Photographs (prints, slides, transparencies and negatives), drawings, and published and unpublished maps. Series is divided into subseries: Americas, Africa & Oceanic, and original negatives. Visual materials can be found in other series, notably in the professional activities and research materials series. Items in Box 64 were acquired in 2021.

Course materials and associated material relating to Sawyer's teaching career. It covers time spent at Texas State College for Women, University of British Columbia and various courses, including some study tours to Peru.

Research notes, pattern samples, published articles, draft and unpublished papers, journals and chapters, maps, photographs, correspondence, catalogues, and bibliographic references. It mainly focuses on Ancient Peru / Ancient Andean ceramics and textiles, with some material from Northwest Coast carvings and textiles and minimal material on African masks and textiles.

Academic papers and exhibition catalogues associated with various writing projects. Some materials for the published works relate to museum exhibitions can be found within the curatorial sub-series. Some overlap with the research material series, particularly regarding material prepared by others for conferences (see files: 24-19-24-61). This subseries is concerned with Sawyer's work. At the same time, the publications in the research material series involve the work of others.

Correspondence, reports, notes, photographs, and conference materials related to Sawyer’s professional activities as an educator, writer, curator, and independent consultant, as well as documentation and photographs associated with the administration of the Sawyers’ collection in terms of its use in exhibitions, its exchange/sale/donation, its appraisal, and provenance. Items in Box 64 were acquired in 2021. Items in Box 65 were acquired in 2022.

Provenance information, detailed inventories, conservation histories, sales and acquisition records, donation documentation and correspondence regarding exhibition and research of Sawyer's personal collection.

35 mm b&w with some colour and 55mm negatives. Files contain a mixture of professional activities and objects from the Americas, Africa & Oceania.

Correspondence, photographs, grant proposals, drawings, and maps related to Sawyer's work in the field, mainly in Peru. Also included are materials associated with Sawyer's role as an expert lecturer on board the M.S. Vistafijord. Some material regarding other work across North America.

Artefact loan forms, photographs, meeting minutes, planning documents, correspondence, and exhibition ephemera. Files are mainly organized by institution. For materials regarding associated publications, see also: publishing & conference writing subseries.

Correspondence is divided between individual and institutional correspondents, organized alphabetically as indicated by the received order of files, including research materials, press clippings, thesis submissions, etc. Subjects include referrals, reference requests, curatorial projects, appraisal work, etc. Some folders contain no correspondence; instead, there is just material (presumably sent by the person named on the folder. (Although the correspondence is found throughout the fonds, this sub-series is based on the substantial groupings of alphabetized correspondence. Where indicated, individual files have been inserted into these groupings.)

The series consists of audio recordings and films, presumably taken by Alan Sawyer or others working with him. The audio recordings are on reel-to-reel tapes (10 7” reels and 4 5” reels) and include recordings of lectures and discussions. The films are on “Super 8 mm” film and depict scenes in Mexico and South America. These materials were acquired in 2018 and 2021.

Appraisal reports, correspondence, photographs, and research regarding appraisals.

Photographic prints, slides, maps, and documentation depicting objects and sites related to ancient Andean societies. Includes some materials regarding North America, mainly focused on cultures of the Northwest Coast.

Fonds includes correspondence, notes, publications, maps, drawings, photographs, and presentation aids pertaining to Alan Sawyer’s academic research, writing, curatorial and appraisal work. Includes provenance information and research regarding Sawyer's private collection of art and artefacts including sales records, photographs, inventories, catalogues and correspondence.
Box 63 includes 3 rolls of unprocessed or unused film.

Photographic prints, slides and related documentation covering objects from various African and Oceanic cultures.

Correspondence, calendars, resumes, photographs, and ephemera. Documentation regarding his credentials, personal education, social activities and family are included.