Women in Art and Good Neighbor Politics: Grace Morley at the Art Committee of the Office of Inter-American Affairs during World War II

Abstract

This article explores the inclusion of women in the Good Neighbor policy by examining in particular the role of Grace Morley, a recognized expert from the United States, director of the San Francisco Museum of Art. During World War II, the United States government deployed a set of cultural strategies to establish ties with South American countries, particularly policies of exchange and visualization of Latin American art. Since 1940, Grace Morley served as an advisor to the Office of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA) activities, led by Nelson Rockefeller. In 1942, she designed a traveling exhibition of Contemporary Latin American Art to be circulated in various institutions in the United States. This article describes how she carried out the project despite setbacks caused by the lack of funds and the little attention from the OCIAA. We analyze in detail this project and its competition with other initiatives of the Office of Inter-American Affairs. Finally, we will describe Morley's role as one of the most active representatives in the world of the arts during the Good Neighbor policy (1939-1945). We will examine her role as a woman and specialist in a context where cultural and political management of cultural diplomacy was in the hands of men, and women occupied subordinate roles as secretaries or advisors. We will review the personal and institutional networks and support for her task linked to her academic reputation.