Alma Eikerman papers, 1915-1995 (bulk
1947-1990)
A Guide to her Papers at the Indiana University Archives
Finding aid prepared by Kristen White
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Eikerman, Alma.
TitleAlma Eikerman papers, 1915-1995 (bulk
1947-1990)
Collection No.
C621
Extent
15 cubic feet
(17 boxes)
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
Alma Eikerman (1908-1995) was a
metalsmith and professor Indiana University (1947-1978), where she developed the
Department of Fine Arts metals program. This collection spans most of her lifetime,
providing documentation of her artwork, teaching career, travels, family, friends,
and students.
Access Restrictions
Select files closed to researchers. These are indicated in the folder list.
Advance notice required for access to collection.
Biographical Note
Alma Eikerman was born in 1909 in Pratt, Kansas. She
earned her B.S. at Kansas State College in Emporia, Kansas, after which she taught
art and music in public schools in Pratt and Winfield, Kansas from 1934 to 1940. She began her graduate studies at the
University of Kansas and eventually transferred to Columbia University in New York,
where she graduated with an M.S. in 1942. During World
War II, she was stationed with the American Red Cross in Italy from 1944 to 1945.
In 1947, Eikerman came to Indiana University as an
Assistant Professor, where she developed the Department of Fine Arts metals program.
Besides teaching, Eikerman traveled extensively to study with other artists in
Europe and she was also a well-recognized and respected metalsmith whose works
appeared in many exhibitions. In 1978, she retired from
Indiana University with the rank of Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts.
Eikerman passed away in 1995.
Arrangement
This collection was transferred to the IU Archives with no discernable order and has
been rearranged in order to provide better access.
The collection is organized into eight series: Biographical, Correspondence,
Teaching and Students, Publications, Research, and Art, Travel, Professional,
Exhibitions, and Photographs.
Scope and Content Note
This collection spans most of Alma Eikerman’s lifetime, providing documentation of
her artwork, teaching career, travels, family, friends, and students. The collection
is organized into eight series: Biographical, Correspondence, Teaching and Students,
Publications, Research, and Art, Travel, Professional, Exhibitions, and Photographs.
The Biographical series (1915-1995) includes resumes, biographical publications, a
folder relating to her education, time spent in the American Red Cross and her
career before IU, information relating to her personal art collection as well as
from 1950 to 1991, which not only include the usual scheduling notes but also some
entries that read more like a journal. This series also includes a folder that
includes documents from the house she designed, including drawings and magazine
clippings with notes of inspiration. Relating to her professional career, the files
relating to Indiana University include contracts, end of year reviews, documentation
about her research and awards received.
The Correspondence series (1916-1995) includes both incoming and outgoing
correspondence. It includes professional correspondence and many personal letters, such as the post cards she sent to
her parents while she was working for the American Red Cross and a letter from her
grandfather from around 1916. This series also includes the newsletters that she
sent out to her students to keep everyone updated on what everyone else was doing
and lists of contacts.
The Teaching and Students series (1946-1993) includes Eikerman's teaching materials,
slide lists and assignments. This also includes materials relating to the careers of
her students such as exhibition information and publications.
The Publications, Research, and Art series (1936-1993) contains items such as papers
written by Alma Eikerman, her research, notes, and notebooks. Notably, this series
contains papers related to her artwork, such as sketches, notes, and price
sheets.
The Travel series (1942-1991) documents Eikerman’s travels over the years and
includes passports, tickets, maps, notes she took while on trips, itineraries, and
brochures. Because she travelled a lot for research, if one is not finding the
information they want in the previous research folders, this series would be the
next best place to look.
Organized by decade, the Exhibition series (1947-1993) includes exhibition catalogs
and loan agreements spanning her prolific career.
The Professional series (1947-1992) contains papers pertaining to professional
associations she belonged to, conferences and workshops she attended or led, and
exhibitions she juried.
Lastly, the Photographs series (1910s-1990s) contains slides, negatives and prints of
Eikerman spanning from her childhood to adulthood, personal photographs, and
photographs of art, whether it is hers, others, or a pieces she was studying.
-
Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries'
online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by
searching the catalog using these terms.
-
-
Separated Material
4 designs for the President’s Medal are housed separately.
Related Material
Additional publications and research materials may be accessed in
IU Scholarworks.
Related photographs may be available in the
University Archives
Photographs Database
.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accessions 7078 and 2015/079
Usage RestrictionsThe donor(s) of this collection have transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University
through a Deed of Gift. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Alma Eikerman papers, Collection C621, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
After Alma Eikerman's death in 1995, the archival collection was in possession of
Susan Streich, Alma's niece. The collection was then given to Paulette Myers,
Professor of Metals and Jewelry at the University of Illinois at Edwardsville,
IL for research. The collection then transferred to Glen Brown from Kansas State
University, Manhattan. In the summer of 2015, the collection was transferred to
the Indiana University Archives (Accn. 2015/079). Accn. 7078 was transferred in
1956 by Alma Eikerman.
Appraisal
Duplicates as well as publications unrelated to Eikerman or her collection were
discarded.
Processing InformationProcessed by Kristen White.
Completed in 2016
Correspondence series reorganized in June 2018 by Katie Morrison. No material was removed or added as a result of the changes.
Container List
Series:
Biographical, 1915-1995
Box 15
American Craft Council's Gold Medal for Craftsmanship, undated
Box 1
American Red Cross, 1945
Asian Print Book, undated
Awards, 1951-1993, undated
(3 folders)
Biographies, 1960-1983, undated
Box 15
Book Stamp, undated
Box 1
Calendars, 1950-1991
Career, 1930-1945
College of Arts and Sciences, Distinguished Teaching award,
1980
Design for the President’s Medal, 1956
(4 drawings)
Housed separately
Box 15
Diamond sieve, undated
Box 1
Education, 1915-1946
Box 15
Emeritus Club pin, undated
Box 1
Ephemera (Metal Bird and Tag), undated
Emporia State Distinguished Alumni award, 1976
Box 16
Eighth Grade Diploma, 1923
Box 15
Graduation Hood, undated
Box 16
High School Diploma, 1927
Box 1
House Planning, 1955-1972
Box 15
Indiana Academy medal in velvet box, undated
IU Career
Box 1
1947-1955
1956-1963
Box 2
1964-1972
1973-1983
Restricted records removed
Undated
Box 16
Master of Arts diploma (Columbia University), 1942
Box 2
Metal bird, undated
Personal Art Collection, 1952-1990
Publications on Alma Eikerman
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Undated
Box 15
Wood tool (?) with nails, undated
Series:
Correspondence, 1916-1995, undated
Arrangement Note
This series is separated into incoming and outgoing correspondence. Incoming and outgoing correspondence are filed alphabetically
by last name or organization name. Some correspondents have been given their own named file; these folders are listed after
the general alphabetical folders. Newsletters and ephemera appear at the end of the series..
Box 2
Incoming
A
American Crafts, 1980
Art Institute of Atlanta, 1991
B
Bauer, Ric
Brennan, Martha
Brewer, Nan
Brown, Leslie F.
C
D
E
Ewing Susan
F
Box 3
Family correspondence
H
Hansen Family,
I
Ichimura, Reiko
1968-1993
Indiana University Art Museum
Indiana University
J
K
L
Le Brecque, Adele
Lee, Seung
M
Mairs, Ida
Mantchevitch, A.
Martz, Becky
McCusker, Kris
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Milbrath, Harold
Miller, Martin
Morarjee, Sumati
Museum of Contemporary Crafts
N
Nassah, Erika
O
Olsén, Barbara
P
Pulvermacher, 1973-1976
R
Renwick Gallery
S
Schick, Marjory
Shink, Helen
Solley, Thomas
Steakley, Doug
Sterling Silversmiths Guild of America
T
Thomas, Sheena
(2 folders)
Thompson, Helen
U
Ulsamer, Sibylle
V
W
Box 4
Wells, Herman B.
Wilson, John
Y
Z
Student postcards
Unidentified
Outgoing
A
B
Brennan, Martha, 1950
C
D
E
F
Family correspondence, 1917-1993
G
H-K
Restricted records removed
Hope, Henry, 1956, 1963
Hansen Family, 1958-1992
L
M
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1958, 1974
Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1974-1979
N
P
R
S
Sterling Silversmiths Guild of America, 1972-1976
T
U-V
W
Z
Unidentified
Box 4
Contacts, 1984-1988, undated
Stamps, undated
Newsletters
1970s
1980s
1990s
Undated
Series:
Teaching and Students, 1946-1993, undated
Box 4
Exhibitions/Student, 1959-1993
(3 folders)
MFA Thesis and Portfolio, Seung Hee Kim, 1973
Miscellaneous/Student, 1960-1993, undated
Museum Records of Student Artwork, 1986
Publications on Students/Former Students, 1955-1993
Slides, 1971
Slide lists, undated
Box 5
Student Classroom Art, 1965-1969, undated
(2 folders)
Student Design Competitions, 1960-1984
(3 folders)
Student Work 1946-1991
(7 folders)
Artwork by Nancy Kunkle and Mary Brennan in Oversized Box 16
Box 14
Teaching Materials, 1946-1987, undated
Box 14
Teaching Materials, 1946-1987, undated
(4 folders)
Series:
Publications, Research, and Art, 1936-1993
Box 6
Artwork Related Papers, 1936-1992, undated
(4 folders)
Oversized Artwork housed in Box 17
Restricted records removed
Collected Items, 1951-1992, undated
Miscellaneous Notes, 1953-1992, undated
(2 folders)
Notes on Techniques, 1946-1988, undated
Box 7
Papers and Excerpts by Alma Eikerman, 1942-1991,
undated
Research, 1950-1993, undated
(5 folders)
Notebooks/ Notepads, 1950-1990, undated
Series:
Travel, 1942-1991
Box 8
Blank Postcards, undated
(4 folders)
Brochures and Informational Publications, undated
Currency Related, 1945-1975, undated
IU Travel Requests, 1979-1980
Itineraries, 1958-1988
Maps, 1942-1991,
undated
(3 folders)
Miscellaneous Notes, 1952-1980, undated
(2 folders)
Passports, 1950-1984
Receipts, 1951-1991, undated
(2 folders)
Box 9
Tickets, 1951-1991,
undated
Travel Books, 1957-1988
Series:
Exhibitions, 1947-1993,
undated
Box 10
1940s
1950s
1980s
1990s
Undated
Series:
Professional, 1947-1992
Box 10
Conferences and Workshops, 1947-1991, undated
(2 folders)
Exhibition Jury Materials, 1976-1982
Professional Associations/ Societies, 1961-1992,
undated
(2 folders)
Restricted records removed
Box 10
Restricted Files
Series:
Photographs, undated
Box 11
Personal, undated
(2 folders)
Photos of Alma Eikerman, 1910s-1990s, undated
(4 folders)
Art, undated
(8 folders)
See also Oversized Box 14
Box 12
Art, undated
(4 folders)
See also Oversized Box 14
Student Art, undated
Unidentified Slides and Negatives, undated
Box 13
Unidentified Slides and Negatives, undated
Boxes
14-17
Oversized Materials
