ABSTRACT:
This article explores notions of amateurism in relation to story-gathering, primary source classification, and other archival practices. Particularly, the author’s path to his role as National Collector at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art is traced from his familial, art historical and intellectual roots in West Texas. Arguing that cultures of West Texas place an exceptionally high value on retaining and generating stories particular to the region’s history, Franco points to examples from archaeology, Texas history, art history, and contemporary art. Substantial scholarly work has been committed to the complex relationships between professional fine artists and untrained outsiders. Franco takes methods from these explorations in order to approach the equally complex relationship between professional state-sponsored archival practices and similar endeavors undertaken by individuals and smaller, homegrown archival projects from a specific American region.
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IMAGE: Title page of author’s copy of Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: Eleventh Edition