Alice Kagawa Parrott papers, circa 1950-2010

Scope and Contents

The papers of Japanese American fiber artist and ceramicist, Alice Kagawa Parrott, measure 7.6 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2010. The collection mainly documents Parrott's work as a fiber artist based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There is a small amount of biographical material; correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues; personal business records mostly of financial records related to Parrott's business The Market later known as Parrott Fabrics Inc.; studio practice files related to equiment, materials, and designs for wall hangings, clothes, and tapestries; printed material such as exhibition catalogs and clippings mostly on Parrott and her arwork but also on other artists; and photographs and slides of Parrott, her weavings, family and friends, and her studio and home.

Biographical materials consists of Alice Kagawa Parrott's biographical profiles, curriculum vitae, business cards, address books, award certificates and various identification documents such as passports, licenses, and membership cards.

There is a mixture of personal and professional correspondence with friends, family, colleagues, universities, galleries, and museums. Notable correspondents include fiber artist Lenore Tawney, ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu, and woodworker Sam Maloof.

Personal business records mostly consist of financial documents related to Alice Kagawa Parrott's craft and weaving shop called The Market which was later incorporated as Parrott Fabrics Inc. There are several check registers that list expenses for materials, bills and receipts, sales records, customer orders, and notebooks for tracking expenses. There is a lot of documentation about the establishment and running of Parrott Fabrics Inc., its incorporation, by-laws, and meeting minutes.

Studio practice files are mostly related to the equipment, materials, and processes which Alice Kagawa Parrott used to create her wall hangings and clothes for customers. This series includes dye recipes, garment patterns, pencil design sketches of wall hangings, yarn samples, and wall hanging studies. There are notebooks on weaving techniques and warps, files with materials on workshops on dyeing and weaving, and other materials.

Printed materials are mostly about Alice Kagawa Parrott and her artwork, but there are also some materials on other artists such as ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu, who was a close friend. Materials in this series include clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, magazines, and bulletins.

Photographs are of Alice Kagawa Parrott, her home, studio, dyeing process, wall hangings, garments, friends and family. The bulk of the series consists of photographic prints and slides.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Alice Kagawa Parrott papers were donated in 2019 by Paul Kagawa and Diane Leavitt, trustees of the Alice Kagawa Parrott Family Trust.

Sponsor

Processing Information

The collection was fully processed, prepared for digitization, and described in a finding aid by Rihoko Ueno in 2024 with funding provided by the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.