A polaroid from July of 1993 features a small scale model of the Weisman Art Museum interior, which opened in November of that year. This represented a huge step for the University Art Museum—after 59 years of being housed in Northrop Auditorium's upper floors, and many false starts at finding funds for another building, the museum was about to move into a world-class architectural wonder.

While processing the WAM collection, it is not an often occurrence to come across a folder containing only photographs. Box 3 however, is an exception. Several folders in Box 3 contain multiple 8x11 prints that capture early Gallery exhibits.

The presence of photographs (with no writing on the back) and lack of related correspondence or supporting materials leaves this processor continually curious... Take for instance the folder titled, "How to Do It." This folder contains only photographs... photographs that look like this:

A general gallery brochure, multiple copies of which were tucked innocuously into multiple folders, from those documenting grant applications to others partially titled as

To celebrate the invention of the balloon in 1783, the University Art Museum held a bicentennial exhibition in 1983... and collaborated with other arts organizations to provide events that featured the art, technology, and history of - the balloon.

Most of the material contained within the folders of the WAM archives consists of standard 8.5x11 papers documenting correspondence, notes, plans, etc. However, many of the exhibition planning files also contain a wide assortment of intriguing miscellany - photos, slides, negatives, cardboard-mounted wall labels, fabric swatches, catalogue drafts, newspaper clippings, books, etc. Here are a few of the curious items recently discovered while processing: