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The Margaret N. Palmer Collection of Pacificulture Foundation Papers
L2013-07-18
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The Margaret N. Palmer Collection of the Pacificulture Foundation Papers
Collection number: L2013-07-18
Title: The Margaret N. Palmer Collection of the Pacificulture Foundation Papers
Dates: 1955-1991
Bulk: 1960-1970
Extent:
13 Boxes
Repository:
Pasadena Museum of History
Research Library and Archives
470 West Walnut Street
Pasadena, California 91103-3594
Languages:
English
Personal and professional papers created and collected by Margaret N. Palmer were gifted to the Pasadena Museum
of History by her family.
Additional materials may be added to this collection as donations are received.
Access: Collections are open to the public for research. Use is restricted by rules intended to protect
and preserve the materials in good condition for the future. For additional information please contact the
Pasadena Museum of History.
Use of the materials is governed by all applicable copyright law. The Pasadena Museum of History reserves
the right to restrict any materials from reproduction at any time. Property rights reside with the Pasadena
Museum of History. The Museum's physical ownership of the materials in its collection does not imply ownership
of copyright. It is the user's responsibility to resolve any copyright issues related to the use and distribution
of reproduced materials. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Pasadena Museum of
History.
Margaret N. Palmer Collection of Pacificulture Foundation Papers. Gift of Margaret N. and Everett A. Palmer. Courtesy
of the Research Library and Archives at the Pasadena Museum of History.
Biography/Organization History
Margaret Ann Niedringhaus (Peg Palmer) was born at her family home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
on September 6, 1915. Peg attended Thurston School and studied art at Carnegie Tech. She later specialized in Art History
and Design at Parsons in New York. Upon completion Peg worked for Bulletin Index, a women’s magazine in Pittsburgh. She
married Everett Arthur Palmer, Jr. in 1941 and started a family shortly thereafter. In 1946, they moved to Pasadena,
California and settled into the Linda Vista area where they enjoyed an active life within the community.
Peg inherited a love for the arts and expressed an unending commitment to community-building projects. She played an
instrumental role in developing art councils and civic committees throughout the San Gabriel Valley. She is, perhaps,
most recognized for her efforts to help establish the Pacificulture Foundation,(PCF) now
the Pacific Asia Museum, (PAM) in Pasadena, California. Peg Palmer, and her fellow board members,
created an institution that promoted mutual respect and understanding through art expressions from Asia and the Pacific
Islands. She believed that an appreciation of foreign cultures could serve as a creative force to forming a more harmonious
world. Peg Palmer is a founding board member of the Pacificulture Foundation and served as president
from 1970 to 1971.
The Pacific Asia Museum has served the city of Pasadena since 1971 as a vibrant
center for learning and remains devoted to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Its origins date to 1960,
when a progressive group of southern California residents sought to promote intellectual understanding through the
preservation of art and culture. The group adopted the name Pacificulture Foundation to represent the
flow of ideas and influences across the Pacific. They prospered under creative leaders and sponsors who hosted diverse
exhibitions and programs in various venues throughout Pasadena.
As PCF advanced, they looked to Grace Nicholson’s iconic Chinese imperial palace-style building for a permanent residence.
The City of Pasadena acquired the building in 1943 under the condition that it remains a center for culture and education.
The proviso made the Pacificulture Foundation an ideal candidate for residency. After much petitioning,
the City of Pasadena offered PCF a lease. On the evening of October 28, 1971 the director and Board of
Trustees officially dedicated the Grace Nicholson Building to the Pacificulture Foundation and Asia
Museum. In 1979, the Pacificulture Foundation changed its name to the Pacific Asia Museum.
The traditions set forth by the founding members established the Pacific Asia Museum as an extraordinary place for scholarship,
diplomacy and art. It remains committed to exploring the arts and celebrating cultural traditions of Asia and the Pacific
Islands
through dynamic exhibitions, seminars, and festivals.
The Margaret N. Palmer Collection of Pacificulture Foundation Papers covers a range of institutional records and activities
during the formative years of the Pacificulture Foundation. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1960 through the 1970s.
It
consists of administrative records, correspondence, publicity, exhibition brochures, photographs, and ephemera. A complementary
collection is housed at the Pacific Asia Museum.
Key to Arrangement/Container List:
The collection consists of material created and collected by Margaret N. Palmer and it is organized according to an
organizational chart for the Pacificulture Foundation. It is divided into five series with a sub-series of relevant
dependent entities. The collection arrangement is listed below:
| Series: | Box |
|---|---|
| Margaret N. Palmer (Peg Palmer), 195- - 2011 | 1 |
| History, 1955-1970s | 2 |
| Administration - Pacificulture Foundation, 1960s-1990s | 3-9 |
| Board of Directors | |
| Grace Nicholson Building | |
| Development | |
| Membership | |
| Volunteers | |
| Communications | |
| Publicity | |
| Humanities – Pacificulture, 1960s-1980s | 10-12 |
| Library | |
| Council & Committees | |
| Programs | |
| Tours | |
| Arts – Asia Museum, 1960s-1980s | 13 |
| Exhibitions | |
| Acquisitions & Operations |
Margaret N. Palmer (Peg Palmer)
Lennox Tierney
David Kamansky
Sofia Adamson
Nancy Wheat
Jae Carmichael
Grace Nicholson
Sujata & Asoka
Elise Grilli
John Crowley
Pacificulture Foundation
Pacific Asia Museum
Grace Nicholson Building
Pasadena Sister City
Pasadena Art Museum
Pasadena Society of Artists
California
Pasadena, California