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Christine Bunting, head of Special Collections at McHenry Library, displays an untitled photograph taken by the late Miller Outcalt.
Photo: Scott Rappaport
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November 29, 2004
Library receives half-million-dollar gift
to benefit Special Collections photo archives
By Scott Rappaport
UCSC has received a $500,000 gift to benefit Special Collections
in the University Library. The endowment will be established
in honor of the late Miller and Bunny Outcalt and their lifelong
partnership in the field of photography.
Bunny and Miller Outcalt Photo:
Ken Roberts |
Proceeds will be used to fund a permanent staff position dedicated
to work on the extensive photography archives housed at UCSC.
The University Library’s Special Collections has built
up an exceptionally strong body of work by many of the region’s
most distinguished photographers, including Edward Weston, Morley Baer, Pirkle Jones, and Al Weber.
The UCSC collection is distinctive in its close ties to an
active academic program, its simultaneous focus on preservation
and access, and its location amidst a stunning natural landscape
that inspired a generation of master photographers.
“Miller was a great admirer of nature photography of
which the university has a large collection in its archives,”
noted Christine Bunting, head of Special Collections. “The
gift is designed to create a new staff position to steward our
unique collection that now numbers in the hundreds of thousands
of prints and negatives--ranging from historic views of Santa
Cruz to the landscapes of Edward Weston.”
Miller and Bunny Outcalt established a multimillion dollar photo
supply distributorship in southern California before retiring
in 1983. They moved to Carmel in 1990 to devote themselves to
photography as an art form--establishing the Photo Workshop
Group of the Carmel Foundation and nurturing Miller’s talents
as an amateur photographer specializing in landscape and close-up
abstracts. The couple focused on philanthropy, promoting the
photographic arts throughout the major cultural institutions
of the Monterey Bay Area.
“It’s very unusual to endow a staff position at the
university,” noted Bunting. “It took someone like
Miller who had both a love of photography and astute business
sense to recognize the importance of supporting the organizational
underpinning of the collections.”
The new photo archivist position will help the library to process
collections, inventory, catalog and index photographs, and prepare
finding aids for the materials, as well as to appraise the physical
condition of the collections and plan for preservation and conservation.
The gift also ensures long-term accessibility for the public
to enjoy the unique holdings at UCSC.
Miller died on November 16 and his wife, Bunny, died in January
of 2003. As UCSC’s McHenry Library is scheduled for a major
renovation and expansion in the near future, there will soon
be a new “Bunny & Miller Outcalt Special Collections
Reading Room” as a tribute and honor in recognition of
their gift.
“We’re really pleased to name our reading room after
Miller and Bunny,” said Bunting. “It’s a wonderful
place where the public can conduct research, view Special Collections
material, and enjoy photographic exhibits.”
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