Collection inventory

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August L. Freundlich Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Kyle C. Wilson
Date: 2007

Revision history:

Biography

August L. Freundlich was a professor and administrator at Syracuse University.

Freundlich was born on May 9, 1924, in Frankfurt, Germany. When he immigrated to the United States is unclear. He served as a corporal in the United States Marine Corps from 1942 to 1946. While serving during World War II he was wounded in the line of duty and received the Purple Heart in recognition of his sacrifice. At some point after his return from the armed service Freundlich married Lillian Grace Thomson. In 1949, he received his bachelor degree in art from Antioch College in Ohio. He was then appointed an Art Education Specialist at the Antioch Laboratory School from 1949 to 1950. At that time Freundlich chose to pursue his master’s in art history from Columbia University Teachers College. Upon the completion of his degree in 1950, he was hired as an instructor in art education at the University of Arkansas from 1950 to 1953. After his employment there ended, Freundlich took a position as a visiting professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz. In 1954, he was appointed Chairman of the Art Department at Eastern Michigan University until 1958. That year he took a position as the Chairman of the Art Department at the George Peabody College for Teachers.

While at George Peabody College for Teachers Freundlich worked to complete his Ph.D. in Art Administration from New York University. He completed his dissertation, "College Art Departments in a Time of Expansion," in 1960. He left Peabody College in 1964 to be the Director of the Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery at Miami University and Chairman of the Miami University Art Department.

By 1970, Freundlich was appointed the Dean of the Syracuse University School of Art. He came to the School of Art with ambitions to improve the program from sixth in the country to first within a short period of time. In addition, he felt that the overall Syracuse community could benefit from a more interactive, richer relationship with the School of Art. In order to achieve that goal Freundlich wanted to strengthen the ties that Syracuse University had to the Everson Museum of Art and work in tandem with it, as opposed to competing with it. Freundlich thought that a mutually beneficial relationship with the museum would strengthen the program overall.

At the time of his appointment, Freundlich felt that the Lowe Art Center, currently the southeast section of the Schine Student Center, was an inadequate and outdated gallery space. He made it one of his personal goals to procure funding for a new gallery facility for the School of Art. Freundlich felt that featuring the Syracuse University Art Collection would make the School of Art more prominent, attracting new students to the program. His ideas for the collection were to center around the massive canvas by Samuel F.B. Morse, Gallery of the Louvre.

In 1971, Chancellor Melvin A. Eggers chose to merge the School of Art, School of Music, Department of Speech, and Department of Drama into a new College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). Chancellor Eggers named Freundlich dean of the new college. In 1971, Freundlich was granted a research fellowship from the Kress Foundation in order to further his research pertaining to German art, which was his personal passion. By 1975, he served as a consultant on the Arts, Education, and Americans Panel, sponsored by the American Council of the Arts in Education, which promotes art as an essential component of school curriculum. In 1976, Freundlich attended the National Council of the Arts in Washington, D.C. as a representative of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans.

In 1978, Freundlich was given a special honor by being invited to visit China as a member of a delegation of deans and museum directors as part of a new era of Chinese-American relations. A few years later in 1981, he was asked by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China to attend the Sino-American Conference on Arts in Taipei, Taiwan. His aspiration during the tours was to promote and preserve traditional Chinese art as well as encourage new artistic expression through foreign influence.

On June 30, 1982, Freundlich resigned as dean in order to complete a book concerning James Earl Fraser. In the summer of 1983, Freundlich officially left the Syracuse faculty to take a position as the Executive Director for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.

During August L. Freundlich’s time at Syracuse University he helped improve the overall quality of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. He developed several new programs and expanded others in the departments of music industry, museology, musical theater, and Syracuse Stage. At the time of his resignation he was the longest-serving dean on the campus, having devoted twelve years to improving the University.

Scope and Content Note

The August Freundlich Papers contain materials dating from 1956 to 1972. The folders include correspondence, student papers, memorandums, art exhibition pamphlets, flyers, and photographs relating to organizations Freundlich was affiliated with throughout his career. The majority of the materials pertain to his career prior to his employment at Syracuse University.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

The Archives holds a clipping file and portrait file on August L. Freundlich.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Freundlich, August L.
Syracuse University -- Faculty.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Subjects

Art schools.
Art--Study and teaching.
College administrators.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

August L. Freundlich Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

A large portion of the materials dating from 1958 to 1968 were deposited at the Archives by August Freundlich. Acquisition information pertaining to other materials is unknown.

Processing Information

Materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes.

Arrangement

The items are arranged in alphabetical order.

Table of Contents

Papers

Inventory