Exhibitions, 1939-1996

The bulk of the files in the Exhibition series are comprised of correspondence related to the planning and logistics of exhibitions organized by the department. In addition to correspondence, the series contains loan records, condition reports, budget information and publicity materials, including press releases and newsclippings.

Of particular importance is the exhibition America South of U.S., organized by Spinden in 1941 and sponsored by the Office of the Coordinator of Inter–American Affairs. This exhibition, along with three other travelling exhibitions of pre–Columbian art, was designed to tour schools and public institutions throughout the United States, promoting knowledge about Latin America in keeping with the "Good Neighbor" policy. The exhibitions toured until 1951.

Exhibitions from the 1960s and 1970s are well documented and include several notable shows: Ancient Art of Latin America From the Collection of Jay C. Leff (1966–1967), African Sculpture (1970), and African Art of the Dogon: The Lester Wunderman Collection (1973).

This series also contains files on two significant exhibitions of the 1990s. Objects of Myth and Memory: American Indian Art at The Brooklyn Museum (1991) and Converging Cultures: Art & Identity in Spanish America (1996). Both of these shows developed out of grants to inventory and catalog the collections.