The New School Archives And Special Collections

The Seth Benardete Papers consist of the philosophy and classics scholar's files from his office at New York University (NYU), where he taught for 35 years. The files document Benardete's teaching at The New School, NYU, and City University of New York and scholarship; course materials; lecture notes and transcripts; typescripts; correspondence; and publications totalling around 15,000 manuscript pages.

A trained dentist who became an acclaimed sculptor sometimes associated with the New York School of abstract expressionism, Seymour Lipton (1903-1986) achieved international recognition in 1958, when he was awarded a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale. Lipton taught sculpture at The New School from the 1940s until 1965. The New School Archives holds twenty of his sketches, made between 1960 and 1969, representing ideas for sculptures.

Sherl Nero (1939-2006) was a fashion and textile designer who graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1962 and worked in sportswear design before joining the Design Works of Bedford Stuyvesant (DWBS) in 1971. DWBS was the brainchild of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and designers Doris and Leslie Tillett. With financing from the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the Black-owned business produced African-inspired designs for fabrics and homewares.

This collection contains design material made by Nero at DWBS and from her work as a designer for Burlington Domestics, Aberdeen Inc., and other home textile companies. Also included is biographical material documenting Nero's achievements throughout her career and her trajectory from a fashion student at Parsons to design director for a large home textiles company.

Set of 115 prints of the work of graphic designer Shin Matsunaga (1940- ), as well as the catalog for a 1989 exhibition of his work at Parsons School of Design.

Speaking of Music, and Other Things was a public interview series held at The New School, consisting of conversations between concert promoter Danny Kapilian and popular musician guests. The collection consists of sound recordings of these interviews.

Stanley Barrows (1914-1995) graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1940 and taught interior design there for over twenty years, becoming mentor to several generations of notable designers. The collection includes examples of student work compiled by Barrows, course outlines, class travel itineraries, photographs of Italian decorative styles, biographical material, and correspondence from Barrows related to his work as a designer and teacher.

Stanley Diamond (1922-1991) was an anthropologist and poet instrumental in establishing the Anthropology Department of the New School for Social Research. He chaired the department for fourteen years, during which time he founded and edited the journal Dialectical Anthropology. These papers document Diamond's writings and research, his role as a teacher and administrator, and material related to his participation in conferences and public seminars.

Includes drafts of journal articles and presentations, ethnographic research data and notes, teaching materials, and correspondence with colleagues and publishers. Materials span the entirety of Diamond's career, from his doctoral dissertation on the Kingdom of Dahomey to his later interest in the intersection of anthropology and poetry. Some files are restricted. Please email archivist@newschool.edu for details.

Collection mainly consists of publicity photographs, press clippings, fashion show programs, and other materials related to the fashion design career of Stephen Walton Biddle Mason, Jr., known professionally as Stefan, between the mid-1940s and early 1960s.

Steven Guarnaccia (1953-) is an American freelance illustrator who served as chair of the Illustration Department at Parsons School of Design from 2004 to 2011, and as associate professor at the school until his retirement in 2021, where he taught courses on experimental children’s books and pictozines. The collection includes office files pertaining to special projects undertaken by the department, works professionally published by former students of the program, student-made posters, and over 300 zines produced by Parsons students.

The collection includes a recording, poster drafts and printed poster promoting a New School student performance of the Ernst Toller play, Hoppla, We're Alive (in the original German, Hoppla, Wir Leben). Students in a Eugene Lang College drama class staged the play in 2019 as part of the events celebrating the university centennial, with the revised title, Fuck, We're Alive.