Collection Projects

Overview

Janet Gwendolyn Smith Art has managed multiple collection projects encompassing public school district art inventories, museum appraisals, music collection documentation, and provenance research. Each project required specialized knowledge in art inventory, appraisal, and collection management.

Public School District Art Inventory

This was a five-year project based upon the school district 501(c)(3) budget and reporting requirements to review 97 buildings of art on walls and in storage.

The school district project encompassed fine art inventory and appraisals for all art and artifacts exhibited and owned. The project was contracted under the Risk Management Division and District Administration. The inventory was for all art held in 97 buildings with over 3,000 works of art in the public school district. Based upon the broad range of values for the individual works of art, one of three different types of appraisals were used for each item based on final appraised value.

Every building and location was listed with each individual work of art listed in a spreadsheet format with 10 basic searchable categories. The district spreadsheet was easy for the district to manage. The appraisal reports and inventory were critical for reporting the 501(c)(3) assets and management of the public art collection.

The spreadsheet created made it easy for each department needing reporting information to access the information needed. The spreadsheet documented the individual building's fine art inventory. Risk management used and managed the information for additions, conservation and losses. District administration used the inventory report for accounting, asset reporting, insurance, risk management decisions, district, state, federal reporting and federal 501(c)(3) financial reporting requirements.

John G. Neihardt Nebraska State Historic Project

The John G. Neihardt State Historic Site (Neihardt Center) is located in Bancroft, Nebraska, USA. The museum features biographical and personal exhibits from the collection of Nebraska Poet Laureate John Neihardt (January 8, 1881 -- November 24, 1973), the author of Black Elk Speaks and Cycle of the West. The museum needs were for specific items and artifacts to be reviewed.

Mona Martinsen Neihardt, John Neihardt's wife, was an accomplished artist who created a bust of Neihardt that is part of the museum's collection.

Edith Lucille Robbins Day Music Collection

This project involved the documentation and gifting of an extensive music collection spanning over a century. The collection included many USA opera librettos including the "Pagliacci" Enrico Caruso USA 1st Performance Libretto with the Metropolitan NYC -- Rare. The Pagliacci Grand Opera Libretto Metropolitan NYC 1st Edition was produced under the direction of Mr. Heinrich Conried. December 9, 1903 was the first performance of this opera with Caruso, and also the first opera performance in the United States of America by Enrico Caruso.

Collection Provenance: Edith Lucille Robbins (1884-1957), also known as Edith Robbins Day, was a music instructor and music educator from Nebraska who traveled internationally studying music. She published and spoke on music, musical technique, music performance and music education internationally and nationally.

At the age of seven her studies in music were begun. These continued through her school and college life. Miss Robbins held two degrees from the University of Nebraska. As an aid to her song interpretation, she specialized in English Literature, taking her M.A. degree in this work.

After graduate and post-graduate studies in voice, Miss Robbins studied in Chicago. She then made a second trip abroad for further voice study. The years 1910-11-12-13 were spent in Germany, under the guidance of the voice master, George Fergusson, of Berlin. During these years she not only carried on her own voice studies, but she was privileged to hear the daily lessons given by Mr. Fergusson to his artist pupils.

Miss Robbins traveled in nearly every country in Europe in song research. One summer was spent in Norway in study of Norwegian songs. Since her return from Europe she was a member of the faculty in the University School of Music, actively engaged in concert, oratorio, and lecture-recital work, besides her studio classes in voice.

Edith Robbins Day was an active supporter of many projects for the beautification and betterment of Lincoln and its environs. Her community involvement included the Lincoln Garden Club, First Plymouth Congregational Church, and Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.