5 4
Willem Volkersz The View From Here- A 25-Year Retrospective
5 8
The View from Here- A 25-Year Retrospective
2022-2023
Cassette
24 1
Conversation with H. H. About Drawings
compact-disc
24 1
Booth Western Art Museum, Oral History: Willem Volkersz
2009
Folder
5 5
Boise Weekly
2022
5 6
Follow your Bliss
2023
5 7
Reviews and Articles
1953-1987
5 9
Early Studio Cards
1969-1986
box-os
25 1
Public Art Review, Issue 7, Volume 4, Number 1
1992
Box
6
Postcard collection
1954-2012
Folder
5 10
Folk Art Collection Materials
5 11
Folk Art Exhibits and Articles
7 1
The Folk: Identity, Landscapes, and Lores
1989
7 2
Strange and Wonderful Folk Art Collection Materials
1988-2017
box-os
25 2
Number : An Independent Journal of the Arts, Number 39, The Visionary Art Issue
2001
Box vhs
24 1
Wayne Ritter, Casper, WY, KGWC
24 2
Domestic Neon, Sculpture by Willem Volkersz
2002
24 3
Glowing in the Dark
24 4
KGWC/Casper Interview
24 5
KRTV-3 News Item on Shows at Paris Gibson Square, Including "Inventory"
1998
Folder
8 22
Sketchbook
1969-1973
8 23
Some Things Explained and Entertained
1972
8 24
Houses, Etcetera
23 1-4
Sketches
9 1
Exhibition Announcements
1972-2024
9 2
Willem Volkersz Solo Exhibition Catalogs
1994-1999
9 3
In Memoriam Exhibition and Related Materials
2013-2015
box-os
25 4
Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh Festival
1974
Box
9 4
Artists Speak: Primer for Understanding Contemporary Art
1990
9 5
Northwest Neon
1997
9 6
Exhibition Announcements
1987-1997
9 7
Montana 3-D
1990
9 8
Domestic Neon: A Gallery Guide for All Ages
9 9
Exhibition Announcements
2000-2013
9 10
A Sense of Place: Contemporary Sculpture in Montana
1988
9 11
Exhibition Announcements
1990
9 12
How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist
9 13
The Walrus - Associate Students of Mills College
1965-1967
9 14
The Joslyn Biennial Joslyn Art Museum
1978-1982
9 15
Thirty Miles of Art Halls Exhibition Gallery
1972
9 16
Mud - Four Annual Juried Art Exhibition
1979
9 17
Ball State University Art Gallery, Twentieth Annual Drawing and Small Sculpture Show
1974
9 18
Mid South Biennial - Brooks Memorial Art Gallery
1975
9 19
Midwest Biennial - Joslyn Art Museum
1972
9 20
Nineteenth Dixie Annual Montgomery Museum of Fine Art
1978
9 21
Francine Seders Gallery 1987 Calendar
1987
10 1
Holter Museum of Art 11th Annual Art Auction
2004-2007
10 2
School of Art Faculty Montana State University
1997
10 3
Ana - Holter Musuem of Art
1998-2003
10 4
Luminous Beginnings Museum of Neon Art
2001
10 5
Art on the Vine - Oregon College of Art and Craft Auction
2007-2008
10 6
Missoula Art Museum: [newsletter]
2011-2017
10 7
19th Annual Nation Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Oklahoma Art Center
1977
10 8
Third Alumnae Art Exhibition - Mills College
1969
10 9
Appalachian National Drawing Competition
1977
10 10
Art Equinox: A Regional Survey of Contemporary Art Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
1990-1997
10 11
Musuem Notes: Cheney Cowles Museum
1997
10 12
Neon: Current Curated by Willem Volkersz
2000
10 13
Christine Lamb, Willem Volkersz Francine Seders Gallery
1985
10 14
The Emerson's Open Door
2003
10 15
Artist as Collector Rosenberg Gallery, Goucher College
1997
10 16
Yellowstone Art Center Annual Art Auction
1987-2015
10 17
Exhibition Flyers
1996-2001
10 18
Alaska Airlines Magazine
2013
10 19
Big Sky Journal, Arts
2018
10 20
A Question of Scale: Missoula Museum of the Arts
1986
10 21
Friends of the Helena Film Society Benefit Auction
10 22
Cel-e-brate -- By David Dunlap
10 23
San Diego State College, Annual National Invitational Show
1983
10 24
New Glass Review 25 Corning Museum of Glass
2004
10 25
Signs of the Times: Porcelain Enamel
1990
10 26
New Art Examiner: Art and Visual Culture from the Greater Midwest
2001
11 1
Contemporary Northwest Art Awards
2016
11 2
Montana Triennial: Missoula Art Museum
2009-2015
11 3
Face to Face, Wall to Wall, Yellowstone Art Museum
2014
11 4
Montana Triennial: Yellowstone Art Museum
2018
11 5
Illustration A Visual History
2008
11 6
25 Years of New Glass Review The Corning Museum of Glass
2005
box-os
25 5
Las Vegas Sun Front Page, "Self Portrait"
Item removed from frame.
1992-12-14
25 3
Posters
1989-1994

Gallery Cards and Personal CorrespondenceReturn to Top

This series includes exhibition cards, gallery announcement cards, greeting cards and other ephemera collected by Willem Volkersz over the years. The exhibition cards and gallery announcements are from galleries across the United States and around the world, both for exhibitions that Volkersz participated in, and ones that he did not participate in. The items have been kept roughly in the order they were received. Correspondence in the form of greeting cards, postcards and short letters are intermingled with the exhibition cards just as they were when they were donated.

Container(s) Description
Box Folder
11 7
Oversized Exhibition Announcements
12
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
13
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
14
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
15
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
16
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
17
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
18
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
19
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
20
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
21
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
22
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence
23
Exhibition Flyers, Gallery Cards, and Correspondence

Willem Volkersz Web Archive, 2023-2024Return to Top

Archive of Willem Volkersz' website. Web archives are updated regularly so long as the site is live.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Art
  • Art--Exhibitions
  • Art--Study and teaching

Corporate Names

  • Montana State University--Bozeman--Faculty

Form or Genre Terms

  • Works of art
  • folk art (traditional art)
  • neon sculpture