Recollecting the Archives of Artist and Monuments Man Lewis Stanton Williams

In conducting original research for a graduate archival studies course, the paintings of Monuments Man Lewis Stanton Williams (1893–1970) emerged as an important archival collection that would require distance-adapted practices, professional altruism between archival and museum domains, and personal collaboration to provide access. Though incomplete information complicated an initial factual investigation launched in the classroom, people worked together to combine essential pieces of data and expand public awareness of Williams’s material legacy. We describe how centering the ongoing archival, museum, family, and community collaboration in Williams’s hometown will continue to welcome diverse contributions in celebrating that community’s place in history.