Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Betty LaDuke collection, EEPA 2007-003

Summary

Collection ID:
EEPA.2007-003
Creators:
LaDuke, Betty
Dates:
circa 1981-2018
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2 Electronic discs (DVD)
4 Boxes
Printed Material (non-photographic)
11 Posters
(Oversize)
24 Prints (visual works)
2488 Negatives (photographic)
color
35 mm
3,194 Photographs
color
20 x 24 inches or smaller
Repository:
The collection dates from circa 1981 to 2018 and consists of photographic prints, negatives, posters, art prints, DVDs and printed and manuscript materials. Photographs depict architecture, agricultural work, beadwork, weaving, village scenes, artists, artists at work, artworks, markets, celebrations, scenic views, animals, churches and mosques. Most depict Kunama or Saho peoples, particularly women and children. LaDuke also regularly photographed war zones during the Border War, especially those in Nakfa and Gelebe, portraying Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Locations include villages in Ethiopia and Eritrea, particularly Senafe, Nakfa and Massawa, as well as Border War zones various battlefields and camps for internally displaced persons.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 3,194 color photographs (20 x 24 inches or smaller), 2,488 color 35 mm negatives, a copy of a sketchbook, 11 posters, 24 art prints, biographical materials, correspondence, printed materials, and 3 DVDs, created by Betty LaDuke in circa 1981-2018.
The majority of the photographs were taken in Eritrea, including in Agordat, Asmara, Barentu, Emebet, Geleba, Keren, Massawa, Mendefera, Nakfa, Senafe and Serona, though some were taken in Ethiopia, especially in Lalibela. Images depict architecture, agricultural work, beadwork, weaving, village scenes, artists, artists at work, artworks, markets, celebrations, scenic views, animals, churches and mosques. Most of the photos depict Kunama or Saho peoples, particularly women and children. LaDuke also regularly photographed war zones during the Border War, especially those in Nakfa and Gelebe, portraying Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, Red Cross workers, World Food Program supply tents and the Tacoumbia Food Distribution Center. Other notable subjects include the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), artwork in the Saint George Gallery and children at Dekemhare School.
LaDuke frequently documented art workshops that she attended, artwork and exhibits. Many of her photos depict artwork by Berhane Adonais, Michael Adonais, Mussie Asgodam, Haile Berthe, Danny Dafla, Isak Fasil, Josief Idris, Terhas Iyassu, Elsa Yacob, Abraham Mogos, Kiros Adebe, Tzeghereda Yohannes, Teamrat Ghidei, Afewerki Asmeron, Demoz Russom and Jacob Abraha, as well as the artists themselves at work, socializing or posing by their finished artwork. Additionally, the collection includes four pen and ink drawings by the artists Afewerki Haile, Yoseirf G. Idris and Fessahaie Zemicael, and a number of art prints by LaDuke.
A copy of LaDuke's sketchbook depicts scenes in Asmara and surrounding areas, Tekul, Aidkeh, Keren, Barantu, Tocumbia, Mendefera, Senafe and Massawa. LaDuke sketched village, market and street scenes, celebrations, churchgoers at a Coptic Church, animals, Saho basketmakers, Kunama peoples, St. George's Restaurant and grain mill workers, among other subjects.
Biographical Materials include artist statements and biographical notes, a letter announcing LaDuke as winner of the Vida Scudder Award, a blank registration form for the Northern National Art Competition, for which LaDuke served as judge, a letter to LaDuke from Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan, exhibit schedules and a resume.
The printed material in the collection includes clippings of publications in which LaDuke's artwork is featured, such as
Sojourners
,
Ashland Magazine
,
School Arts Magazine
and
Calyx
, promotional materials and a holiday notecard produced by Heifer International, announcements and posters. Exhibition files for LaDuke's shows include clippings, announcements, catalogs, photos, correspondence and a CD-ROM of her photos. Additionally, there are a substantial number of exhibit reviews published in such magazines and newspapers as
The Oregonian
,
The Christian Science Monitor
and the
Durango Herald
.
Finally, the collection contains three DVDs entitled Africa Between Myth and Reality (circa 2000), Betty LaDuke: Art Reflection Life (2006), and With Love from Eritrea (2018)which document LaDuke's artistic process and artwork.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
The collection is organized into 10 series:
  • Series 1: Photographic Prints, 1994-2002 (3,031 prints; Binders 1-7)
  • Series 2: Sketchbook (Copy), circa 1998 (1 Book; Binder 8)
  • Series 3: Color Photographic Prints, 1986-2003 (135 items; Boxes 9-10)
  • Series 4: Exhibition-Related Prints, Photographs and Posters, circa 1992-circa 2002 (21 items; Box 11)
  • Series 5: Art Prints and Matted Color Photographic Prints by LaDuke, 2001, 2008, undated (38 items; Boxes 12-13)
  • Series 6: Biographical Materials, circa 1999-circa 2009 (6 folders; Box 15)
  • Series 7: Printed Material, 1996-2008 (32 folders, Boxes 15-16)
  • Series 8: A/V Material, circa 2000-2018 (3 DVDs, Box 17)
  • Series 9: Art Prints and Poster by Other Artists, 1994, undated (5 items; Box 18)
  • Series 10: Negatives, 1994-2002 (2,488 items)

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Artist, writer, professor and multicultural women's art advocate Betty LaDuke (b. 1933) was born in the Bronx to Russian and Polish immigrant parents. She attended California State University in Los Angeles and the Otis College of Art and Design. After three years of teaching junior high art in East Los Angeles, LaDuke moved to Ashland, Oregon in 1964 to accept a position in the art department at Southern Oregon University, where she would teach for over 30 years. Beginning in 1972, she began to undertake annual research journeys to Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Africa, where she found inspiration for the paintings and prints that would make up her circulating exhibits. Upon her retirement from teaching in 1996, LaDuke began to travel to project sites of Heifer International, a humanitarian organization concerned with world hunger and environmental sustainability. These experiences inspired a new phase of her work, including a return to mural painting. LaDuke has published several books on women's art and has been the subject of a book by Gloria Feman Orenstein, entitled
Multi-Cultural Celebrations: the Paintings of Betty LaDuke 1972-1992
.

Administration

Author
Eden Orelove
Custodial History note
Donated by Betty LaDuke in 2007, 2009 and 2018.
Processing note
Processed by Lisbeth Sklar (2011) and Eden Orelove (2017-2019). Encoded by Emily Moazami, 2012. Negatives were digitized in 2019.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
Use of original records requires an appointment. The negatives are located in cold storage. All negatives have been digitized and are available online.
Conditions Governing Use note
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Preferred Citation note
Betty LaDuke collection, EEPA 2007-003, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Africa Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Color photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weddings Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schools Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Church buildings Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Beadwork Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Basket making Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Internally displaced persons Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Portraits Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ethiopians Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lalibela (Ethiopia) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rites and ceremonies -- Africa Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Textiles Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Refugee camps Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Posters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mosques Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eritrea Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Natural landscapes Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Works of art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Color negatives Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weaving -- Ethiopia Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Markets Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nāq̄fā (Eritrea) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists -- Ethiopia Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asmara (Ethiopia) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ethiopia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mits'iwa (Eritrea) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Heifer International Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
National Museum of African Art
P.O. Box 37012
MRC 708
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-4690
Fax Number: Fax: 202-357-4879
elisofonarchives@si.edu