Business records, regardless of media or format, which are created, received, or maintained by museum staff in the course of official business, are appraised, collected, arranged, described, managed, and preserved according to the McNay’s records retention schedule. These materials include the records of the museum’s current and former directors, curators, departmental staff, and trustees. Archival records document subjects such as auxiliary groups, collection acquisitions, docents, exhibitions, museum programs, and the construction and maintenance of the museum’s buildings & grounds.
Imprints of the McNay, including annual reports, exhibition catalogues, newsletters, gallery guides, pamphlets, flyers, invitations, announcements, and other materials that record institutional events and programs are collected. Exhibition catalogs accompanying traveling exhibitions are acquired for the archival collection in the same way.
The image collection includes early photographs of Mrs. McNay and life at Sunset Hills, as well as photos of the buildings, grounds, people, and events, taken throughout the Museum’s history. The collection grows chiefly through individual donations, though reproductions may be acquired from other repositories. Images of present-day museum events are also sought, and may be submitted in photographic or digital form.
In addition to a small collection of correspondence, photographs, and other items related to Mrs. McNay’s life, this archive contains financial records, property records, business correspondence, and other documents generated by the McNay estate during her time.
Central to this group of records are the papers of John Palmer Leeper, the museum’s first director, and the business records of the San Antonio Art Institute. Proposed additions to this collection are evaluated case-by-case.
