Ephemera. Memorials

Much of the material to this subseries could be considered d'Harnoncourt's miscellaneous working papers and ready reference materials, such as the several versions of her curriculum vitae sporadically tracking her career over a 30-year period. There are also a few folders that document memorable moments in her career. For example is the reproduction of an editorial cartoon that appeared in a local newspaper the day before Christmas of 2006.To counter an offer made by museums out of state, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, in less than two months, raised $68 million to jointly purchase "Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic)" by Thomas Eakins. Editorial cartoonist Tony Auth captured the spirit of the event, while adding a personal note of thanks and applause to d'Harnoncourt. Another memento is the souvenir program to the 2001 dinner for the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents in celebration of the inauguration of the President of the United States, George W. Bush. The booklet contains historical tidbits about the dining and entertainment choices of past presidents. Upon Congressional approval, d'Harnoncourt jointed the Board of Regents in 1996 as a citizen member. More personal is the sheet music to "Simple Gifts," composed in memory of "Suzy" Kalkstein, PMA's Director of Human Resources who, after 30 years of service with the Museum, died in 2006 at the age of 53.The folders of writings subtitled "Paying attention," refer to the essay d'Harnoncourt wrote for the 1993 exhibition catalogue, "Rolywholyover: a circus/John Cage." Originally conceived by the artist, the exhibition opened at the Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art the year after Cage died. It came to PMA in 1995.