Alice McMechen, Collector, Papers of Artist Alvena V. Seckar A&M 4428

Alice McMechen, Collector, Papers of Artist Alvena V. Seckar A&M 4428


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West Virginia and Regional History Center

1549 University Ave.
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Business Number: 304-293-3536
wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.com
URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu

Laureen Wilson

Repository
West Virginia and Regional History Center
Identification
A&M 4428
Title
Alice McMechen, Collector, Papers of Artist Alvena V. Seckar 1945-1957, 1973-2008, undated
URL:
https://archives.lib.wvu.edu/ark:/99999/199424
Quantity
.3 Linear Feet, 4 in. (document case)
Creator
Seckar, Alvena, 1916-2012
Creator
McMechen, Alice
Location
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Language
English .
Abstract
Papers of artist and author Alvena V. Seckar, collected by her friend Alice McMechen. Collection includes newspaper and magazine articles; material regarding work-in-progress "Jewels of Memory"; invitations to Seckar's birthday parties, correspondence, photographs, artworks, and copies of two of Seckar's books.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Alice McMechen, Collector, Papers of Artist Alvena V. Seckar, A&M 4428, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.


Biographical / Historical

Alvena Seckar was born in McMechen, West Virginia to first-generation immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia in 1915. Her father was a coal miner and the family moved frequently around the coal fields of West Virginia and Pennsylvania during her childhood. Seckar's artistic talents were recognized while she was in school and she was able to attend college, first studying at the University of Pennsylvania. She then transferred to the Institue of Fine Arts, New York University. She earned her Bachelor's Degree there in 1939 and her Master's Degree in the History of Fine Arts in 1949. Seckar's artwork drew inspiration from her coal field childhood, depicting working class people and landscapes with sympathy but without any attempt to "prettify" her subjects. She was also inspired by her travels in post-World War II Europe, where she visited the Eastern Europe of her parent's heritage. Seckar considered herself a politically conscious artist and took part in the Civil Rights Movement, anti-nuclear movement, and other causes. Seckar came to her second career as a writer almost by accident. She was initially interested in illustrating children's books, but after receiving several rejections, decided to write a book of her own. Like her artwork, her books drew from her childhood experiences living in the coal fields. "Zuska of the Burning Hills" and "Mischko" tell stories of children from Eastern European immigrant families living in coal towns, while "Trapped in the Old Mine" is a science-fiction story for young readers. Seckar continued to write, paint, and exhibit her artwork throughout her life. Even when, later in life, she developed multiple sclerosis, which crippled her right hand, Seckar continued to paint and write, even teaching herself to paint with her left hand. Seckar had been working on a novel regarding the lives of her grandmother, mother, and herself -- tentatively titled "Jewels of Memory" -- which was not published before her death. Seckar passed away on 7 March 2012 in her long-time home of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.

Content Description

Papers of artist and author Alvena V. Seckar, collected by her friend Alice McMechen. Collection includes newspaper and magazine articles regarding Seckar's later years after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and taught herself how to paint with her (non-dominant) left hand. In addition, there is material regarding "Jewels of Memory", a work-in-progress by Seckar about her mother's life, and regarding Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, which re-issued Seckar's earlier works and would have published "Jewels". There are also illustrated invitations to Seckar's birthday parties, correspondence, photographs, artworks, and copies of two of Seckar's books.

Related Material

556, 903, 2002, 4204, 4428

Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • American literature -- Slovak American authors
  • Art and artists
  • Authors -- Letters and papers
  • Slovak Americans
  • Women authors, American -- West Virginia -- 20th century
  • Women's history -- 1929-1950
  • Women's history -- 1951-present
  • Women's history -- Emigration and immigration

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

  • McMechen, Alice
  • Seckar, Alvena, 1916-2012

Container List

Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1
Correspondence from Seckar to Alice McMechen
1973, 2008, undated
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
2 photographs of Seckar in traditional Slovakian costume
ca. 2000
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 3
Illustrated invitations to Seckar's birthday parties and other events
1996, 2000, 2002, undated
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 4
Newspaper and magazine articles regarding Seckar
1957, 1979-2000
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5
Copy of a letter from McMechen to Robert Meeropol, son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, regarding Seckar
undated
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5
Article written by Seckar regarding Julius Rosenberg
1996
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers advertisements regarding Seckar's books and Slovak books
ca. 1997
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Computer printout of "Jewels of Memory," Seckar's biography of her mother
undated
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 8
Copy of "Zuska of the Burning Hills" with dust-jacket
1952
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9
Copy of "Misko"
1956
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10
5 small pieces of artwork by Seckar
1945, 1970, undated
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10
4 photographs of paintings by Seckar
2003, undated
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11
Pencil sketch "Jane Street, Greenwich Village" by Seckar
ca. 1950
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12
Lithograph version of Winifred Lubell's woodcut "Harriet Tubman"
undated