Series V: Museum of American Folk Art, 1964 - 1987

This series primarily contains correspondence with directors of the Museum of American Folk Art, now called the American Folk Art Museum. The papers are organized by last name, and then chronologically. The bulk of the correspondence is with museum Director Bob Bishop and spans from 1976 to 1990. They exchange personal notes, discuss possibilities for future exhibitions and acquisitions, negotiate donations made by Earnest, and discuss plans for the future of the museum. The other directors with whom Earnest was in contact were Mary Black and Bruce Johnson. Exchanges with Mary Black span from 1964 to 1969 and include letters about the acquisition of the Gabriel Weathervane and other donations that Earnest made to the museum. Bruce Johnson and Earnest corresponded between 1973 and 1976, mostly in regard to appraisals of her collection and pieces donated to the museum. There are general donation and financial records from the museum dating from 1965 to 1991, and letters of thanks from curators and other museum staff.