Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the John McDonald Moore Papers, 1948-2015, bulk 1968-1999, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.moorjohn
Creators:
Moore, John McDonald, 1919-1999
Dates:
1948-2015
bulk 1968-1999
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
21.5 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of art historian and educator John McDonald Moore measure 21.5 linear feet and date from 1948-2015, with the bulk dating from 1968-1999. Included are biographical material regarding Moore; his writings, including book proposals and lectures; correspondence regarding teaching and letters from students; voluminous notecards for lectures; and sound recordings of lectures.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of art historian and educator John McDonald Moore measure 21.5 linear feet and date from 1948-2015, with the bulk dating from 1968-1999. Included are biographical material regarding Moore; his writings, including book proposals and lectures; correspondence regarding teaching and letters from students; voluminous notecards for lectures; and sound recordings of lectures.
This collection documents Moore's career as an art historian and educator at the New School for Social research and his contribution to understanding the New York Art Scene from the late 1960s through the 1990s. It also provides insight on Elaine R. (Bobbie) Werblud's long career as Moore's teaching assistant. Materials include Moore's academic transcripts and diplomas; resumes; a 1989 teaching award; certificates; correspondence related to his education and courses he taught at NYU's Liberal Arts Extension and the New School for Social Research; draft manuscripts; academic papers; book proposals; handwritten and typed lectures; lecture notebooks including lecture and research notes; lecture notebooks maintained by Werblud; lecture notecards documenting research for Moore's course lectures and hand written lectures; course descriptions; flyers; clippings; photographs; exams; enrollment lists; a sound recording of Moore's Memorial service; and sound recordings of a sample of Moore's lectures from circa 1969-1998.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 4 series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1948-2015 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1959-1999 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Writings, circa 1960s-1986 (0.8 linear feet, Box 1-2)
  • Series 4: Teaching Material, circa 1967-2000 (20.3 linear feet, Box 2-25)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
John McDonald Moore (1919-1999) was a lecturer in art history at the New School for Social Research in New York City from 1968 until his death in 1999. Moore was born in the state of Georgia, where he attended the High Museum School of Art. He served as an illustrator for the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. After the war he worked as an advertising illustrator in New York. In 1961, Moore realized his true vocation was teaching. He began teaching part time at New York University, and in 1968 became a lecturer in art history at the New School, where he continued to teach until his death. There he met his wife, Elaine R. (Bobbie) Werblud, who became Moore's teaching assistant in 1970. Werblud was instrumental in supporting Moore's work through her extensive logging of course lectures in notebooks, transcribing lectures on notecards, recording weekly lectures, and organizing trips to exhibitions and artist studios, as well as studies abroad. From 1968-1971 Moore earned a B.A. and M.A. in art history at Goddard College. Moore was an inspirational lecturer acclaimed by many New York artists who were his students, including Mary Frank and Ursula von Rydingsvard. The John McDonald Moore Memorial Lecture series at the Vera List Center for Art and Politics was established in his honor.

Administration

Author
Jennifer E. Neal
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated in 2018 by Debra Werblud, Moore's step-daughter.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Jennifer E. Neal and Lewis Tio in 2019.
Separated Materials
193 audio cassettes documenting 10 lecture courses taught by John McDonald Moore from 1971 through 1998 were transferred to the New School Libraries and Archives in 2019.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Preferred Citation
John McDonald Moore papers, 1948-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Werblud, Elaine R. (Bobbie) Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New School for Social Research (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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