Collecting a Career The Katherine Dunham Legacy Project

摘要

In the last 15 years, the Library of Congress has become increasingly involved in documenting the efforts of innovators in the field of dance and collecting dance-related materials. Among these are the Bob Fosse/Gwen Verdon Collection, the Lester Horton Dance Theatre Collection, the Erick Hawkins Archives and the Martha Graham Collection. A grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is allowing the Library to provide important leadership in supporting the Katherine Dunham legacy and to preserve an important dance collection based on her work. In December 2000, the Library's Music Division was awarded a grant for $1 million from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to undertake the Katherine Dunham Legacy Project. The purpose of the project was to purchase the Katherine Dunham archives; preserve materials that document and augment the Dunham legacy; expand educational programs; and to provide support for the Dunham Centers in East St. Louis, Ill. Many of the project's goals have already been realized, and exciting new treasures are being discovered almost daily in the collection as work continues on several fronts.