This collection consists of files and printed materials created by the Admissions department from the 1930s through 2007. The bulk of the collection is statistic reports on incoming students.

The Administrative Files of Series 1 include form letters used by the department. In addition to Admission Statistics reports in Series 2, there are statistics on enrollment, grades and inquiries by prospective students. The restricted Portfolio Review Logs in Series 3 list all the prospective students by the date they brought their portfolios in to be reviewed, and whether or not they were accepted.

The Printed Materials in Series 4 are mainly handouts to prospective students, including brochures and “View”, which is geared toward high school students. Series 5 consists of general recruitment posters. The 2006 posters feature artwork by alumni Calef Brown (ILLU 1988) and Ann Elliot Cutting (PHOT 1987).

The Public Programs collection primarily consists of catalogs, brochures, and program materials from Art Center at Night, Art Center for Kids, Art Center for Teens, Summer Institute for Teachers, and other programs. The administrative files in Series 1 contain reports and planning records from David Walker, Director Public Programs (1996-2007).

Note that photographs from Public Programs exist in the Photograph collection. A CD of images from Summer Institute of Teachers was removed from this material and moved to the Photograph collection.

These Library records were created by Elizabeth Galloway, Library Director from 1979 to 2013. The collection includes memos, minutes, reports, and surveys, which document the activity of the Library Director as well as Art Center. The bulk of the material was collected by Galloway rather than generated by her, and documents Art Center's administration generally more than the administration of the Library specifically. The David R. Brown files include memos sent by Galloway to Brown, memos from Brown to Galloway and to the Vice Presidents, and memos to and from the Board of Trustees. Additionally, minutes of the Curriculum Committee, minutes of the Vice Presidents meetings, minutes and correspondence of the Library Advisory Board, and minutes and newsletters of the Student Government all document planning and changes in the way Art Center operated from the mid 1980s to 2001. A draft of the Leon Whiteson history of Art Center includes Galloway's notes and corrections. Various reports from departments within the school, including enrollment statistics (for international students, Art Center at Night, and Saturday High) as well as independent consultants' reports, add further insight.

These audiotapes originally housed in the Library are recordings of a varied collection of Art Center events, visiting speakers, and classes.

This collection contains ArtCenter exhibition invitations, announcement, posters, and catalogs from the early 1930s to the present. The collection did not come from one source, and was compiled from years of various exhibitions. In addition, the collection represents all of the ArtCenter galleries, although exhibitions from the Williamson Gallery make up most of the collection beginning in 1992.

Series 1 has materials from Art Center's main exhibits, featuring many prominent artists. Some of these exhibits are traveling, and some are curated by Art Center staff and guests. There is a gap in our collection between 1955 and 1976. An exhibit on Richard Avedon's photographs was an important event for Art Center, shown just two months after the opening of the Ellwood building in 1976. Also historical was the Christopher Le Brun exhibit in 1992 that launched the new Alyce de Roulet Williamson gallery. Beginning in the early 2000s we began more partnerships with other Pasadena institutions, such as with Neuro, 2003 and ear(th), 2004 (both collaborations with Caltech), The Universe, 2001 (with related exhibits around Pasadena), and In the Dermisphere, 2007 (part of a Pasadena festival: SKIN: Art and Ideas).

Series 2 contains invitations and announcements for student exhibits from 1934 - 2004. The early records are mostly for an annual exhibit of student work from all departments. Most of the later records are for individual student MFA shows. This series is incomplete and contains records that were gathered together in 2003. Other materials for student shows may be found in individual department collections. The regular Grad Show announcements are found in the Graduation collection.

These Exhibitions records were created by Stephen Nowlin, Vice President, Director, Williamson Gallery from 1985-2021. The collection includes reports, contracts, correspondence, and clippings which document the activity of the Director as well as the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery and Sculpture Garden.

The Administrative files are mainly correspondence files. Of interest is the file on ArtCenter's original website, of which Nowlin was integral to the design and creation. The ArtNight files consist of brochures, meeting notes, and correspondence documenting ArtCenter's participation in Pasadena's citywide cultural event. The Exhibitions files document the many exhibitions Nowlin curated in the Williamson Gallery. Included are gallery mockups, loan agreements, and lists of art/artists. The Sculpture Garden files consist of loan agreements, condition reports, maps, and artist biographies. The Student Gallery files are mainly information sheets filled out by the students identifying their work for exhibition labels. The Clippings files contain photocopies of newspaper reviews of exhibitions.

The Faculty Council Collection consists of by-laws, policies and procedures, meeting minutes, memos, and faculty enrichment grant applications.

This small collection of video from Faculty Council includes grant writing workshops and Faculty Project Grant Project presentations.

This collection contains final projects and reports from recipients of the Faculty Project Grants.

The Samsung Faculty Project Grants awarded by Art Center Faculty Council invest in faculty projects to encourage innovatio in their fields, make special projects possible, and advance art and design through experimentation and research. This raises the bar for creative work at Art Center, creates more qualified faculty, and helps our students see exciting new work by their faculty.
The Faculty Council awards up to $40,000 annually in grants in amounts up to $5000. The funds for the grants come from the Samsung Faculty Enrichment Endowment that was established in 1998.

The Art Center (Europe) collection documents campus administration and student activities throughout the school’s ten year history. The bulk of the collection is correspondence and administrative files which document the creation, operation and closure of the school. The Accreditation files in Series 1 are the reports related to accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Administrative Files in Series 2 also contain files on establishing a European campus. Series 3 includes general information about Admissions, including the course catalogs. The few files in the Alumni series list the school's graduates and track their employment. The remodeling and construction phase of the school is well documented in the Buildings/Facilities files in Series 5. The chronological files in Series 6 include correspondence, reports, memos, and clippings regarding classes, students, and recruiting. The files in Series 7 consist mainly of ephemera related to graduation ceremonies. Series 8 contains various materials printed by the school including brochures and letterhead. Public Relations materials in Series 9 document Art Center (Europe)’s media presence through the clippings and media summaries. The five Publications in Series 10 were published by Art Center (Europe) and contain news, profiles and updates on the school and its students. Series 11 houses 14 student-designed t-shirts that were made for graduations and conferences.

This collection is an amalgamation of materials created by staff and faculty at both Art Center and Art Center (Europe). The files from Art Center (Europe) were sent to Art Center after the closure of the school.

The Art Center (Europe) photograph collection contains images of the building and grounds, faculty, staff, students, events, classroom environments, and student work.

The Edward A. Adams Papers relate mainly to Adams's personal life. The pieces related to Art Center are a brochure announcing the opening of the school, correspondence about the school's federal tax exemption, memos about design education in Australia, student honors and awards, as well as the publication "The Future of Japanese Industrial Design". The bulk of the correspondence is to his friends and family members, including daughter Marjorie Stotsky. The legal papers relate to various personal property issues. Three of the photographs are of Adams, one taken on a visit to Japan. The remaining two photographs are promotional images of an advertising class.

The Donald Kubly Papers are a small collection of materials from Kubly's presidency. His Board Meeting Notes are outlines of the information he presented at Board of Regents (now Board of Trustees) Meetings. The materials related to the Executive Board include a brochure explaining the duties of the Board. The various reports include the President's annual reports on the state of Art Center. The W.A.S.C. Accreditation files consist mainly of correspondence about the accreditation process and draft reports. Also included in this collection are Faculty and Staff directories maintained by his administrative assistant, Dolores Dils.

The Edward Hanak Papers consist mainly of materials from Hanak's vice presidency related to the building of the new Pasadena campus. The only files related to his role as Director of Development are those of the Fairchild Foundation, the major funding source in the acquisition of the Pasadena property. The bulk of the collection is the buildings/facilities files which document the planning, construction, and furnishing of the new campus.