Corrie McCallum papers

Biographical materials, sketchbooks, writings, photographs, negatives, slides, exhibition materials, printed materials, correspondence, working files, index card files, and other papers of artist and teacher, Corrie McCallum.

The collection contains assorted biographical materials including McCallum’s birth certificate, her passport, obituaries, her Southern Graphics Council Printmaker Emeritus plaque, and a file of genealogical materials relating to the McCallum, Parker, Bartlett, and Halsey families. Also included are small, medium, and oversized sketchbooks containing sketches done in pencil, colored pencil, pen, watercolors, and pastels from McCallum’s travels throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, South and Central America, and the United States. There are also sketchbooks containing sketches of figures, beachscapes, and insects. Note that original sketch book and drawing titles have, for the most part, been retained.

There are also writings by McCallum, including class notes on architecture, printmaking, and human anatomy, highlighting McCallum’s perspective as a student of the arts, as well as syllabi, lecture notes, and teaching aids with particular emphasis on printmaking, written and accumulated in the capacity of an arts educator. Additional writings include a “Talk for Women’s Council,” delivered at the Gibbes Art Gallery (now called the Gibbes Museum of Art) in October 1986, a short article entitled, The Child … As Creative Artist, in addition to travel notebooks, diaries, recipes, and other miscellaneous notes.

Also included are assorted color and black and white photographs of McCallum’s artwork, both in the studio and at home, and images of exhibitions of McCallum’s artwork, including a 1989 exhibition held at the Gibbes Museum of Art. Also included are family photographs of McCallum and Halsey, their children, Paige, David, and Louise, as well as McCallum’s parents, David and Emmie McCallum. There are also portraits of McCallum working in her studio and publicity portraits of McCallum and Halsey in a variety of settings. Note that folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.

The collection also includes a small portion of photographic negatives containing images of McCallum’s artwork and her family. Also included are slides taken by McCallum on her travels in Africa, Asia, Morocco, South and Central America, and the United States, as well as images of artwork by McCallum and Halsey, exhibitions, and family.

There are also exhibitions materials relating to exhibitions in which Corrie McCallum partook, organized chronologically, ranging from solo exhibitions, joint exhibitions with Halsey, and group exhibitions with other South Carolina artists. Most of the exhibition materials reflect McCallum’s penchant for presenting her work in South Carolina, through organizations and galleries including the Guild of South Carolina Artists, Annual Exhibition of South Carolina Artists, Gibbes Art Gallery/Gibbes Museum of Art, Elizabeth O’Neil Verner Gallery, and at the College of Charleston. McCallum’s 1969 exhibition at the Kunstsalon Wolfsburg in Zurich, Switzerland, is also represented, including correspondence and documentation surrounding the exhibition. The collection also includes printed materials including the books A Dutch Fork Farm Boy, Along the Roadside, and Palmetto Pioneers by James M. Eleazer, containing illustrations by McCallum. Also included are various newspapers, journals, and newsletters, containing exhibition announcements, interviews, and other publicity materials, as well as others containing illustrations by McCallum. There are also postcards featuring McCallum’s artwork located at the end of this series. Also included are clippings from newspapers and other publications, arranged chronologically from 1936 to 2005, predominantly comprised of exhibition publicity and other evidence of McCallum’s artistic activities.

There is also correspondence, organized chronologically from 1921 to 2005, containing letters and postcards to and from McCallum predominantly to artists, arts organizations, academic institutions, and others. Notable correspondence include a letter from Lyndon B. Johnson (1964) and a postcard from fellow Southern artist, Jasper Johns (2005).

Also included are working files, organized alphabetically, containing a variety of materials relating to McCallum’s artistic endeavors, including artwork inventories, documentation on various institutions and associations, and draft materials for various publications. Note that original folder titles have, for the most part, been retained. The collection also includes index card files that provide detailed information on a variety of aspects of McCallum’s artistic practice ranging from 1959 to 1995. Index cards contain patron contact information, artwork details (title, medium, size, date), and provide a record of individual sales, including buyer names and sale prices.