Joanne L. Ratner, Researcher/Interviewer, UCLA Oral History Program. B.A., American Studies/Art History, Scripps College; M.A., Art History/Museum Studies, University of Southern California.
Tape I, the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas; Tape II, the Leeper's home on the museum grounds.
May 9, 1988 (62 minutes); May 10, 1988 (58).
2.
Tape I, Side One, John Leeper and Ratner; Tape I, Side Two and Tape II, Blanche Magurn Leeper, John Leeper, and Ratner.
This interview is one in a series related to the history of the Pasadena Art Museum.
Ratner reviewed a variety of materials directly related to the Pasadena Art Museum, including minutes of the executive committee from 1958 to 1974, calendars of events, exhibition catalogs and reviews, scrapbooks, newspaper and magazine articles, California Design files, and essays, brochures, and speeches pertaining to the museum's early history. In addition, Ratner read relevant interviews conducted by the UCLA Oral History Program for its Los Angeles Art Community: Group Portrait series.
The interview follows a thematic outline, but within each subject area the discussion proceeds somewhat chronologically. Individuals discussed include board members Abigail von Schlegell and Virginia Steele Scott. Leeper discussed the early history of the museum, the director's responsibilities, exhibition policy, the development of a contemporary focus, and the acquisition of the Galka Scheyer Blue Four Collection.
Virginia Carew, assistant editor, edited the interview. She checked the verbatim transcript of the interview against the original tape recordings, edited for punctuation, paragraphing, and spelling, and verified proper names. Words and phrases inserted by the editor have been bracketed. The edited transcript was sent to the Leepers in January of 1990 for review. They verified the spellings of proper names by telephone. Richard Candida Smith, principal editor, prepared the table of contents. Richard Iosty, editorial assistant, prepared the biographical summary and interview history. Lisa White, editorial assistant, compiled the index.
The original tape recordings of the interview are in the university archives and are available under the regulations governing the use of permanent noncurrent records of the university. Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Oral History Program.