Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Jeanne Morgan Papers
- Dates:
- 1894, 1932, 1948-2023; undated, bulk 1960-2010
- Creators:
- Morgan, Jeanne, 1926-2023 and Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts
- Extent:
- 29 boxes (twenty document cases; five record storage boxes; three photograph boxes; one oversized box) and 18.3 Linear Feet
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Jeanne Morgan Papers (1894, 1932, 1948-2023; undated) contains 29 boxes and 18.3 linear feet of letters, emails, photographs, manuscripts, poetry, illustrations, artwork, articles, reports, memorandums, and other material belonging to artist Jeanne Morgan. A majority of this collection relates to the Watts Towers- a site of sculptures and structures designed by Simon Rodia, and Morgan's tenure as a member of the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts (CSRTW); and Morgan's writing and art projects including published articles, manuscript drafts, poetry, and material related to Morgan's Goya Caprichos project. This collection has four series. Series I: Simon Rodia's Watts Towers contains material related to the Watts Towers, also known as the Towers of Simon Rodia, or Nuestro Pueblo, a site located in Watts, California constructed of towers, sculptures, and structures designed and built by Sabato "Simon" Rodia over the period of thirty three years from 1921-1954. A majority of the contents in this series consists of material generated during Morgan's tenure as a member of the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts (CSRTW) and includes documents related to various conservation, preservation, and restoration projects; Morgan's art and written projects regarding the Towers; photographs; articles; and other related material. Series II: Writings and Artwork contains drafts, essays, articles, poetry, songs, illustrations, collages, and designs by Jeanne Morgan including material related to Morgan's Goya Caprichos project; published articles, reviews, and op-eds; unpublished manuscripts; and photographs and slides of Morgan's paintings and collages. Series III: Personal Files contains files Morgan kept regarding friends, family, and colleagues. Within these files are letters, articles, recipes, photographs, notes, and other material. Also included in this series are greeting cards and postcards sent to Morgan; and photographs and slides. Photographs in this series depict trips to Amsterdam; Paris; Milan and Florence, Italy; Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain; Carcassonne, France; and other locations. Also included are portraits of Morgan; photographs taken in a yard of flora and fauna; "Why We Love LA, Christmas in the Hollywood Hills" outdoor images; photographs presumably of friends and family; photos of Morgan in an art studio at Otis; images of a calligraphy booth at pleasure faire; and others. Series IV: Subject Files contains articles, pamphlets, brochures, and other material collected by Morgan. Topics include Native American history and activism; art; architecture; philosophy; Juana la Loca; and other topics. This series also contains blank postcards mostly featuring images of New York and California landscapes.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Jeanne Morgan was born in 1926 and was raised primarily by her grandparents, Vern and Clara Bass, on their farm in Nebraska. After her grandmother's death in 1940, she moved to Denver to live with her mother and stepfather. She won a scholarship to attend Colorado College but left after one semester to move to New York, where she became an artist and got involved with the socialist movement. In 1948, she relocated to Los Angeles, earning her MFA at Otis College of the Arts and becoming involved in the civil rights movement. It was through this movement that she would eventually become heavily involved in the preservation of Simon Rodia's Watts Towers after she came face-to-face with the monument when she got lost after attempting to attend a civil rights meeting in Watts. Morgan wished to bring further visibility to the Watts Towers, and organized an Art Students for Watts Towers group. From her friend artist Mae Babitz she learned that there were also a group of artists, teachers, architects, and designers who also wanted to support the Watts Towers, and from there they formed the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts (CSRTW). One of their first orders of business was to work with owners Bill Cartwright and Nick King (who purchased the Towers from Rodia's neighbor in 1959) to save the Towers from demolition after the City of Los Angeles condemned the structure. The committee was able to successfully negotiate with the city to stop the demolition after a successful "stress test" by aeronautical engineer Bud Goldstone deemed the Towers capable of withstanding forces up to 10,000 pounds. Throughout her over sixty year tenure as a member of the CSRTW, Morgan would become executive director and curator; author articles and contribute to books about Rodia and the Watts Towers; create art projects including her thesis for her MFA at Otis which concentrated on contemporary methods in stained glass- a project inspired by the Towers; created community centered initiatives such as offering free art classes; and other opportunities for advocacy, preservation, and restoration of the Towers. Meanwhile, she worked as the Managing Editor for LA Free Press, published several books including An Interpretation of Goya's Caprichos; and continued to create artwork. Throughout her adult life, Jeanne Morgan was interested in her family's history, thoroughly researching her family's genealogy and corresponding with extended family across the country. Material regarding her genealogy can be located in "Bass Family Collection". Morgan moved to Santa Barbara around 1981 and resided there until she passed away in 2023.
- Arrangement:
-
This collection is organized into four series:
- Series I: Simon Rodia's Watts Towers, 1950-2022; undated
- Sub-Series A: Administrative Files, 1966, 1975, 1985-2020; undated
- Sub-Series B: Correspondence and Personal Files, 1960-2022; undated
- Sub-Series C: Conservation and Preservation, 1953, 1965, 1978-2021; undated
- Sub-Series D: Watts Towers- Visuals, 1950, 1953, 1963-2007, 2016; undated
- Sub-Series E: Jeanne Morgan Manuscripts and Projects- Watts Towers and Rodia, 1953-2020; undated
- Sub-Series F: Watts Towers Publications and Research Material, 1950-2022; undated
- Series II: Writings and Artwork, 1894, 1932, 1951-2020; undated
- Sub-Series A: Writings, 1894, 1932, 1951-2020; undated
- Sub-Series B: Artwork, 1959-2020; undated
- Series III: Personal Files, 1948-2023; undated
- Series IV: Subject File, 1963-2020; undated
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-01-21 22:11:31 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
- Preferred citation:
-
For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
- Location of this collection:
-
University Library, 5th Flr (5039)1000 E. Victoria StreetCarson, CA 90747, US
- Contact:
- (310) 243-3895