Scope and arrangement
The Nanette Bearden Papers document some aspects of Bearden's personal life and her careers as a fashion model and dancer/choreographer. The personal papers include a few letters referring to her husband Romare Bearden (1987-1988) and fashion sketches she drew as a student. The series Modeling Career, 1949-1963, contains programs for fashion shows in which she was featured, print ads, and a script she wrote for a 1954 fashion show.
The Dance Career series, 1971-1996, contains information about both dance companies she founded, the Dance Chamber Group and the Nanette Bearden Contemporary Dance Theatre (NBCDT). The files contain information about only a few aspects of the dance companies. The Dance Chamber Dance Company material (1971-1981) includes a notebook that discusses the formation of the company in 1971 and appointment books. Contracts for dancers and for performance venues and choreographers represent both dance companies. Files for the NBCDT include Bearden's notebooks with lists of costumes, contacts, performance itineraries and programs (1982-1992). The series includes information regarding two dance performances presented by the NBCDT in honor of jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams in 1988 and 1989. There is also correspondence, a narration script, and related material for the Annual Renaissance Award Gala that was dedicated to Romare Bearden in 1992-1993.