Rice University’s Fondren Library Acquires Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Archive

by Glasstire September 22, 2017
Vito Acconci gallery talk at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston on August 8, 1981. Photo: Unknown. Courtesy Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Archive at Rice University, Texas.

Vito Acconci gallery talk at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston on August 8, 1981. Photo: Unknown. Courtesy Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Archive at Rice University, Texas.

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) recently announced that its archive has been donated to the Woodson Research Center at the Fondren Library at Rice University. The collection includes interviews, exhibition materials, and lectures that go back to 1948, when the institution was founded by seven Houston citizens who presented exhibitions at various venues across the city. As CAMH continues to age, the archive will be continually added to and updated; it will also be open for researchers at the library.

Bill Arning, CAMH’s director, spoke about the acquisition:

“Our Institution has shared the art of our time with audiences for nearly 70 years; the wealth of experiences and knowledge that can be gained from our treasure trove of materials will prove to be a marvelous resource for academic and personal research.”

The acquisition of CAMH’s archive by Rice comes at a time when many institutions and groups around Houston are consolidating their histories: last fall, the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections acquired DiverseWorks’ archives, and earlier this year, also accessioned Zine Fest Houston’s archive.

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