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Tom Hardy papers, 1894-2016

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hardy, Tom, 1921-
Title
Tom Hardy papers
Dates
1894-2016 (inclusive)
1937-2015 (bulk)
Quantity
18 linear feet, (contains 24 boxes.)
Collection Number
WUA125
Summary
The Tom Hardy papers include materials that document Hardy's careers as an artist and teacher, his world travels to Africa, Europe, and Tahiti, and personal records from 1937 to 2015. Hardy's personal records include childhood photographs, documents and correspondence related to his service in the Air Force during World War II, and journals and calendars. This collection also includes extensive records concerning his father and mother, Orlando Buel (O. B.) "Pete" Hardy and Marie Austin Hardy, and their families from 1894 to 2016.
Repository
Willamette University Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Mark O. Hatfield Library
900 State Street
Salem, OR
97301
Telephone: 5033706866
Fax: 5033706141
archives@willamette.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open to researchers.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Processed with funds provided by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission's (NHPRC) Access to Historical Records grant.
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Historical Note

Oregon artist Thomas (Tom) Austin Hardy was nationally known for his metal sculptures and calligraphic drawings of animal forms including birds, bison, and horses. He was born on November 30, 1921 in Redmond, Oregon and was the only child of Orlando Buel (O. B.) "Pete" and Marie Austin Hardy. Hardy's love of nature and his worldwide travels enriched his sculptures and art. He was a prolific artist, showing his first exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art at the age of 16. As an openly gay man, Hardy served as an advocate for the LGBTQ community in Portland, Oregon. Hardy died on May 7, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.

Hardy earned a Bachelor of Science in General Art degree from the University of Oregon in 1942. During World War II, he served in the Air Force in Hawaii and Guam from 1942 to 1945. After his military term, Hardy focused on ceramics and watercolors and exhibited at the Portland Art Museum and Oregon Ceramic Studio. In 1952 he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Lithography from the University of Oregon. He then secured teaching positions at the University of Oregon, University of California at Berkeley, Reed College, the University of Wyoming, and the San Francisco Art Institute.

Hardy received many public and private commissions throughout his art career including: the Golden Bear in the Student Union at UC Berkeley in 1980, the Senator Mark O. and Antoinette Hatfield fountain "Eagles and Aerie" at Willamette University in 1989, and the bronze eagle seal for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's memorial in Washington, D.C., which President Bill Clinton unveiled in 1997. Hardy gained national recognition through his representation by The Whitney Museum of American Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His works are found in galleries, museums, and public and private collections including the Seattle Art Museum in Washington, the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, Museum of Modern Art in New York, American Institute of Arts and Letters in New York, Kraushaar Galleries in New York, and the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

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Content Description

The Tom Hardy papers include materials that document Hardy's careers as an artist and teacher, his world travels to Africa, Europe, and Tahiti, and personal records from 1937 to 2015. This collection also includes extensive records concerning his father and mother, Orlando Buel (O. B.) "Pete" Hardy and Marie Austin Hardy, and their families from 1894 to 2016. Series I (Art career) contains sketchbooks, loose sketches, sculpture proposals, commission documents, exhibition brochures and fliers for Hardy and other artists, publicity documents including newspaper clippings, award certificates and plaques, and business records for Hardy's art as well as his book business. Series II (Teaching career) includes class notes, student records, and letters of recommendation. Series III (Correspondence) contains art-related correspondence between Hardy, museums, and patrons. This series also includes correspondence between Hardy and his parents, family, and friends during his service in the Air Force during World War II and throughout his life. Series IV (Photographs, slides, and multimedia) contains photographs, negatives, slides, and film reels of Hardy's family, his sculptures and art, and his various travels to Africa, Europe, and Tahiti. Series V (Travel) includes travel documentation, passports, itineraries, and foreign currency from Hardy's travels to Africa, Europe, and Tahiti. Series VI (Personal and family records) includes Hardy's school records, World War II documents, O. B. Hardy's military records from World War I, poetry by O. B. Hardy and unidentified friends or students, journals and calendars, and various family records including inheritance and property documentation. This series also includes an extensive collection of newspapers and clippings concerning the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Series VII (Books and periodicals) contains various books and magazines from Hardy's personal library, including many annotated books.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Library acts as "fair use" reproduction agent.

For further information, see the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the Willamette University Archives and Special Collections.

Copyright Information: Before material from collections at Willamette University Archives and Special Collections may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in any collections held by University Archives and Special Collections should consult the University Archivist. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Tom Hardy papers, Archives and Special Collections, Mark O. Hatfield Library, Willamette University.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The records are arranged into seven series: I. Art career, II. Teaching career, III. Correspondence, IV. Photographs, slides, and multimedia, V. Travel, VI. Personal and family records, and VII. Books and periodicals. Series I (Art career) includes five subseries: A. Art, B. Galleries and exhibitions, C. Publicity, D. Awards, and E. Business records. Series III (Correspondence) includes three subseries: A. Art-related, B. World War II, and C. Personal. Series VI (Personal and family records) includes five subseries: A. Biographical material, B. Journals, notebooks, and calendars, C. Poetry, D. Orlando Buel (O. B.) "Pete" Hardy, and E. General family records. Files are arranged in original order where discernible and chronological order.

Location of Collection

Mark O. Hatfield Library
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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • Art
  • Art--Study and teaching
  • Arts--Northwest, Pacific
  • World War, 1914-1918--United States
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • journals (accounts)

Personal Names

  • Clinton, Bill, 1946-
  • Clinton, Hillary Rodham
  • Hardy, Marie (Mary Jane Austin Hardy), 1888
  • Hardy, Orlando Buel, 1888-1951
  • Hatfield, Antoinette Kuzmanich
  • Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011
  • Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945

Corporate Names

  • Hallie Ford Museum of Art
  • Kraushaar Galleries
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
  • Portland Art Association (Portland, Or.)
  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Willamette University

Geographical Names

  • Portland (Or.)
  • Washington (D.C.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs
  • clippings (information artifacts)
  • correspondence
  • fliers (printed matter)
  • sketchbooks

Functions

  • color slides

Finding aid processed by Jennifer L. Gehringer.
2019

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

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