Brooklyn Museum. Office of the Director.

Philip N. Youtz was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1895. He received a B.A. degree from Amherst College in 1918, where he had served as curator of the Mather Art Museum since 1916, and an M.A. degree from Oberlin College in 1919. During the early 1920s he taught and practiced architecture in China and from 1926-29 taught at Columbia University and Columbia Teacher's College and was in charge of adult education programs in fine arts at the People's Institute. In 1930, he was appointed curator of the 69th Street Branch of the Pennsylvania Museum of Art and in 1932 as curator of exhibitions at the main building.

Youtz was appointed Assistant Director of The Brooklyn Museum, under William Henry Fox, in May 1933, Acting Director in January 1934, and full Director on Fox's retirement in April of that year. His tenure at the Museum lasted only until April 1938, when he resigned to become Director of the Pacific Area and Pacific House at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. Subsequently he travelled; served in various World War II government agencies involved with war production; practiced architecture; and served as Dean of the College of Architecture, University of Michigan (1957-65).

During his time at The Brooklyn Museum, Youtz initiated sweeping changes in administration, policy, and physical plant. The massive front steps of the Museum were removed and ground-level entrances built, opening into a modern lobby that was intended to act as an introduction to the collections. The galleries were completely reorganized and reinstalled following a chronological and cultural sequence (American Indian Art, Oriental Art, Ancient Art, Medieval and Renaissance Art, Contemporary Art). Youtz redefined the Museum's niche in the New York art world once more, announcing a new focus on cultural history, particularly the social and industrial implications of art.

The administrative structure was clarified and reorganized. The curatorial staff was increased and new subdivisions created, among them Textiles and Industrial Art, both in 1937. Prints & Drawings began to move toward status as an independent curatorial department. An Editorial and Public Relations Department was established, taking over duties that had previously been assigned on an ad hoc basis, and a Sales Desk set up in the main lobby.

A strong emphasis on Museum-wide standards and services emerged. The Office of the Registrar was establihsed in June 1933 and a uniform catloging and storage system set into effect. With the hiring of Sheldon Keck in 1934, the ground work for the Conservation Laboratory was laid. New workshops were built; the Wilbour Library was constructed and the Art Reference Library renovated; and the Putnam Print Study Room was constructed.

Educational programs were still of great importance. New quarters were built for the division and the position of Supervisor of Education progressed from the joint curator/supervisor position held by Herbert Spinden and John I.H. Baur to a position solely responsible for education. Expanding educational programs to include professional development, a Rockefeller Foundation grant provided internships for young museum professionals at the Museum. Outreach through radio broadcasts of lectures and concerts increased.

With Youtz's appointment, New Deal relief projects increased in number and importance. In addition to assisting in day-to-day work, special projects were established, including a large model-making shop, a bindery, and an architectural department. Much of the internal and external construction, including the major portion of the reconstruction of the front entrance, was performed by relief workers. Several ambitious architectural plans, including a new Children's Museum building, a new auditorium and Community Art Center, and an Industrial Center, were developed, but never realized.

Youtz's professional activities during his tenure at the museum reflect his interests in education and museum administration. He served as President of the American Federation of Arts (1936-38), and on the board of the New York Adult Education Council, the People's Institute, Pratt Institute, the School Art League, and the Conference on Educational Broadcasting. He was a prolific writer and editor in several fields:* architecture, museum administration, education and aesthetics. Several articles on various aspects of museums, art, and industry appear in Museum News and The Brooklyn Museum Quarterly. Youtz also continued to be active as an architect, both in his work within the Museum and as art center design advisor for the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts.

From the description of Philip Newell Youtz records, 1934-38 (bulk), 1928-38 (inclusive). (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122453060

The son of Daniel M. Fox, lawyer and mayor of Philadelphia, William Henry Fox received academic (1881) and law (1883) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He also studied studio art and drew and painted as an amateur. In 1904, Fox served as Secretary of the Fine Arts Department of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, and the following year became the first Director of the John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis. In 1910, he served as Secretary General of the American Section of the International Exposition of Art and History in Rome.

Fox returned to America in October 1912 and began a short job search that brought him to Brooklyn. He was appointed Curator in Chief of the Central Museum of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts & Sciences (The Brooklyn Museum) in January 1913 and then Director in January 1914, the first person to hold that office. His tenure at the Museum lasted the remainder of his career: Fox went on sabbatical in May 1933, leaving Philip Newell Youtz as Acting Director, and retired permanently in April 1934.

When hired by Brooklyn Institute President A. Augustus Healy, Fox was charged with redressing an imbalance between Natural History and Fine Arts at the Museum, where Natural History exhibits had been receiving the most attention. In his early years, he created a new atmosphere in the overcrowded galleries by retiring many exhibits and creating alcoves with movable screens. In order to establish a special niche for the Museum in the New York art world, Fox began presenting the works of contemporary American and Eurpoean artists. He also worked to involve members of Brooklyn society in the institution, creating a Museum memberhsip program in 1916 and hosting gala social events at the Museum.

The Museum building itself underwent some change under Fox's administration, with the construction of the superstructure of Sections F and G in 1913-14 and the completion of interior spaces in 1923-25.

During Fox's administration, the three existing curatorial departments (Fine Arts, Ethnology, and Natural History) were expanded and subdivided to include Prints (1913, under the care of the Librarian), Decorative Arts (1925), Oriental Art (1929), and Egyptology (1932). The emphasis on fine and applied arts grew increasingly strong, eventually resulting in the transfer of Natural History collections and activities to the Brooklyn Children's Museum (a subdivision of the Museum), beginning in 1929.

The collections grew steadily during Fox's two decades in office, through donations, purchases, bequests, and loans, as well as by means of Museum-sponsored collecting expeditions. The Museum Collection Fund was established in 1913; funds for the purchase of objects were raised during yearly Collections Fund appeals. In addition to installations of the permanent collection, Fox inaugurated a regular series of special exhibitions of loaned works. Many of these exhibitions were organized by Fox himself and were circulated to other institutions after showing at The Brooklyn Museum.

Two publications were established during Fox's tenure, the Brooklyn Museum Quarterly, of which he was editor, and the Children's Museum News.

Educational activities were extremely important. Ties to the New York City Board of Education and the School Art League were forged in 1913. Public school art teachers' training courses were added in 1920 and links formed with local colleges in 1930 to offer credit for Museum courses. The use of college students to teach children's art classes also began in 1930. A full series of lectures and docent-led tours were supplemented by the introduction of motion pictures in 1915. Radio lectures and concerts on WNYC brought the Museum to an even broader audience. Fox was also committed to encouraging the use of the collections and the Museum by members of the design industry, establishing a designers' room in 1918, and also by artists, for whom a print lab was set up in 1914.

Fox was active in the art world and in community affairs, including memberships on the Advisory Board of An American Group; the Fine Arts Advisory Committee of the Century of Progress International Exposition; the board of the Art Students League; the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; the Carnegie Corporation Advisory Group on Museum Education; and the France-America Society.

From the description of William Henry Fox records, 1913-33 (bulk), 1908-35 (inclusive). (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122566549

Laurance P. Roberts was born in Bala, Pennsylvania in 1907. He received a B.A. degree from Princeton in 1929 and attended graduate courses at Princeton, New York University, and Columbia University. In 1930, he was hired by the Pennsylvania Museum of Art, serving as researcher, assistant in the Chinese Department, and Assistant Curator. In 1932-33, he travelled and studied in Japan and China, returning to the museum at the end of 1933.

Brooklyn Museum Director Philip N. Youtz, with whom Roberts had worked at the 69th Street Branch of the Pennsylvania Museum, offered him the position of Assistant Curator of Chinese Art in Fall 1934. Roberts was soon promoted to full Curator. During Youtz's absences from the Museum, he served as Acting Director and was appointed to that post once again when Youtz resigned in April 1938. The following January, Roberts was named Director, retaining his curatorial post as well.

Although Roberts officially held the title of Director until his resignation in April 1946, his tenure at the Museum was interrupted by a lengthy military leave from January 1943 through April 1946. During this period, Isabel Spaulding Roberts, Laurance Roberts' wife and a former member of the Education Division staff, assumed the directorship, first as Acting Director/Curator in Chief and then as full Director. Museum superintendent Albert N. Henricksen served concurrently as Acting Director during the first ten months of 1943 and then was appointed Assistant Director.

Upon leaving the Museum, Roberts served as Director of the American Academy in Rome and was later involved in the founding of the New York State Council on the Arts in 1960-61.

Roberts' curatorial orientation is clear in the focus of his administration. His predecessor, Youtz, had reorganized, renovated, and reinstalled the entire Museum and its collections. Roberts wrote that the role of the Museum was to bring the collection to life and provide the public with activities related to the collection. Two important policy changes were articulated during his administration: purchase funds were to be concentrated in areas in which the collections were already strong; and major, longer-running exhibitions were to be mounted. The latter aim was fulfilled by exhibitions curated by John I.H. Baur, Herbert Spinden, and Una Johnson; scholarly catalogs were also produced in conjunction with these shows.

While the organizational chart remained relatively stable during this period, some significant changes did occur. The Industrial Division, already intimated, was formally established in 1940-41 under the leadership of Michelle Murphy. The Art School was transferred from the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences to the Museum in 1941. With the resignation of Carl O. Schniewind in March 1940, the Department of Prints and Drawings and the Art Reference Library were separated. Finally, W.P.A. projects were gradually curtailed and then ended in 1941.

A series of Folk Festivals were produced by the Education Division, reflecting the Museum's interest in drawing in new ethnic groups and dramatizing their connections to the collections. This community activism also shows in Roberts' commitment to encouraging and exhibiting local artists.

World War II affected the Museum in several ways, from practical matters such as safeguarding the collection and filling in for staff in the armed services, to providing education and recreation for the public at home. The exhibition schedule reflects the latter, with many exhibitions and programs on war and international themes after 1941. Interest in Latin America is particularly evident, with extensive participation in the work of Nelson Rockefeller and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, under whose auspices the Museum produced and circulated travelling exhibitions.

Under Roberts' administration, the Brooklyn Museum Quarterly was suspended in 1939 and was succeeded by the Brooklyn Museum Bulleting. A scholarly periodical, the Brooklyn Museum Journal, began publication in 1942.

From the description of Laurence Page Roberts records, 1938-43. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122575178

Charles Nagel was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1899. His father, Charles Nagel, was an attorney and Secretary of Commerce and Labor in the Cabinet of President William Taft. Nagel attended Yale University, receiving B.A. (1923), B.F.A. (1926), and M.F.A. (1928) degrees. He practiced architecture in Boston and St. Louis from 1926 through 1930, when he returned to Yale to serve as Curator of Decorative Art at the Yale Gallery and Assistant Professor of Art History. In 1936, Nagel returned to the practice of architecture in St. Louis and in 1942 was appointed Acting Director of the City Art Museum, St. Louis.

When Isabel Spaulding Roberts resigned the directorship of The Brooklyn Museum in February 1946, Nagel was appointed Acting Director. He became full Director in May of that year, shortly after the resignation of Laurance Page Roberts, who had been on military leave. Nagel served until June 1955, when he returned to St. Louis as Director of the City Art Museum (1955-64). From 1964 through 1969, he was Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.

During his nine years at The Brooklyn Museum, Nagel's goals, as articulated in the annual reports, were to maintain the programs developed by his predecessors, to reach more deeply into the community, and to stimualte more interest in the Museum's services and resources. These post-war years were a period of planning and evaluation, but implementation of plans was often hampered by financial retrenchment.

A number of administrative changes occurred under Nagel. The Children's Museum became a separate, independent division of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences with its own Director, Margaret DeWolf Tullock. The Art School expanded in both curriculum and physical plant. As a result, the last of the Natural History installations, the habitat groups, were dismantled. The position of Museum Secretary was created, with John J. Gordon overseeing publicity, publications, and membership. The Edward C. Blum Design Laboratory opened in October 1948 and an industrial membership program was developed. The Community Committee was established in 1949 and took on responsibility for increasing the Museum's membership rolls. The Community Committee Fair also held an annual fair to raise funds for the Museum. Staff benefits began to improve under Nagel's administration. A forty-hour week was inaugurated in 1947-48, along with a salary bonus to City and private employees. Discussions continued on establishing a pension plan, with inclusion under the Social Security Act accomplished in 1950-51.

In the area of community involvement, the Museum and the other Institute departments were the focus of a new organization, Toward a Better Brooklyn. This group, with heavy participation from school and parent groups, raised funds for programs. Closer involvement of Brooklyn borough officials was ensured with the appointment of the Borough President as an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees. The Museum reached out to a broad audience with programs centered around the new United Nations, intending to "create a climate that would teach the virtues of tolerance and responsibility." In September 1952, the Museum hosted the UNESCO International Seminar, "The Role of the Museum in Education." Use of the media as an outreach tool also increased under Nagel, with the production of two films: a movie on the Museum and its programs, and "Take Care," a film dealing with art conservation. Educational television was also under consideration as a method of reaching a larger audience.

The curatorial departments continued the policy of producing fewer but larger exhibitions, some of which were borrowed from other institutions. The National Print Annual series was inaugurated in 1947; purchase awards from these exhibitions were added to the collections. The new Design Lab also created a number of exhibitions. Nagel, who served as Curator of Decorative Arts concurrently with his directorship, was a member of the jury and assisted in organizing the exhibition, "Italy at Work" (1949-50), which premiered at The Brooklyn Museum and then travelled to several institutions in the United States.

A great deal of effort focussed on the Museum building. Extensive renovation and improvement of mechanical systems was finally undertaken. A lecture hall was created in a third-floor gallery. The architectural firm of Brown, Lawford & Forbes surveyed the Museum and planned adaptations to accomodate growing programs. In particular, separate Art School and Education facilities were considered essential. Discussions were held with the Institute over the possibility--eventually rejected--of moving the parent institution's offices and Department of Education programs from the Brooklyn Academy of Music to Museum facilities.

Nagel was very active in professional circles during his tenure at The Brooklyn Museum. He served on the council of the American Association of Museums, was president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, chairman of the Museums Council of New York City, and a trustee of the American Federation of Arts, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association, and the Textile Museum of Washington, D.C. In addition, he maintained his architectural connections, serving on various committees of the American Institute of Architects, including as chair of the Committee on Allied Arts, and assisted in compiling a list of New York City historic buildings worthy of preservation, as a member of the Municipal Art Society's Committee on Historic Sites and Structures.

From the description of Charles Nagel records, 1946-1955. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 86147897

Thomas Scharman Buechner was born in 1926 in New York City. He studied at a variety of institutions, including Princeton University, the Art Students League, the Ecole des Beaux Arts (Paris and Fontainebleu), and the Institut voor Pictologie. Prior to his appointment as Director of The Brooklyn Museum, he worked in the Display Department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1949-50) and served as the first Director of the Corning Museum of Glass (1950-60).

Buechner was appointed Director of The Brooklyn Museum in April 1960 and began work in August of that year. Following his tenure at the Museum, Buechner returned to Corning as Vice-President (1971-73), President (1973-82), and Chairman (1982-85) of Steuben Glass.

At The Brooklyn Museum, Buechner's primary goal, as expressed in the 1960-62 Annual Report, was to bring the curatorial and public service departments into institutional unity with a common purpose of evolving a unique facilty for education in the visual arts. Toward this goal, he instituted several administrative changes, including founding a Design Department to unify the appearance of installations and publications. In 1968-69, he created new senior staff positions to oversee the major institutional divisions: Vice-Director for Collections (Bernard V. Bothmer), Vice-Director for Administration (David Saltonstall), and Vice-Director for Buildings (Robert Hayden).

Buechner's commitment to education and interpretation of the collections is evident in several new and expanded programs. The innovative Junior Membership program involved school children both as visitors and behind-the-scenes assistants. The Museum-on-Wheels brought objects and programs into the public schools. To open more of the collections to public view, a Study-Storage Gallery was designed for the American paintings collection, the Hall of the Americas created, and Costume Theatre and decorative arts planned. Collection didactics were presented in new orientation galleries and information wells and rails, and various departments experimented with taped (Acoustiguide) tours of the galleries. A handbook of the collections was published in 1967 as part of a drive to provide guides to each department. "Listening to Pictures" (1967-68) provided taped interviews with artists in conjunction with representative works. In 1967-68 the Museum participated in the first meeting of the Museum Computer Network, ushering in the early stages of a new era of information access.

The Museum began an intensive effort to reach out to diverse Brooklyn communities under Buechner. In 1968, the Community Gallery opened. Minorities were brought into the Museum through special exhibitions and programs such as "African Sculpture" (1970), the Black Art Seminar, "New Black Artists" (1969) and the Simpson Project, which brought African objects into public school classrooms. The Touch Gallery was installed to give the blind a chance to experience art. The U.S. Department of Education sponsored a seminar at the Museum on the Role of the Arts in Meeting the Social and Educational Needs of the Disadvantaged. The Art School expanded into crafts and looked into cooperative degree programs with accredited institutions. In 1970, the Museum was described as "a people's museum: friendly, informal, focussing on service to the community."

The curatorial departments continued an active program of acquisitions, special exhibitions, and new installations. One new curatorial department was formed, the Department of Middle Eastern Art, with Curator Charles Wilkinson's salary funded by the Kevorkian Foundation. The Sculpture Garden opened in 1965-66. Highlights of the exhibition schedule included "Jacob Lawrence" (1960); "Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period" (1961); exhibitions of three private collections: Ernest Erickson, Nelson Rockefeller, and Louis E. Stern (1961); "Triumph of Realism" (1967); "Some More Beginnings: Experiments in Art ? and "African Sculpture" (1970). A new Museum booster organization, the Roebling Society, was founded in 1967; members were linked to curatorial staff in support of their collecting interests and began a program of annual donations of objects.

Fund-raising efforts remained a strong focus, with governmental programs growing in importance. The New York State Council on the Arts assumed a strong role, funding internships, an architectural coordinator's position, cataloging projects, and circulating exhibitions such as the "Techniques" shows organized by Museum staff. City funding cuts threatened closure of the Museum in 1968-69, but intensive lobbying efforts by staff and community resulted in budget restoration. The Community Committee continued to raise funds for the Museum; a new program provided guided Study Tours to a variety of sites around the world.

Under Buechner, the reconstruction of the building moved ahead. Under Stage III, the parking lot was constructed, plans moved ahead toward air conditioning the entire building, and several galleries were reinstalled. The Stage IV design contract was awarded to Brown, Lawford & Forbes in 1968.

Buechner's professional activities included serving on the Council of the American Association of Museums and as Vice-President and committee chair of the Association of Art Museum Directors. He was also a consultant in the NYSCA Technical Assistance Program, and served on the board or as an advisor to the New York Cultural Showcase Foundation, the Victorian Society in America, the South Street Museum, the DeYoung Museum/California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and Education System for the 70s (ES70).

From the description of Thomas S. Buechner records, 1960-1971. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122421058

Isabel Spaulding Roberts was born in 1911 in San Francisco, the daughter of Morrill B. Spaulding. She attended Vassar College, receiving a B.A. degree in 1933. From 1933-37, she was a member of the staff of the Education Division at The Brooklyn Museum, resigning after her marriage to Laurance Page Roberts in September 1937.

In January 1943, when Museum Director Laurance Roberts went on military leave, Isabel S. Roberts was appointed Acting Director/Curator in Chief, in conjunction with Superintendent Albert N. Henricksen, who was Acting Director responsible for Museum operations. In October of that year, she was appointed Director and Henricksen became Assistant Director. During the duration of World War II, Laurance Roberts also retained the title of Director. Isabel Roberts resigned in January 1946, at which time Charles Nagel was appointed Acting Director. Laurance Roberts resigned in April 1946.

The Isabel Roberts administration, carried on during wartime, forwarded the programs of her husband's administration. The exhibition schedule included shows on war-related topics and on the cultures of various countries involved in the war. Several major exhibitions were organized, often in cooperation with other museums or government agencies. Work with the Coordinator for Inter-American Affairs, Nelson Rockefeller, continued. Some new installations were opened, among them European paintings, and the Latin American Colonial and ceramics galleries.

Because of wartime restrictions, alterations and renovations of the building came to a halt. Planning did begin, however, for a post-war construction program. Staff and material shortages affected, but did not halt, Museum programs. The first talk of labor organization appears during this period.

From the description of Isabel Spaulding Roberts records, 1943-46. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122362161

When the Central Museum of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences opened in 1897, administrative authority was centered under the Institute's Director, Franklin W. Hooper, and the Board of Trustees. The first curatorial staff members, William H. Goodyear and Jacob Doll, were hired in 1898 to care for, respectively, the Departments of Fine Arts and Entomology. By 1904, the need for administrative control within the growing museum led to the establishment of the post of Curator-in-Chief, held by Alfred G. Mayer (1904), Frederic A. Lucas (1904-11), and Edward Morris (Acting, 1911-13).

William Henry Fox was hired in January 1913 as Curator-in-Chief, but with the Death of Hooper at the end of that year, control was decentralized and a director named for each division of the Institute. Fox was named Director of the Museum effective January 1, 1914. A year later, the Museum Governing Committee, a sub-committee of the Institute Board of Trustees, was formed; the Director of the Museum answered to that body. This organizational scheme remained stable until June 1980, when the Institute was dissolved and an independent Brooklyn Museum Board of Trustees established.

In addition to responsibility for Museum affairs, the Director oversaw the work of the Brooklyn Children's Museum until 1947, when the position of Curator-in-Chief of that institution was changed to Director. A fully independent Children's Museum was established with the revision of the Institute constitution in June 1948. In a similar fashion, the Brooklyn Museum Art School, which moved from the Institute to the Museum in 1941, was a semi-autonomous department answering to the Director. The Art School closed in 1985, transferring faculty and students to Pratt Institute.

The Director oversees all curatorial, fiscal, and operational matters and serves as chief administrative authority of the Museum. As the Museum grew, various administrative positions were created to assist in fulfilling the Director's responsibilities. During World War II, when Director Laurance P. Roberts left to serve in the armed forces, Curator Isabel S. Roberts became Acting and then full Director. At that time, the position of Assistant Director was created for Albert N. Henricksen, Superintendent, who assisted with Museum operations. This post continued as Assistant Director or Assistant to the Director through the mid 1960s and was always held by the Museum Superintendent. It was not until late in the administration of Thomas S. Buechner (1960-71), however, that formal subdivison were created, with Vice-Directors supervising Collections, Administration, and Buildings divisions. Under Duncan Cameron (1971-73), a Chief Curator administered curatorial affairs and Assistant Directors headed Interpretation, Administration, and Operations divisions. Further administrative positions were created in succeeding years, resulting in the current organizational scheme of a Deputy Director overseeing Vice-Directors, who in turn oversee Assistant Directors, and a Chief Curator, to whom curatorial department heads answer. As a result, records pertaining to some administrative functions may be found in the files of these officers, as well as in the Director's files.

Directors of The Brooklyn Museum include: William Henry Fox (1913-34); Philip Newell Youtz (1933-38); Laurance Page Roberts (1938-43); Isabel Spaulding Roberts (1943-46); Albert N. Henricksen (Acting, 1943); Charles Nagel, Jr. (1946-55); Edgar Craig Schenck (1955-59); John D. Cooney (Acting, 1959-60); Thomas S. Buechner (1960-71); Duncan F. Cameron (1971-73); Michael Kan (Acting, 1974); Michael Botwinick (1974-82); Linda S. Ferber (Acting, 1983); Robert Treat Buck (1983- ).

From the description of Records, 1896-[ongoing]. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122482425

The records of the Office of the Director at the Brooklyn Museum document the administrative activities of the department from 1896 up through the present day.

From the description of Records, Exhibition views: installations. World's Fair: 1964-1965 (installation). 1964-1965. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 761074584

The records of the Office of the Director at the Brooklyn Museum document the administrative activities of the department from 1896 up through the present day.

From the description of Records, Exhibition views: installations. Swedish Art Exhibition. 1916. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 431594407

The Director of The Brooklyn Museum answered to the trustees of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts & Sciences, the Museum's parent institution. As such he or she was required to report at meetings of the Board of Trustees and of the Museum Governing Committee, the subcommittee directly responsible for the Museum.

From the description of Reports, 1935-1971. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122599623

Edgar Craig Schenck was born in Hot Springs, North Carolina in 1909. He earned Bachelors and Masters degrees from Princeton University in 1931 and 1934, during which time he participated in several archaeological excavations. He served as Assistant (1935), Acting (1935-36), and full Director (1936-46) of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Director of the Smith College Museum of Art (1946-49), and Director of the Albright-Knox Gallery (1949-55), prior to coming to The Brooklyn Museum. During his years in Honolulu, he also taught at the University of Hawaii.

Schenck was appointed Director of The Brooklyn Museum in August 1955 and served until his death on November 15, 1959. During the search for a successor, John D. Cooney, Curator of Egyptian Art, was appointed Acting Director. His term ended with the appointment of Thomas S. Buechner in July 1960.

Schenck articulated two goals early in his term: to improve the physical setting in which the collections were shown and to purchase and show only the highest quality objects. The first goal began to be implemented based on plans that had been formulated by the architectural firm of Brown, Lawford & Forbes under prior Director Charles Nagel. Toward the second goal, Schenck established a policy of pooling unrestricted funds, so that fewer but more important works could be purchased. He also formed a Curatorial Committee, which he chaired, to review potential acquisitions.

Schenck reached out to both local and professional communities. A grant-funded Community Development Office was established in 1956 to increase community participation in Museum activities. Another grant-funded project, the Fellowship Program, brough young scholars into the Museum for intensive training in museum administration and curatorship. Links with higher education were strengthened: the Design Laboratory began working with the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Art School investigated establishing a degree program through Long Island University, and the Conservation Laboratory organized an International Exploratory Conference on Conservation. Connections to public schools remained strong and included development of special classes for intellectually, artistically and musically gifted children, as well as an expanded teacher training program.

The increased emphasis on grant funding led to the establishment of a Development Office. A Business Membership program was also planned, in order to expand the Museum's membership pool. The role of the Community Committee increased: the first annual benefit ball took place in 1958 and an employee pension plan was set up the following year using funds raised by the Committee.

Much of the curatorial activity during Schenck's tenure revolved around installing or reinstalling galleries that had been renovated under Stage I and Stage II building plans. The rotunda, Kevorkian Gallery, Auditorium Court, Medieval and Renaissance galleries, Egyptian galleries, and Oceanic, Indonesian, and African Art installations all underwent changes during this period. The Sculpture Garden was first proposed in 1958. Among the more important special exhibitions were "Face of America" (1957-58), "Design for the Home" (1958); "Elias Pelletreau, Long Island Silversmith" (1958); and "Bury the Dead" (1958).

Several important personnel changes occurred under Schenck. A staff union was recognized in 1956 and links to AFSCME were forged in 1959. Job descriptions and classifications began to be standardized under the New York CIty Department of Labor.

Schenck was active in professional circles, serving on the Council of the American Association of Museums, as a trustee of the American Federation of Arts, and as secretary and president of the Association of Art Museum Directors.

From the description of Edgar Craig Schenck Records, 1955-1960. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122571038

The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences maintained its Office of the Treasurer at The Brooklyn Museum; one of the Treasurer's responsibilities was to attend to legal affairs for all the Institute departments (The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Brooklyn Academy of Music). With the dissolution of the Institute in 1980, the Treasurer's legal files (known as "Wills & Estates") were adopted by the Deputy Director of The Brooklyn Museum, the member of the Director's staff responsible for legal affairs.

The creators of this series were Institute Treasurers and Assistant Treasurers Gates D. Fahnestock (1904-1909); Clinton W. Ludlum (1910-13); Daniel V.B. Hegeman (1914-16); Herman Stutzer (Acting, 1917); J. Foster Smith (1918-31); Edwin B. Maynard (1931-1949); Lloyd R. McDonald (1941-58); homas A. Donnelly (1954-78); Gloria Rosenblatt (1978-84); and Museum Deputy Director Roy R. Eddey (1981- ).

From the description of Wills & Estates files, 1888-[ongoing]. (Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives). WorldCat record id: 122421072