Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
James A. McGrath photograph collection, 1950-2008
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- McGrath, James A.
- Title
- James A. McGrath photograph collection
- Dates
- 1950-2008 (inclusive)19502008
- Quantity
- Over 200 negatives, black and white, and color photographs of varying sizes (2 boxes) ; sizes vary
- Collection Number
- PH1358
- Summary
- Images of James McGrath teaching students at a number of overseas schools; traveling through Asia, Europe, and Africa; working at the Institute of American Indian Arts; and his involvement in acting and community projects
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
James A. McGrath was born in Tacoma in 1928. McGrath studied at Central Washington State College and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1950. He received an Master of Arts Degree from the University of New Mexico in 1973. He taught in Richland, Washington public schools, 1952-1955; in American schools in Germany, 1955-1958; then served as Director of Arts for American Schools in Europe, 1958-1962. When the Institute of American Indian Arts opened in Santa Fe in 1962, McGrath returned to the U.S. to teach design, painting, and poetry there. He served as the Institute's Director of Arts, 1966-1972 and Director of Special Projects, 1972-1973. From 1973 until 1982 he was the Arts and Humanities Coordinator for U.S. Department of Defense Schools in Southeast Asia.
After one year as teacher and arts curriculum developer at a community school on the Hopi Indian Reservation, he went back to Asia as Arts, Humanities and Intercultural Studies Coordinator for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Southwest Asia. In late 1985, he returned to Santa Fe to re-enter the American arts scene. He again served the Institute of American Indian Art as Dean, 1988-1989; and as Museum Director, 1989-1990. Beginning in 1989, McGrath served as consultant with the New Mexico Arts Division and New Mexico State Department of Education to develop teaching training in the arts. He continued his consultant work in New Mexico and abroad, including Korea, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the Congo.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Photographs of James McGrath teaching students at overseas schools; traveling through Asia, Europe, and Africa; working at the Institute of American Indian Arts; and his involvement in acting and community projects.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Donor: William Witherup, October 13, 2003.
Processing Note
Preliminary processing by Arlene G. Cohen, 2016.
Accessioned as PH2004-053.
The current photograph collection, Photo Acc. 2004-053, was received together, on October 13, 2003, with the materials that form Accession No. 4547-004 in the Manuscripts Collection. The photographs were transferred to the Visual Materials Collection on December 12, 2003 and February 2016.
Related Materials
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Native American Arts EducatorReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Institute of
American Indian Arts |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Contact sheet
with 11 images of traditional Native American dancers performing the
Apache Mountain Spirit Dance, NW Swan Dance and
Pueblo Buffalo Dance in the East Room of the White
House
Event coordinated by McGrath who was serving as Art Director
at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
|
1965 |
| 1/1 | Institute of
American Indian Arts students Dominick Laduce and Manuelito Lovato with their
teacher Otellie Loloma and McGrath in Santa Fe, New Mexico. |
1971-1972 |
| 1/1 | McGrath and David Warren with an artifact from the
Betty Rosenthal Collection of the Institute of American Indian Arts
Robert Nugent
(photographer)
|
1970 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/1-2/15 | Hopitutukaiki The Hopi School, Inc.
Album created by McGrath covering his work with the school from
2005 through 2009. Includes photographs of students and their work, reports,
newspaper clipping, and other materials relating to the school.
|
2005-2009 |
TeachingReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/2 | Columbia High School, Richland, Washington
Mock up of the 1955 yearbook and assorted photographs of the
school and students.
McGrath was an art teacher and the Columbia High School
Yearbook advisor.
|
1952-1955 |
| 1/3 | Frankfurt High School, Germany
McGrath with Anita Voetz, the Frankfurt High School the yearbook
editor, preparing a student for yearbook photos
|
circa 1956-1958 |
Yokota Elementary School, Yokota, Japan |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/3 | McGrath showing an Indian moccasin to a group of
Japanese children |
circa 1973-1974 |
| 1/3 | McGrath showing what appears to be a skunk pelt to a
group of Japanese children |
circa 1973-1974 |
| 1/3 | McGrath fitting an Indian motif vest on a child
surrounded by group of Japanese children |
circa 1973-1974 |
| 1/3 | McGrath showing an Indian neckpiece to a group of
Japanese children
U.S. Air Force
(Photographer)
These pictures were made while McGrath was the Arts and
Humanities Coordinator for the Department of Defense Overseas Schools in
Southeast Asia.
|
circa 1973-1974 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/4 | U.S. Dept. of Defense Dependent's Schools, Pacific Area
Administrator's Workshop, Baguio City, Philippines
U.S. Air Force
(Photographer)
2 photographs of McGrath attending the workshop
|
1974 |
| 1/5 | U.S. Dept. of Defense Overseas Schools, Philippine
Cultural Arts Workshop, Philippines
Photograph of McGrath and students in the Ethnic Cooking class.
Description of the class, attendees and recipe for coffee
can bread on reverse of photograph
|
1974 |
| 1/6 | MacArthur Elementary School, Bohol,
Philippines
U.S. Air Force
(Photographer)
3 photographs of McGrath teaching a clay arts workshop being
surrounded by children
|
1984 |
| 1/7 | College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico
9 photographs and 36 negatives of the McGrath's students
sculpture projects.
|
1986-1987 |
| 1/8 | Very Special Arts North Fourth Art Center, Albuquerque,
New Mexico
McGrath working wiith a disabled student
|
1986-1987 |
| 1/9 | Seoul Academy, Seoul, Korea
3 photographs of workshop and murals.
|
1986-1988 |
| 1/10 | Republic of Yemen
3 photographs of McGrath teaching art students under the
auspices of the United States Information Agency’s Arts America
Program
|
1990 |
| 1/11 | Tularosa, New Mexico
3 photos from the clay, bronze sculpture workshop
|
1993-1994 |
Art, Poetry and CalligraphyReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/12 | Guemas Island, Washington
Photograph of painting Paddle
Phosphorescence done in 1955 and exhibited at the Meridian Gallery in
San Francisco in 2002; and 10 Polaroid photographs found with the painting.
|
1955 |
| folder:oversize | ||
| XH4 | Hill's Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Robert Nugent Photography, Santa Fe, New Mexico
(photographer)
2 photographs of an art exhibit including the work of
McGrath.
|
1973 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/13 | Museum of New
Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico
4 slides of McGrath's sculptures submitted to the
Southwest '96 exhibit for consideration.
|
1996 |
| 1/14 | West End Press,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
6 photographs of area around Cieneguilla, New Mexico submitted
to the West End Press for publication.
|
1996 |
| 1/15 | Christmas cards
5 Christmas cards designed by McGrath with photographs and
poetry.
|
2000 |
| 1/16 | Calligraphy
2 photographs (1 color and a copy in black and white) from the
Zen Calligraphy Workshop given at the Ypaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico;
a calligraphy Birthday card given to McGrath from Cynthia ?; and a calligraphy
painting possibly done by McGrath.
|
2006 |
Other Activities Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/17 | Virginia City
Players performing Rip Van Winkle
McGrath and his wife Jean were cast members with the Montana
based Virginia City Players Theater Company during the 1951 season. 2
photographs: one of an actor in costume, possibly McGrath, with handwritten
notes on front "Rip looks into the Fifties..." "Oh! What a Beautiful Baby" and
"All the best, [signature illegible]"; and the other of actors in costume with
handwritten notes on front, "Eddy" and "Best of luck Jim and Jean after 4
months with Rip" [signature illegible].
|
1951 |
| 1/18 | Hands Across
America
Hands Across America was a benefit event and publicity campaign
staged on Sunday, May 25, 1986 throughout the continental United States.
Approximately 6.5 million people held hands in a human chain for fifteen
minutes along a path across the country. The event hoped to raise money for and
draw attention to homelessness and hunger. 8 photographs of participants in the
Route 201 portion of the event taking part in various activities.
|
May 25, 1986 |
TravelReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/19 | Northwestern United States
17 photographs of McGrath on a hitchhiking trip through
Washington, Idaho, Utah and Colorado.
|
1949 |
| 1/20 | Turkey
McGrath atop a structure at the archaeological ruins of Ephesus,
south of Izmir in Turkey.
|
1958 |
| 1/21 | Germany
McGrath and three others at the German Winter Festival
|
1958 |
| 1/22 | Libya
Photograph of McGrath sitting on a camel mounted on a Christmas
card. Printed on front of card: Greetings from Libya. Printed on inside of
card: Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Handwritten on inside of card: Love from Jim with camel and fleas.
|
1958 |
| 1/23 | Seoul, Korea
Photographic slide of McGrath
|
1973 |
| 1/24 | Taipei, Taiwan
1 color postcard of a temple and 5 black and white copies of the
psotcard.
|
1973 |
| 1/25 | China
McGrath sitting near some ancient Chinese statues.
|
1980 |
| 1/26 | Abha, Saudi Arabia
2 photographs of McGrath with a group of artists at a USIS/Arts
America exhibit.
|
1993 |
Greece |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/27 | 2 photographs on the island of Leros where McGrath and
Santa Fe poet Morgan Farley developed a workshop. |
2000 |
| 1/28 | 18 photographs from of friends and students in Greece
with notes on the verso of some |
circa 2010 |
James McGrath Portraits and Personal InformationReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Portraits |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/29 | 2 Graduation
portraits of McGrath
Kennnell-Ellis Studios, Eugene, Oregon
(photographer)
McGrath graduated from University of Oregon with a B.S. in
1950.
|
1950 |
| 1/30 | Portrait of McGrath in front of artwork
Robert Nugent
(Photographer)
Photograph used in an article about McGrath appearing in the
Tacoma News Tribune, June 25, 1973, page 8.
|
circa 1973 |
| 1/31 | 5 photographs of McGrath with notes by Suzuki
Tadao Suzuki
(Photographer)
|
circa 1980, 1984 |
| 1/32 | 2 copies of a portrait of McGrath
Nora Fisher
(Photographer)
|
1990 |
| 1/33 | 6 portraits of McGrath and 1 photograph of him at
home. |
2008 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/34 | McGrath's promotional brochures
The file contains printed brochures and the original artwork
used to make them
|
1985 |
| 1/35 | Artwork for Jonah Raskin's book James McGrath -- In a Class by Himself
A list of the items in the book is included but many of the
items on the list are not included.
|
2010-2011 |
McGrath and other peopleReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/36 | Betty Taira
2 photographs of Betty Taira with McGrath. She taught at the
U.S. Department of Defense Dependents School in the Far East.
|
undated |
| 1/37 | Phil Gibbons and others
5 photographs of Phil Gibbons, McGrath and others at Central
Washington College, Ellensberg, Washington with a letter and poem on reverse of
two of the photographs.
|
1948 |
| 1/38 | John Jay Hoover
McGrath at the exhibition of Artist in Residence John Hoover, an
Alaskan Aleut artist, in the Philippines and Taiwan.
|
circa 1970 |
| 1/39 | Paulette Beall
Correspondence to McGrath from Paulette Beall, a mentor of his
from the University of Oregon, including photographs of her art work.
|
1989-1981 |
| 1/40 | Jonah Raskin
McGrath with author Jonah Raskin..
|
2012 |
| 1/41 | Tadao 'Rio' Suzuki
3 pictures and a note from Suzuki.
|
1996 |
| 1/42 | Jeni McGrath
2 photographs of McGraths's daughter of Jeni.
|
1999 |
| 1/43 | McGrath's 80 Birthday Celebration
16 photographs of friends celebrating.
|
2008 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Art teachers--United States--Photographs
- Photographs--Specimens
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Personal Names
- McGrath, James A.--Photographs
Corporate Names
- Institute of American Indian Arts--Employees--Photographs
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