The Margaret N. Palmer Collection of the Pacificulture Foundation Papers, 1955-1991, bulk 1960-1970

Summary

Extent:

13 Boxes

Language:

English

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

Biographical Note:

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.

Historical Note:

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.

Acquisition information:

Personal and professional papers created and collected by Margaret N. Palmer were gifted to the Pasadena Museum of History by her family.

Arrangement:

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

Location of this collection:

Pasadena Museum of History

470 West Walnut Street

Pasadena, CA 91103-3594, US

Contact:

626.577.1660

research@pasadenahistory.org

Website