This series consists of biographical and personal materials. These materials encompass his early life and family through correspondence and photographs; his daily activities through daily calendars; awards, fellowships, and grants received for his contributions to the field of art criticism and art history; his recreational activities through his photographs of vacations and friends; and his advocacy on behalf of the gay community, especially those affected by HIV and AIDS, through his involvement with Sex Panic! and ACT UP.

This series consists of personal and professional correspondence (letters, postcards, and emails) with friends, colleagues, and institutions. Topics covered include artwork currently being produced by the artists themselves; professional collaborations with editors, artists, and publishers; and the mundanity of people's daily lives.

This series reflects Crimp's work as an art consultant and curator, which focused on promoting artists who were making strides in performance art, dance, and film, such as Agnes Martin, Robert Longo, and Andy Warhol. This focus can be seen in the exhibitions Agnes Martin, Pictures, and Dia's Andy: Through the Lens of Patronage respectively. Materials consist of correspondence, memos, exhibition catalogues and annoucements, press releases, lists of artists' work, photographs of artwork, loan forms, wall text, and contracts with institutions sponsoring the exhibitions. Two exhibitions that Crimp did not curate are included here, The Pictures Generation and Pictures: Before and After, because they were inspired by Crimp's exhibition, Pictures, and reflect his influence on the art world. Additionally, some of his personal artwork was used in the exhibitions and the latter exhibition was dedicated to him. He most likely also acted as a consultant for both exhibitions. A few materials are in Spanish.

This series contains materials related to Crimp's work as an educator, lecturer, and expert in the fields of art criticism and art history. The breadth of his knowledge, through the variety of art historical topics taught, is evident in the anonymous student evaluations from the University of Rochester and recommendation letters written on his behalf. His focus on queer theory and sexuality is reflected in his time at Columbia University and in the various lectures and conferences in which he participated.

This series focuses on Crimp's vast amount of writing on topics including queer theory, performance art, dance, photography, and film. His early advocacy of art that subverted the norm is evident in his articles on Agnes Martin (1973) and Joan Jonas (1976). His idea that museums are not neutral institutions is reflected in his book collaboration with Louise Lawler, On the Museum's Ruins. Crimp's advancment of queer theory can be seen in "Portraits of People with AIDS" (1992) and Before Pictures, which describes his own experiences growing up gay in Idaho in the 1950s. The materials in this series include published writing as articles, book chapters, and books, and unpublished writing, such as lectures, speeches, and notes.

This series consists of published and unpublished books, articles, and manuscripts; artwork; and photographs by others. Most of these materials were collected and consulted by Crimp as research for his writing and curatorial work on the artists of the "Pictures Generation," such as Sherrie Levine, Jack Goldstein, and Cindy Sherman; dance and performance artists, such as Yvonne Rainer; and AIDS activism and queer theory, as viewed in the writing of Michael Callen and Juan A. Suárez. Additionally, some material was sent to Crimp by friends, colleagues, and publishers for review or comment, as evident in inscribed works by Richard Meyer and Eve Kosofsky Sedwick. Some materials are in languages other than English. Many of the authors and artists listed here can also be found in Series VIII. Subject Files.

Printed matter consists of magazine articles and peer-reviewed articles on or about Crimp. Many of the articles are interviews with Crimp, discussing his writing and curatorial work on the "Pictures Generation" artists, dance and performance art, photography and film, and queer theory. Most of the articles are related to recent publications, exhibitions, or lectures. The peer-reviewed articles often cite Crimp in support of, or sometimes as opposed to, the authors' writing on these topics.

This series contains research material (clippings, photocopied articles and book chapters, and exhibition catalogues) on various individuals and topics of interest to Crimp, including dance theory, film, queer theory, and "Pictures Generation" artists (Jack Goldsteing, Sherrie Levine, and Robert Longo). He used many of these materials as research for his writing and curatorial work. Additional topics include other art exhibitons to which he was invited, as seen in the poster, brochures, and postcards in the Art Exhibitions folder, and writing about contemporary art, as viewed in issues of Parachute and Newspaper Jan Mot in the Art Magazines folder. Many of the individuals listed here also can be found in Series VI. Work by Others.