Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Richard Thomas Papers, 1968-1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.thomrich
Creators:
Thomas, Richard C., 1917-1988
Dates:
1968-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.6 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of metal-worker and educator Richard Thomas, head of the metalsmithing department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art from 1948 to 1984, measure 0.6 linear feet, date from 1968 to 1979, and consist of scattered records from Cranbrook's metalsmithing department.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of metal-worker and educator Richard Thomas, head of the metalsmithing department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art from 1948 to 1984, measure 0.6 linear feet, date from 1968 to 1979, and consist of scattered records from Cranbrook's metalsmithing department.
Papers include two bound volumes of theses abstracts by metalsmithing students, a catalog for the exhibition Reprise (1975) with a letter from Thomas to the exhibitors, and slides of artwork by metalsmithing students.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Richard Thomas (1917-1988) was a metal-worker and educator who served as head of the metalsmithing department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was known for his design and fabrication of liturgial objects and commemorative objects of the Cranbrook Foundation.
Thomas was born in Marion Center, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in art education from Indiana University at Pennsylvania and received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1948. After becoming acquainted with Cranbrook director Zoltan Sepeshy, during his undergraduate studies, Thomas was asked by Sepeshy to head the metalsmithing department at the school. Thomas served as department head from 1948 to 1984.
Thomas was awarded the Cranbrook's Founders Medal in 1981 and his liturgial designs can be seen in more than ninety churches, synagogues, and temples across the country. He also designed the Cranbrook Foundation's silver punch bowl, the Saarinen Medal, and the commemorative medal for the Academy of Art's fiftieth anniversary.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 1975 and 1985 by Richard Thomas.
Existence and Location of Copies
Material lent for microfilming is available on 35mm microfilm reel 926 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2022.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also has microfilm (reel 926) of loaned material including correspondence, biographical material, writings and lectures, artwork, photographs of Thomas's liturgical pieces and his studio, clippings, and meeting minutes of Faculty Assemblies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Originals were returned to Richard Thomas after microfilming and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing 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.
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.
Preferred Citation
Richard Thomas papers, 1968-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
Also in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview of Richard Thomas conducted on May 5-17, 1978 by Dennis Barrie.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Metal-workers -- Michigan -- Bloomfield Hills Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- Michigan -- Bloomfield Hills Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American studio craft movement Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Metal-work Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cranbrook Academy of Art Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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