Steven Nelson, Dean
Gloria de Liberali, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Matthew J. Westerby, Digital Research Officer
In collaboration with the National Gallery’s departments of digital experience, modern prints and drawings, and archives, as well as other colleagues, this project catalyzes research on the Index of American Design. From 1935 to 1942, as part of the Works Progress Administration, the US government commissioned over 18,000 watercolor paintings documenting works of folk, decorative, and industrial arts created in the United States. Today, the public’s engagement with this collection enriches the National Gallery’s understanding of the Index and art historical research as a whole. Mainly composed of light-sensitive works on paper, the collection cannot be physically exhibited in its entirety nor in perpetuity. The Center’s digital project will provide methods for scholars and the general public to connect with the Index, its histories, and the various artists who brought it to life.