Guide to the Getty Research Institute, Steve Lanzarotta records, 1983-2001

Finding aid prepared by Leah Prescott and Cyndi Shein


Descriptive Summary

Title: Steve Lanzarotta records
Date (inclusive): 1983-2001
Number: IA30001
Creator/Collector: Getty Research Institute
Physical Description: 1.7 linear feet (4 boxes)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Institutional Records and Archives
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688
(310) 440-7390
archives@getty.edu
Abstract: These records were created and maintained by Steve Lanzarotta during his employment with the Getty Research Institute (GRI) and its predecessors, the Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities and the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH). The records primarily reflect his work with the GCHAH Administrators Group; the GCHAH Compensation Advisory Group; and the construction of spaces for both the GCHAH (401 Wilshire Boulevard) and the GRI (Getty Center in Brentwood). Materials date from 1983 to 2001 and include memos, photographs, brochures, and minutes and agendas of meetings.
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 that some of the records may be stored off site; advanced notice is required for access to these materials.
Language: Collection material is in English

Administrative History

The Getty Research Institute (GRI) is dedicated to the study of the visual arts, approaching the topic from broad historical and cultural perspectives. The GRI's goals are to promote innovative scholarship in the arts and humanities, to bridge traditional academic boundaries, and to provide a unique environment for research, critical inquiry, and debate. The GRI is an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, an international cultural and philanthropic organization serving both general audiences and specialized professionals. The Trust is a not-for-profit institution, educational in purpose and character, that focuses on the visual arts in all of their dimensions. As of 2009 the Trust supports and oversees four programs: the J. Paul Getty Museum; the Getty Foundation; the Getty Conservation Institute; and the Getty Research Institute.
The Getty Research Institute grew out of the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH), which was established to advance and disseminate research in the history of art and the humanities. The GCHAH was one of the original programs established by the J. Paul Getty Trust. In 1981 the Trust began a year of exploration to determine where it would focus its resources and energies in order to make the greatest possible contribution to the field of art and art history as a whole. In 1982, following extensive international deliberations with knowledgeable individuals, the trustees made commitments to three new entities, a Conservation Institute, a Center for Education in the Arts, and a Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH).
From its inception the objective of the GCHAH was to foster advanced research in art, its history, diversity, and meaning in our culture and to do so by engaging scholars from various disciplines in the humanities. The proposed center was to include a residence program for scholars, a major expansion of the library, a modest publications program, and an art photo archive. The activities of the center were also to focus on preserving historic materials in the field of art history and the development of new reference tools for the field, using the latest in information technologies. The plan was approved, and in July 1983 the program known as the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities opened in Santa Monica, California.
The GCHAH progressed quickly toward fulfilling its objectives during its first few years. The first director, architectural historian Kurt Forster, added the Archives of the History of Art to the GCHAH in an effort to create a premier repository for manuscript collections related to artists and the field of art history. Not only did the archives serve as a repository for materials related to art history, but it also housed the historical records of the J. Paul Getty Trust and its Museum. In the fall of 1985 the GCHAH launched the Visiting Scholar Program, inviting 17 scholars to explore the theme “Aesthetic Experience and Affinities Among the Arts.”
Due to expanded operations and limited space at the original J. Paul Getty Museum in Pacific Palisades, California, the various programs of the J. Paul Getty Trust were located at different sites throughout the Los Angeles basin during the 1980s and early 1990s. The Trust's vision was to bring together most of their programs at a single site; until that vision became a reality, the GCHAH was located in the First Federal Building at 401 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Meanwhile, the Getty Center in nearby Brentwood was under construction. In 1996, in order to avoid confusion with the soon-to-open Getty Center in Brentwood, the GCHAH was renamed the Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities. The Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities moved to the Getty Center in I997. In 2000 the program's name was shortened to the Getty Research Institute (GRI). The GRI occupies a round, five-level building at the Getty Center that includes an exhibition gallery, a lecture hall, meeting facilities, offices for staff and scholars, and the Research Library.
The GRI's Research Library, one of the largest art libraries in the world, is accessible to both on-site and remote users and supports scholars and researchers around the world. The library's Special Collections department contains rare books and unique materials, such as drawings, personal papers, unpublished manuscripts, journals, letters, video art, architectural drawings and models, and other primary sources. The general library collection contains over a million secondary sources, focusing on the histories of art, architecture, and archaeology from pre-history to contemporary times. Additionally, the Research Library maintains numerous online databases, which serve global communities of librarians, historians, and museum professionals; a Photo Study Collection, which contains over two million photographs of art and architecture; and the Getty's Institutional Archives, which maintains records of enduring value related to the founding and development of the Trust and its programs.
In addition to supporting the Research Library, the GRI's role includes several other significant activities. Through its residential Scholar Program the GRI brings together an international group of artists, composers, architects, filmmakers, writers, and academics to exchange ideas while pursuing their own projects. Since the library's materials are often handled during scholarly research, and thereby exposed to light, air, physical movement, and human contact, the GRI maintains an expert conservation team that works to restore and preserve the Research Library's unique holdings. Beyond the residential Scholar Program and Research Library, the GRI advances research in the visual arts through its publications. The Getty Research Institute also promotes a broader understanding of the arts and reaches a more diverse audience through its public programs, which include workshops, conferences, lectures, performances, film screenings, and exhibitions.
Program Director's of the GCHAH and GRI include:
  • 1983-1992: Kurt W. Forster
  • 1992-1994: Tom Reese (Acting)
  • 1994-1999: Salvatore Settis
  • 2000- September 2007: Thomas Crow
  • November 2007- present: Thomas Gaehtgens
Steve Lanzarotta's service to the J. Paul Getty Trust includes:
  • 1982: Volunteer in the Photo Archive, which was then located in the Museum
  • 1983, January: Intern in the Communications Department, producing the monthly calendars, press releases, etc.
  • 1983, July: General Services Clerk in the Mail Room
  • 1985: Administrative Coordinator for the Scholar Program in the GCHAH
  • 1988: Operations Manager for the GCHAH
  • 1991-2001: Manager of Administration for the GCHAH and then the Getty Research Institute

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

With the exception of materials that have been marked restricted or confidential, the records described in accession 2001.IA.04 are available for use by qualified researchers. Please note: selected restricted materials must be removed from boxes prior to access by researcher.
The following types of 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.

Publication Rights

Preferred Citation

[Cite the item and series (as appropriate)], Steve Lanzarotta Records, 1983-2001, Getty Research Institute. Institutional Archives, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no. IA30001

Acquisition Information

The records described in this finding aid are from accession 2001.IA.4, transferred by Steve Lanzarotta of the Getty Research Institute.

Processing History

Leah Prescott processed the records and began the finding aid in 2006. Cyndi Shein completed the finding aid in 2009.

Scope and Content of Collection

The records were created and maintained by Steve Lanzarotta during his employment with the Getty Research Institute (GRI) and its predecessors, the Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities and the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH). The records primarily reflect his work with the GCHAH Administrators Group; the GCHAH Compensation Advisory Group; and the construction of office space for both the GCHAH (401 Wilshire Boulevard) and the GRI (Getty Center in Brentwood). Records of interest also include administrative reactions to the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and Getty-wide concern for emergency preparedness. The materials date from 1983 to 2001 and include memos, photographs, brochures, administration records, and minutes and agendas of meetings.

Organization

These records are organized in three series: .Series I. Administrators Group records, 1993-1997; Series II. Compensation Advisory Group records, 1993-1997; Series III. General memos, notes, photographs, and brochures, 1983-2001

Indexing Terms

Subjects - Corporate Bodies

J. Paul Getty Trust

Subjects - Topics

Compensation management
Earthquakes--California--Los Angeles Region
Northridge Earthquake, Calif., 1994
Research institutes--Management

Genres and Forms of Material

Agendas (administrative records)
Brochures
Memorandums
Minutes
Newsletters
Notes
Photographs

Contributors

Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities
Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities
Lanzarotta, Steven

Bibliography

  • Hackman, William and Mark Greenberg, ed. Inside the Getty. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2008.

 

Series I. Administrators Group records, 1993-1997

Physical Description: 0.7 linear feet

Scope and Content Note

The records comprise meeting minutes, agendas, and supporting documentation relating to the Administrators Group of the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH) from 1993 to 1997. Some of the topics covered in the records include health benefits, hiring and leave policies, reimbursement policies, travel policies, the human resources information system, the financial information system, planning for civil disturbances, and planning for the new Getty Center. Staff members involved with the work of the Administrators Group include Ann Bassi, Charlotte Coulombe, Susan Fox, Ruth Goldway, Chana Hauben, Steve Lanzarotta, Lynn O'Leary-Archer, Cynthia Rallis, Aletta Schaap, Rona Sebastian, Carol Snell, Natalie Sterba, Gwen Walden, and Barbara Whitney.

Arrangement

These records are arranged in chronological order.
Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 1

January, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 2

March, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 3

June, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 4

July, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 5

January-February, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 6

March, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 7

April-July, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 8

September, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 9

October, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 10

November-December, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 11

January, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 12

February-March, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 13-16

May, 1995

Physical Description: [4 files]
Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 17

June, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 18

July, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 19

September, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 20

November, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 21

December, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 22

February, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 23

March, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 24

May, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 25

June, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 26

July, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-1, Folder 27

August, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 1

September, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 2

November, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 3

January, 1997

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 4

March, 1997

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 5

May, 1997

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 6

July, 1997

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 7

September, 1997

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 8

October, 1997

 

Series II. Compensation Advisory Group records, 1993-1997

Physical Description: 0.5 linear feet

Scope and Content Note

The records comprise materials relating to the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH) Compensation Advisory Group. In addition to Steve Lanzarotta, staff members involved with the work of the Compensation Advisory Group include Ann Bassi, Charlotte Coulombe, Susan Fox, Ruth Goldway, Kris Kelly, Lynn O'Leary-Archer, Cynthia Rallis, Aletta Schaap, Rona Sebatian, Carol Snell, Gwen Walden, and Barbara Whitney. Materials include agendas, notes, minutes, and recommendations for salary grade changes.

Arrangement

These records are arranged in chronological order.
Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 9

January, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 10-11

February, 1993

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 12

March, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 13

April, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 14-15

June, 1993

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 16

July, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-2, Folder 17

September, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 1

October, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 2

November, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 3

December, 1993

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 4

January, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 5

February, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 6

March, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 7

April, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 8

May, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 9

June, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 10

July-August, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 11

November, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 12

December, 1994

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 13-14

January, 1995

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 15

February, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 16

March, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 17

June, August 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 18-19

September, 1995

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 20

October, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 21

December, 1995

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 22

February, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 23

April, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-3, Folder 24

June, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 1

November/December, 1996

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 2

February, 1997

 

Series III. General memos, notes, photographs, and brochures, 1983-2001

Physical Description: 0.5 linear feet

Scope and Content Note

The records comprise various materials dating from 1983-2001 that were maintained by Steve Lanzarotta while employed by the Getty Research Institute (GRI) and its predecessors. Records include materials related to the 1983 construction and opening of the office and public spaces of the Getty Center for the History of Art (GCHAH) at 401 Wilshire Boulevard; notes and photographs of the construction of the Getty Research Institute space at the Getty Center in Brentwood; photographs and memos related to the 1994 Northridge earthquake; portraits of Getty staff; and records related to a Los Angeles cultural advisory forum. The materials also include notes, memoranda, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, and commemoratives.

Arrangement

These records are arranged in two sections: Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH) and Getty Research Institute (GRI).
 

Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities, 1983-1996

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 3

Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities Mission Statement, undated

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 4

Guest lists and related notes for the opening of the 401 Wilshire Boulevard site, 1983 Sep-Oct

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 5

Memos, notes, and policies relating to daily operations and events, 1983-1986

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 6

Brochures and notes relating to the design of the 401 Wilshire Boulevard site, circa 1985

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 7

Newsletters, bulletins, and exhibit brochures, 1990-1993

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 8

Newsletters, bulletins, and exhibit brochures, 1993-1996

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 9

Item commemorating Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities, Oct 30, 1992

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 10

Photographs of the Getty Center, undated

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 11

8 x 10 Photographs of staff members, undated

 

Baldocchi, Susan (Manager of Budget and Personnel)

 

Beckage, Donna (Staff Assistant III, Director’s Office)

 

Bloomfield, Julia (Assistant Director, Publications and Exhibitions)

 

Conley, Kathy (Operations Manager, Administration)

 

deWit, Wim (Head of Special Collections)

 

Hyman, Herbert (Assistant Director, Institutional Affairs)

 

Kamii, Carolyn (Staff Assistant, Director’s Office)

 

Kent, Louis (Administrative Assistant, Director’s Office)

 

Lanzarotta, Steve (Head of Aministrative Services and Center Project Management)

 

Nakano, Judy (Personnel Coordinator)

 

O'Leary-Archer, Lynn (Assistant Director, Director’s Office)

 

Reese, Tom (Deputy Director, Director’s Office)

 

Roth, Michael (Assistant Director, Scholars and Seminars)

 

Settis, Salvatori (Director)

 

Venturelli, Kathie (Administrative Assistant)

 

Wilkins, Amy (Office Services and Events Coordinator)

 

Williamson, JoEllen (Manager, Scholars and Seminars)

 

Getty Research Institute, 1985-2001

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 12

Memos, 1985-1995

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 13

Christian Hubert's minutes and notes regarding the planning of the GRI building in Brentwood, 1987

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 14

Photographs of Center under construction and security staff, ca. 1995-2000

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 15

Photographs, negatives, memos and notes relating to emergency preparedness and the January 1994 earthquake, 1992-1994

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 16

Advisory Forum, 1996-1997

Box 2001.IA.04-4, Folder 17

Program for Steve Lanzarotta farewell party, July 11, 2001