Arthur J. Vidich (1922-2006) was a long-term member of the faculty at the New School for Social Research as a professor of Sociology (1960-1991). He published dozens of books, papers, and edited anthologies, notably Small Town in Mass Society: Class, Power, and Religion in a Rural Community (1958). This collection contains material documenting his teaching, writing, lectures, and other academic and professional work spanning his entire career. Included are correspondence with colleagues, friends, and presses; manuscript and typescript drafts of his writings; conference and lecture materials; subject files relating to his colleagues and personal life; and items pertaining to his teaching at the New School and other institutions, as well as his role as chair of the New School Sociology Department; photographs; and audio and video recordings of lectures, talks, and courses.

Michael Kalil (1943-1991) was an interior architect, philosopher, educator and artist, known for his innovative work with new materials and for humanizing digital technologies. From 1981 to 1991, he was the principal of Kalil Designs/Kalil Studio, a firm that specialized in high-profile commercial, prototype and theoretical, and residential design commissions. Kalil also served as an adjunct faculty member at the Parsons School of Design. The collection includes Kalil's personal and professional papers, including original artwork, sketchbooks, journals, photographs, project records, architectural drawings, photoprints and sketches, design prototypes, and posthumous materials.