Shirley Wyrick papers

Collection

Identifier: IWA0911

Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

The Shirley Wyrick Papers date from 1974 to 2009 and measure 10.8 linear feet. The papers are arranged in nine series: Biographical, Writings, Conferences and Workshops, Exhibitions, Artwork, Professional, Community, Greater Iowa City Area Cultural Alliance (GICACA), and CenterSpace.

The Biographical series includes Wyrick’s resume, profile articles from the Iowa Arts Council and Eastern Iowa’s The Gazette, and details about the Englert Theater Art Gallery lobby that was donated and named by Mryon and Jacqueline Blank in Wyrick’s honor.

The Writings series (1976-1988) consists of academic research papers and presentation outlines, written and drawn documentation for Wyrick’s Master of Fine Arts thesis, and the written component of Wyrick’s Master of Art thesis.

The Conferences and Workshops series (1988-2009) includes programs and hand-outs from various conferences and workshops Wyrick attended, mostly related to public art.

The Exhibition series is comprised of promotional mailings, brochures, and details relating to exhibitions of Wyrick’s work including information about individual shows and participation in group shows at venues such as the Blander Art Gallery in Fort Dodge, Iowa and the Charles H. MacNider Museum in Mason City, Iowa.

The Artwork series includes articles, correspondence, and detailed proposals on specific pieces Wyrick created or planned on creating.

The Professional series includes brochures, contracts, and correspondence from Artworks Incorporated, co-founded by Wyrick. Artworks Incorporated represented artists and connected them with businesses, private collectors, and architects in an effort to place original art in more workplaces and homes.

The Community series is comprised of correspondence and notes relating to projects Wyrick was involved in across the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area. Wyrick volunteered in many community associations and projects including fundraising for the Optstad Auditorium for the City High Arts Council in Iowa City, the Downtown Iowa City Streetscape project, and being a member of the Washington Hills Neighborhood Association.

The Greater Iowa City Area Cultural Alliance (GICACA) series consists of materials relating to the creation and promotion of an arts and cultural resource for Iowa City. It is comprised of financial and business documents, research topic files, and public meeting minutes and notes.

The CenterSpace series includes information about the creation of an arts community center in Iowa City. Though the project was unrealized, Wyrick was integral in planning and advocating for CenterSpace volunteering on many committees and doing an extensive amount of research on other established community arts centers. The series includes surveys and newspaper clipping about arts in the Iowa City area, brochures and promotional materials from other arts community centers, committee meeting minutes, design and planning documents and drawings, feasibility reports and summaries, and papers related to a sales tax campaign that would help fund the community arts center.

Dates

Creation: 1974-1999

Creator

Wyrick, Shirley (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Shirley Wyrick was an Iowa City artist and resident. In her art practice, Wyrick focused on large scale sculptural and installation works. Many of her works were installed within the state of Iowa including at the State Historical Society in Des Moines and at multiple locations across the University of Iowa's campus in Iowa City. Wyrick was an advocate for supporting and encouraging arts in the Iowa City community and served on committees for multiple arts organizations including the Greater Iowa City Cultural Alliance (GICACA). She also helped lead an effort to build CenterSpace, a multi-disciplinary community arts center that would have been located in downtown Iowa City.