Robert Baker collection of NTID records and photographs

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: RITDSA-0143

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection of Robert Baker NTID records and photographs contains materials that related to the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center at NTID as well as the history of and events hosted by NTID. Materials included within this collection include, but are not limited to: advertisements and promotional materials, invitations, programs, memorandums, and photographs. All materials within this collection were donated to the RIT Archive Collection by Robert Baker, the former Director and curator of the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center. Materials within this collection range from 1967 to 2007.

Promotional materials for the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center include an exhibition catalogue for Heart, Eye, Hand: Works by Twelve Deaf Artists (circa 1985), 10 programs for various exhibitions from 1991 to 2007, and 27 promotional advertisement cards for exhibitions from 1986 to the early 2000’s. There are invitations to exhibition openings as well as special events at the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center. NTID anniversary celebrations and building dedication invitations are within this collection. Also included are holiday and seasonal cards featuring works of deaf artists whose works are a part of the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center.

There are programs that range from 1977 to 2007 relating to various NTID events, such as homecoming, building designations, inaugurations, alumni reunions, and convocations. There are memorandums about the dedications of the Switzer Gallery and the Panara Theatre. Also included are memorandums regarding RIT receiving the Harry Bertoia bronze stanchion sculptures as a gift as well as photographs of the sculptures. These sculptures were a part of the Kodak pavilion in the 1964 World’s Fair.

Photographs include exhibitions at the Switzer Gallery as well as artists and their works on campus. There are photographs of visits to NTID in 1984 from Peter Jennings and Annie Glenn, the wife of astronaut John Glenn. Also included is a photograph of Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House. There are materials related to the Hugh L. Carey Hall Dedication in 1983, such as news releases, news clippings, and addresses.

The collection contains various installation and convocation awards and addresses. There are materials, such as memorandums, speeches, and curriculum vitaes, regarding potential candidates for the NTID Honorary Degree Nominations. These materials range from 1976 to 1996. Information about National Advisory Group (NAG) includes correspondence and programs from 1967 to 1998. Also included within this collection are poems by Shirley Allen and Loy E. Golladay, a program about Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, and a compact disc of Stephanie Kirschen Cole mixed media collages.

Dates

Creation: 1967-2007

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

According to the “History of NTID” website, RIT, founded in 1829, competed against eight other colleges for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) to become part of the university. NTID began operations in 1968 to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing students with outstanding technical and professional education programs, complemented by a strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum that prepares them to live and work in the mainstream of a rapidly changing global community and enhances their lifelong learning.

http://www.ntid.rit.edu/history

According to its history on its website, the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center was founded by Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer in the early 2000s. Long-time supporters of NTID, Joseph and the late Helen Dyer, are deaf college graduates. They completed college in a time when very few deaf people did, and they did so as mainstreamed students without any support or access services.

In 1997, the couple established the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Endowed Scholarship Fund at NTID. The fund benefits NTID/RIT students in good academic standing. In early 2000, the Dyers pledged $2.5 million to fund construction and development of the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center at NTID. It is located in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Hall at NTID. There are two galleries within the Joseph. F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center: The Elizabeth W. Williams Gallery and Milton H. and Ray B. Ohringer Gallery. The Elizabeth W. Williams Gallery is the main gallery and serves a multitude of functions, including the exhibition of works by various artists, seminars, and hospitality functions for both NTID and RIT. The gallery was made possible by a $500,000 gift from long-time NTID supporter, the late Elizabeth "Cookie" Williams. The Milton H. and Ray B. Ohringer Gallery is dedicated to improving educational opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing young people.

https://www.rit.edu/ntid/dyerarts/content/history

Robert Baker served as the former Director and Curator of the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Center at National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). Tabitha Jacques was named Director of the Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center in April 2015.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 Hollinger Box)

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

The collection of Robert Baker NTID records and photographs contains promotional materials, memorandums, advertisements, and photographs that relate to the NTID Dyer Arts Center and NTID. All materials within this collection were donated to the RIT Archive Collection by Robert Baker, the former director and curator of NTID’s Dyer Arts Center. Materials within this collection range from 1967 to 2007.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically and by series.

Physical Location

C.S. North, Shelf 224

Other Finding Aids

In addition to this finding aid, an inventory is available below. For more information, please contact the RIT Archive Collections.

Robert Baker collection of NTID records and photographs