Finding Aid of the Martin Duberman Collection, 1933 - 1980, PC.1678
Abstract
Martin Bauml Duberman, born in New York City in 1930, is a playwright and author of
many historical works including (1961) and (1966), and a social-history of the experimental liberal arts school Black Mountain
College in (1972).
This collection contains papers relating to Martin Duberman's research into the history
of the experimental school Black Mountain College (located in Black Mountain, N.C.)
and his subsequent book , first published in 1972. It includes correspondence between Duberman and people
connected with Black Mountain College, research files, manuscript materials, college
publications, interview transcripts and tapes, photographs, negatives, newspaper clippings,
journal articles, books, drafts and reviews of Duberman's book.
Martin Bauml Duberman, born in New York City in 1930, is a playwright and author of many historical works including Charles Francis Adams (1961) and James Russell Lowell (1966), and a social-history of the experimental liberal arts school Black Mountain College in Black Mountain: An Exploration in Community (1972). This collection contains papers relating to Martin Duberman's research into the history of the experimental school Black Mountain College (located in Black Mountain, N.C.) and his subsequent book Black Mountain: An Exploration in Community, first published in 1972. It includes correspondence between Duberman and people connected with Black Mountain College, research files, manuscript materials, college publications, interview transcripts and tapes, photographs, negatives, newspaper clippings, journal articles, books, drafts and reviews of Duberman's book.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Martin Duberman Collection
- Call Number
- PC.1678
- Creator
- Duberman, Martin B.
- Date
- 1933 - 1980
- Extent
- 35.00 boxes, 29.20 cubic feet
- Language
- English
- Repository
- Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
Available for research with some restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], PC.1678, Martin Duberman Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Western Regional Archives, Asheville, NC, USA.
Collection Overview
The Martin Duberman Collection is a result of Martin Duberman's research into the history of Black Mountain College and his subsequent book , first published by E.P. Dutton in 1972. The collection includes correspondence, research files, college publications, interview transcripts and audiotapes, photographs, newspaper clippings, journal articles, books, drafts and reviews collected by Duberman from 1965-1980.
A Note About Names: In other collections relating to Black Mountain College, female students and teachers are listed under the family name that they used while at Black Mountain College. In the cases of women married while at the college, married names are used. Married or professional names not used while at BMC are included in parenthesis at the end of the names. In order to avoid confusion, this finding aid uses the same protocol for names.
Some individuals, particularly students, were referred to by BMC nicknames in official college publications or in interviews. Most of these nicknames have not been retained in the finding aid, with the exception of those that were used so frequently that their inclusion was needed to avoid confusion. In those cases, the BMC nickname has been placed in quotes after the given name of the individual.
Martin Bauml Duberman was born in New York City in 1930. He received a B.A. from Yale
in 1952 and a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1957. He taught American history at Yale from
1957-1962 and at Princeton from 1963-1971. During this time he also wrote several
historical works such as the biographies Charles Francis Adams (1961) and James Russell
Lowell (1966), a collection of essays The Uncompleted Past (1969), and a social-history
of the experimental liberal arts school Black Mountain College in Black Mountain:
An Exploration in Community (1972). He was also a playwright and his documentary play
In White America (1963) received critical acclaim.
Black Mountain College was an experimental school located in Black Mountain, N.C.
Established in 1933 by John A. Rice and others, the purpose of the college was to
educate the whole person, with an emphasis on the role of the arts and creative thinking.
Despite the fact that Black Mountain College could rarely offer faculty more than
room and board, a number of important teachers and artists were drawn to the school
as part of the regular faculty or to participate in the school's Summer Institutes.
Josef and Anni Albers, John Cage, Robert Creeley, Merce Cunningham, Max Dehn, Joseph
Fiore, Buckminister Fuller, Edward Lowinsky, Robert Motherwell, Charles Olson, M.C.
Richards, and Xanti Schawinsky were only a few of those who taught at Black Mountain
College. In addition, the success of several of the college's students (such as Ruth
Asawa, Edward Dorn, Kenneth Noland, and Robert Rauschenberg) helped to further the
college's reputation in the area of the arts and the avant garde.
The character and focus of Black Mountain College shifted over time, according to
the make-up of the faculty and students. Personal and ideological conflicts were common
and sometimes lead to major changes in the college community. Lack of funds added
to the stress of the situation, as did the school's physical isolation and its sometimes
strained relations with the local population. Eventually, the student enrollment and
available funds dwindled until the college was forced to close in 1956.
The Martin Duberman Collection is a result of Martin Duberman's research into the
history of Black Mountain College and his subsequent book Black Mountain: An Exploration
in Community, first published by E.P. Dutton in 1972. The collection includes correspondence,
research files, college publications, interview transcripts and audiotapes, photographs,
newspaper clippings, journal articles, books, drafts and reviews collected by Duberman
from 1965-1980.
A Note About Names: In other collections relating to Black Mountain College, female
students and teachers are listed under the family name that they used while at Black
Mountain College. In the cases of women married while at the college, married names
are used. Married or professional names not used while at BMC are included in parenthesis
at the end of the names. In order to avoid confusion, this finding aid uses the same
protocol for names.
Some individuals, particularly students, were referred to by BMC nicknames in official
college publications or in interviews. Most of these nicknames have not been retained
in the finding aid, with the exception of those that were used so frequently that
their inclusion was needed to avoid confusion. In those cases, the BMC nickname has
been placed in quotes after the given name of the individual.
Arrangement Note
The collection is arranged as follows:
Seven (7) series: Correspondence; Source Materials; College Publications; Interviews; Photographs; Drafts; Impact
bioghist
Contents of the Collection
1. Correspondence
Collection Overview Collection Overview:
The Correspondence series (Series 1) contains letters between Martin Duberman and former Black Mountain College students and faculty, researchers, and other interested individuals concerning the research for Duberman's book. The letters usually concern the setting up of interviews and may also include personal information, original materials illustrating the individual's current activities, reminiscences of Black Mountain, character sketches of people there, and suggestions about sources of funding for Duberman's research. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.
Collection Arrangement:
Arranged alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent.
Access Restrictions:
Available for research.
Processing Information:
Processed by Ashley Yandle, December, 2001
Encoded by Ashley Yandle, May, 2002
This collection was processed with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Revised by Ashley Yandle, September, 2004
Correspondence
2. Source Materials
Collection Overview Collection Overview:
The Source Materials series (Series 2) includes materials found by or given to Duberman while he was doing research on Black Mountain College. This series includes files about individuals associated with the school, subject files, newspaper and journal articles, books, and oversized materials. It also contains original or photocopied manuscript materials such as letters, reminiscences, diaries, character sketches, essays, exam answers, brochures, posters, etc. All of these files are unrestricted and available for research.
Collection Arrangement:
Access Restrictions:
Available for research.
Processing Information:
Processed by Ashley Yandle, December, 2001
Encoded by Ashley Yandle, May, 2002
This collection was processed with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Revised by Ashley Yandle, September, 2004
Files About Individuals
scopecontent:
Research files on people connected with Black Mountain College. Includes originals or photocopies of articles by or about the person, biographical sketches brochures, reminiscences, correspondence, diaries, etc.
arrangement:
Arranged alphabetically.
Research Files
scopecontent:
General research files, including notes by Duberman and originals or photocopies of manuscript documents.
arrangement:
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Articles
Journals
scopecontent:
Journals or journal articles about Black Mountain College.
arrangement:
Arranged chronologically.
Newspapers
scopecontent:
Clippings from various newspapers of articles related to Black Mountain College or Duberman's research. Other newspaper articles are located in Oversized Materials.
arrangement:
Arranged chronologically.
Books
scopecontent:
Includes books, pamphlets and other printed materials.
arrangement:
Arranged chronologically.
Oversized Materials
3. College Publications
Collection Overview Collection Overview:
College Publications (Series 3) contain original materials that were published for or by Black Mountain College and were later given to or collected by Martin Duberman. These materials include announcements, bulletins, newsletters, community bulletins, forms, literary publications, postcards, programs, publicity flyers and brochures. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.
Collection Arrangement:
Arranged by publication type.
Access Restrictions:
Available for research.
Processing Information:
Processed by Ashley Yandle, December, 2001
Encoded by Ashley Yandle, May, 2002
This collection was processed with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Revised by Ashley Yandle, September, 2004
Bulletins
Forms
Internal Notices
Literary Publications
Miscellaneous Materials
Postcards
Programs
arrangement:
Arranged by department.
Publicity Flyers and Brochures
4. Interviews
Collection Overview Collection Overview:
The Interviews series (Series 4) contains audio recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted by Martin Duberman or Walter Park with former BMC students, faculty and related individuals. See the Correspondence series (Series 1) for letters to and from interviewees, reminiscences and comments about interview transcripts. Some of these materials have not yet been released by the interviewees and are currently not available for research.
Collection Arrangement:
Arranged by release status and then alphabetically by last name of the interviewee(s). Listening copies of taped interviews are at the end of the Interviews series. Originals and master copies of the interview tapes are located in the cage with other restricted materials. Only released tapes or transcripts are available for research.
Access Restrictions:
Available for research with some restrictions.
Processing Information:
Processed by Ashley Yandle, December, 2001
Encoded by Ashley Yandle, May, 2002
This collection was processed with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Revised by Ashley Yandle, September, 2004
Released Interview Transcripts
arrangement:
Arranged alphabetically.
Unreleased Interview Transcripts
scopecontent:
Boxes PC.1678.16-19 contain transcripts that have not yet been released for research by the interviewees or their heirs and are not currently available for research. After releases have been obtained, each transcript will be moved to the released interview transcript boxes.
Interview Tapes
scopecontent:
Audio tapes of interviews conducted by Martin Duberman. Duberman often re-used tapes for multiple interviews and as a result many of the tapes contain only partial interviews. In the case of unreleased materials, the researcher must obtain permission from all of the interview participants (or copyright holders) or their heirs before they can listen to the tape.
5. Photographs
Collection Overview Collection Overview:
Photographs (Series 5) include photographs and negatives that were given to or taken by Martin Duberman. These images document drama and music performances, college life, classes, students and faculty, architecture, and the work program. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.
Collection Arrangement:
Photographs with photographer or donation source information are arranged alphabetically by that information. The remaining photographs are arranged by subject.
Access Restrictions:
Available for research.
Processing Information:
Processed by Ashley Yandle, December, 2001
Encoded by Ashley Yandle, May, 2002
This collection was processed with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Revised by Ashley Yandle, September, 2004
Arranged by Photographer/Source
arrangement:
Photographs collected by Martin Duberman, arranged alphabetically by photographer (when known) or source of materials.
Arranged by Subject
scopecontent:
The photographer or source of materials is not identified for these photographs so they have been arranged by subject.
6. Drafts
Collection Overview Collection Overview:
Drafts (Series 6) contains several drafts of , some of which include corrections. The book was published by E.P. Dutton in 1972. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.
Collection Arrangement:
Access Restrictions:
Available for research.
Processing Information:
Processed by Ashley Yandle, December, 2001
Encoded by Ashley Yandle, May, 2002
This collection was processed with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Revised by Ashley Yandle, September, 2004
Manuscript Draft
scopecontent:
First completed draft with corrections.
Edited Draft
scopecontent:
Second completed draft with corrections.
Printers Draft
scopecontent:
Third complete draft and corrections.
Galley Proof, Plus Corrections
7. Impact
Collection Overview Collection Overview:
Impact (Series 7) includes information about the impact of the book , as found in correspondence, reviews and miscellaneous materials. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.
Collection Arrangement:
Arranged by material type.
Access Restrictions:
Available for research.
Processing Information:
Processed by Ashley Yandle, December, 2001
Encoded by Ashley Yandle, May, 2002
This collection was processed with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Revised by Ashley Yandle, September, 2004
Non-Research Correspondence
scopecontent:
Correspondence between Duberman and various admirers of his book, reviewers, writers seeking advice, researchers interested in BMC-related topics, etc.
arrangement:
Arranged chronologically.
Reviews
scopecontent:
Includes articles or reviews of Duberman's book. Names of reviewers are followed in parenthesis by the name of the journal that they wrote for. Other reviews are located with the oversized materials in Series 2.
arrangement:
Arranged chronologically.
Miscellaneous
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Purchased by the State Archives of North Carolina from Martin Duberman on January 23 and October 22, 1981. During March-April, 2012, these records were moved from the State Archives building in Raleigh to the Western Regional Archives, Asheville, N.C.