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J. Paul Getty Trust Press Releases and Public Outreach
Materials
IA10011
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Table of contents
Title: J. Paul Getty Trust press releases and public outreach
materials
Date (inclusive): 1954-1959, 1973-2022
Number: IA10011
Creator/Collector:
J. Paul Getty Trust. Communications
Department
Physical Description:
28.46 Linear Feet
(50 boxes)
Physical Description:
2.2026 GB
(2,483 files)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Institutional Records and Archives
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: The records
comprise press releases, event calendars, magazines published by the Getty,
presentations to the press and public, and other materials created and disseminated by
the J. Paul Getty Museum and the J. Paul Getty Trust, 1954-1959 and 1973-2022 (bulk
1983-2022). The records contain analog and digital files documenting the events and
activities the Getty wished to publicize to the media and the public.
Request Materials: To access
physical materials at the Getty, go to the
library catalog record for this collection and click "Request an Item."
Click here for
general library access policy . See the Administrative
Information section of this finding aid for access restrictions specific to the records
described below. Please note, some of the records may be stored off site; advanced
notice is required for access to these materials.
Language: Collection material is in English.
The J. Paul Getty Trust's origins date to 1953, when J. Paul Getty established the J.
Paul Getty Museum as a California charitable trust to house his growing art collections.
Originally a small, private institution located in Mr. Getty's ranch house near Malibu,
the museum moved to the newly constructed Villa in grounds adjacent to the ranch house
in 1974. When most of Mr. Getty's personal estate passed to the trust in 1982, the
trustees decided that given the size of the endowment, it should make a greater
contribution to the visual arts and humanities than the museum could alone. Out of this
resolve grew an expanded commitment to the arts in the general areas of scholarship,
conservation, and education. This took the shape of new programs including the Center
for the History of Art and Humanities (GCHAH), Art History Information Institute (AHIP),
Conservation Institute, Grant Program, and Center for Education in the Arts (GCEA).
Smaller programs include the Museum Management Institute (MMI), a joint venture with the
Art Museum Association of America, and the Program for Art on Film, a joint venture with
the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1983 the trust's corporate name was changed from the
J. Paul Getty Museum to the J. Paul Getty Trust to reflect its broader scope, with the
museum becoming an operating program of the trust. On December 16, 1997 the Getty
Center, a new unified facility housing all Getty programs, was opened in the Brentwood
neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA.
As the trust matured several of the programs underwent administrative and functional
reorganizations resulting in name changes or dissolutions. AHIP's name was changed to
the Getty Information Institute (GII) in 1996 as part of a new identity program
instituted by the Trust just prior to occupancy of their new unified facility. To avoid
confusion with the soon-to-open Getty Center in Brentwood, GCHAH was renamed the Getty
Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities in 1996. Three years later
the program's name was shortened to the Getty Research Institute (GRI). The GII was
dissolved in 1999 and many of its functions were absorbed by the Getty Research
Institute (GRI). The Getty Center for Education in the Arts (GCEA) changed its name to
the Getty Education Institute for the Arts (GEI) in 1996, and was disbanded in 1998. In
1996, Program for Art on Film was transferred to the Pratt Institute and the Trust ended
its affiliation with the program. The Getty Leadership Institute (GLI) was created in
1996 to administer museum executive education programs, including the Museum Management
Institute (MMI). Administration of GLI programs was transferred to the Claremont
Graduate University in 2010. The Grant Program changed its name to the Foundation in
January 2005.
J. Paul Getty Museum press material was prepared and distributed by Museum curator Paul
Wescher from 1954-1959. Press release production was not officially institutionalized
until 1974 with the creation of the Public Information department and the appointment of
Deborah Ashin as Public Affairs Director, although some press releases are dated from
1973. From 1979 to 1997 museum press releases were consistently rendered from Public
Information, and in 1983 the Department of Public Affairs was created to issue press
releases on behalf of the J. Paul Getty Trust and its non-museum programs. The
Department of Public Affairs reported directly to trust leadership, whereas Public
Information reported to the museum. In 1998 the Department of Public Affairs began
issuing press releases on behalf of the museum and responsibility for the organization's
press release function was placed in a single department. The Department of Public
Affairs name was changed to Communications in 2000. With the hiring of Pamela Johnson in
August 2002, the department head role was elevated to the level of Vice President,
reporting to the President and CEO.
Although the Communications department had been creating digital (.pdf files) press
releases for some time, systematic annual collection of the materials by Institutional
Archives began in 2015.
J. Paul Getty Museum and J. Paul Getty Trust Director of Public Affairs, and J. Paul
Getty Trust Vice President, Communications include:
- 1974-1982: Deborah Ashin, Public Affairs Director
- 1983-1994: Phillipa Calnan, Public Affairs Director
- 1995-2001: Lori Starr, Public Affairs Director
- 2001-August 2002: Jill K. Murphy, Interim Head of Communications and President's Chief of Staff
- August 2002-2005: Pamela Johnson, Vice President Communications
- 2005-July 2018: Ron Hartwig, Vice President Communications
- September 2018-present: Lisa Lapin, Vice President Communications
All records described in this finding aid are available for use by qualified
researchers.
The following records are permanently closed: records containing personal
information, records that compromise security or operations, legal communications,
legal work product, and records related to donors. The J. Paul Getty Trust reserves
the right to restrict access to any records held by the Institutional Archives.
Contact
Library Rights
and Reproductions
at the Getty Research Institute for copyright
information and permission to publish.
Contact
Library Rights
and Reproductions
at the Getty Research Institute for copyright
information and permission to publish.
J. Paul Getty Trust press releases and public outreach materials, 1954-1959,
1973-2022 (bulk 1983-2022). Institutional Records and Archives. The Getty Research
Institute, Los Angeles, IA10011.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifaia10011
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records in this finding aid originated in accessions 1986.IA.56, 2001.IA.06,
2007.IA.06, 2007.IA.10, 2007.IA.34, 2010.IA.26, 2013.IA.66, 2014.IA.16, 2015.IA.03,
2016.IA.03, 2016.IA.28, 2017.IA.03, 2018.IA.03, 2018.IA.15, 2019.IA.03, 2020 .IA.04,
2021.IA.04, 2021.IA.29, and 2022.IA.04.
Records inventoried and finding aid created by Nancy Enneking and Rebecca Fenning,
March 2007, Kyle Morgan, August 2008 and July 2009, and Jennifer Thompson, September 2014 through November 2014, and March 2015
through May 2015.
Annual accruals added by Jennifer Thompson, February 2016 and February 2017,
and Tatevick Shahinyan, October
2018 through June 2019.
Annual accruals added and finding aid updated by Jennifer Thompson, April 2020, January 2021, October
2021, July 2021, September 2022, and February 2023.
Existence and Location of Copies
Final versions of hard-copy press releases issued by the Getty from 1954-1959 and
1973-2006 have been scanned, processed using uncorrected optical character
recognition (OCR), and saved as .pdf-a files. The contents of each folder have been
scanned as a single .pdf; depending on the contents of the folder each .pdf may be a
single press release or multiple releases. The links to these electronic versions
appear beneath the folder titles in the Series I. Chronological press releases, and
Series II. Press releases, subject files inventory for the years 1954-1959 and
1983-2004; records dating 2005-2006 have been partially scanned. Internal
word-searchability of the .pdf files varies depending on the consistency of the font
and on the quality and background color of the original release. Please note that all
material in the folders that was not a final Getty-issued press release was not
scanned, including drafts, memos, correspondence, photos, and releases issued by
other organizations.
The Institutional Archives regularly receives public relations materials from the
Getty Communications Department. These are integrated into this guide at regular
intervals.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Access to digital files in 2014.IA.16, 2015.IA.03, 2016.IA.03, 2017.IA.03,
2018.IA.03, 2019.IA.03, 2020.IA.04, 2021.IA.04, and 2022.IA.04 is available online
through the links provided in the inventory.
Duplicate materials were weeded to the extent possible; however, some duplication is
to be expected.
Related Archival Materials Note
The following materials are offered as possible sources of further
information on the agencies and subjects covered by the records. The listing is not
exhaustive.
Contributing Institution:
Getty Institutional Archives
J. Paul Getty Museum Department of Public Information and
Visitor Services Records, 1973-1981, 1984-1991, undated. J. Paul Getty Museum
Department of Public Affairs. Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no.
IA20007.
J. Paul Getty Trust Communications exhibition and programming
publicity development records, 1989, 1997, 2000-2010. J. Paul Getty Trust
Communciations Department. Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no.
IA20041.
J. Paul Getty Trust Communications Department images,
1981-2005 (bulk 1990-1999), undated. J. Paul Getty Trust Communications Department.
Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no. IA30003.
J. Paul Getty Trust, Communications Department audio and
video recordings, 1973-2004. J. Paul Getty Trust Communications Department. Getty
Research Institute, Finding aid no. IA30004.
J. Paul Getty Trust press clippings, 1954-2019, undated (bulk
1983-2019). J. Paul Getty Trust Communications Department. Getty Research Institute,
Finding aid no. IA30017.
Scope and Content of Collection
These records comprise press releases, press kits, event calendars, magazines, reports,
recordings, and advertisements. Records were created and published by the J. Paul Getty
Museum and the J. Paul Getty Trust and date from 1954 to 1959 and 1973 to 2022 (bulk
1983-2022). The collection includes original, photocopied, and digital (.pdf, .mht,
.mhtml, and MP3) files. The materials, intended to publicize Getty events and activities
to the media and the public, were disseminated by the J. Paul Getty Museum (1954-1982),
the Department of Public Affairs (1983-1999), and the Communications Department
(2000-present). The organization issued relatively few press releases until the
construction of the Villa Museum in 1974, and it is uncertain if any exist from 1960 to
1972. An increase in press release production came in the early 1980s with the expansion
of the trust and its operations.
Subjects include acquisitions; administration; awards, including Getty Medal recipients;
building projects; collaborative projects; cultural property conservation and
restoration; exhibitions; grant awards; logistical advisories; organizational
initiatives; publication announcements; public and scholarly events; senior personnel
and board of trustees appointments; and others. Of note are the J. Paul Getty Museum
1954 opening press release, transcriptions of news articles regarding the opening that
were published in local media outlets, opening day remarks, and event flow for the
opening day reception; and various press kits documenting the building of the Getty
Center in Brentwood, including site and architect selection, center design,
construction, and the 1997 opening. All Getty programs, including those no longer in
operation, are represented.
While the number of materials in this collection is extensive, it is not presumed that
they are comprehensive for any given subject or year, excepting digital press releases
dating 2016 to 2022.
These records are organized into six series:
Series I. Chronological press releases, 1954-1959, 1973-2022;
Series II. Press releases, subject files, 1974-2002, 2006;
Series III. Press kits, 1954, 1973, 1983-1984, 1989-2020;
Series IV. Calendars, 1988-1991, 1999, 2016-2022;
Series V. Magazines, reports, and recordings, 1986-1997, 2012-2022;
Series VI. Advertisements, 1997-2004.
Getty Conservation Institute
Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities
Getty Center for Education in the Arts
Getty Education Institute for the Arts
Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities
Getty Art History Information Program
J. Paul Getty Museum
Program for Art on Film (New York, N.Y.)
J. Paul Getty Trust
Getty Foundation
Getty Research Institute
Getty Foundation. Getty Leadership Institute
Getty Information Institute
Nonprofit organizations -- Employees
Research institutes
Humanities -- Information technology
Museum trustees
Museums -- Acquisitions
Art -- Scholarships, fellowships, etc.
Cultural property -- Conservation and restoration
Art -- Conservation and restoration
Art in education
Special events
Nonprofit organizations
Museums -- Press coverage
Art -- Exhibitions
Art museums -- Public relations
Art museums -- Design and construction
Advertising campaigns -- United States
Press releases
Memorandums
Brochures
Calendars
Announcements
Ephemera
Exhibition announcements
Electronic documents
Magazines (periodicals)
J. Paul Getty Trust. Communications
Department
J. Paul Getty Trust.
Public Affairs Department
J. Paul Getty Museum. Department of
Public Information and Visitor Services