This article is more than 5 years old.

Marcel Marceau materials from the Secrest Artists Series collection

On Monday, Vicki Johnson and I presented at the Society of North Carolina Archivists (SNCA) Conference on the Secrest Artists Series. Our theme, like that of the SNCA conference, was on community engagement and connections. We used the Secrest Artists Series, and the archival collection for the series, as an example of holdings in Special Collections and Archives that has a great deal of potential to bridge the gap between Special Collections, campus, and the Winston-Salem community. With the retirement of the long time director of the series, Lillian Shelton, Special Collections and Archives acquired a large archives of the Secrest Artists Series and began processing. Shortly after Lillian’s retirement, Marion Secrest passed away prompting community interest in the series and the collection. Special Collections and Archives made the Secrest Artists Series collection a processing priority for patron use, community outreach, and digitization. We have completed the processing and are pleased to have the Secrest Artists Series finding aid available for researchers and people interested in the series! Like the series itself, this collection is an amazing testament to the arts and Wake Forest’s commitment to bringing world-class performers to campus. Many attendees of our SNCA presentation showed interest and suggested ways to connect this collection to the greater Winston-Salem arts community. I enjoyed SNCA and appreciate the opportunity for Vicki and me to showcase such a great collection.