Myra Wykes Rigor Selvadurai papers and artifacts
Collection
0106-SCPA
Myra Wykes Rigor Selvadurai (1936-2012) was a performer, researcher, art therapist and Fulbright Scholar specializing in the indigenous artistic forms of Sri Lanka. The collection consists of books, posters, postcards, statues, masks, instruments, costumes, and jewelry from her time in Sri Lanka.
There are no restricted files in this collection.
Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Contact the curator for an appointment: http://www.lib.umd.edu/scpa/contact
7.75 Linear Feet
The Myra Wykes Rigor Selvadurai papers and artifacts cover the period from 1959 to 2012; the bulk of the materials date from 1965 to 1970. The collection consists mainly of personal possessions; much of them relating to her time spent in Sri Lanka. This includes books, posters, postcards, statues, masks, instruments, costumes, and jewelry. The papers are arranged into series by the types of materials with almost the entirety of the contents being related, in some way, to Sri Lankan culture with the exception of the biographical materials.
Myra Wykes Rigor Selvadurai (1936-2012) was a performer, researcher, artist and Fulbright Scholar specializing in the indigenous artistic forms of Sri Lanka.
She was born in Haddon Heights, New Jersey and attended The University of Maryland, College Park where she obtained the first undergraduate degree majoring in dance. Furthering her studies, she also earned an MFA in Dance and Related Arts from The Women's College of the University of North Carolina in 1961.
A Fulbright Scholarship in 1965 took her to Sri Lanka where she was immersed in the local arts including dance, Batik weaving, and puppetry. She also undertook oil painting as well as art therapy work later in her life.
This collection is arranged into five series.
This collection was given to the School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland in 2012 and transferred to Special Collections in Performing Arts. In July 2016, the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies transferred an original copy of Selvadurai’s MFA thesis.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library