The James Pollock Papers document the life, military service, artistic development, and professional activities of South Dakota artist James Pollock, with particular emphasis on his participation in the U.S. Army Combat Artists Program and his subsequent research into its history. The collection includes correspondence, journals, notebooks, interviews, reports, newspaper and magazine articles, exhibition materials, photographs, original sketches and artwork, prints, publications, audiovisual recordings, and memorabilia. Materials trace his development from student work at South Dakota State University through his military service and later career as an artist, illustrator, and photographer.

A substantial portion of the collection concerns Pollock's service with Combat Art Team IV in Vietnam in 1967. Application drawings, military orders and itineraries, letters sent home from basic training, Korea, and Vietnam, activity reports, personal notes, photographs, and reproductions of his combat artwork document his experiences as a soldier-artist. Research files include correspondence, interviews, notes, team lists, and biographical information concerning other combat artists. These materials extend beyond Vietnam to document teams assigned to Korea, Thailand, Germany, Alaska, and Panama. Exhibition records, publications, presentations, and correspondence also document Pollock's efforts to preserve the program's history and promote public recognition of military art, including exhibitions in Indianapolis and at the Robinson Museum in Pierre, South Dakota, and presentations associated with veterans and the Library of Congress.

Original ink sketches, sketchbooks, preliminary studies, and finished artwork form another substantial component. Dated and numbered drawings document Pollock's creative process, including progressive drawings and experiments using his left hand or both hands simultaneously. Subjects include wildlife, landscapes, human figures, abstract forms, and imagined figures. Paintings, prints, woodcut blocks, and published illustrations provide examples of his work across different media and demonstrate connections between preliminary studies and completed images. Related materials document illustrations for Blood on the Killdeer by Dana Close Jennings, publication covers, posters, logos, medallion designs, and projects associated with South Dakota's Centennial and Bicentennial celebrations. Clothing and other objects bearing his Dakota Survival bison design, including items associated with Dances with Wolves, illustrate additional uses of his artwork.

Correspondence documents Pollock's relationships with fellow artists, military personnel, veterans, political figures, publishers, and cultural organizations. Journals, travel notebooks, writings about art, grant applications, exhibition catalogs, awards, and promotional materials record his personal experiences and professional activities. Newspaper and magazine coverage, website materials, and audiovisual recordings document the presentation and reception of his work, his artistic techniques, and his public outreach.

Photographic materials include prints, negatives, contact sheets, and color slides depicting military experiences, artwork, travel, wildlife, landscapes, and community activities. Civilian photography, much of it dating from the late 1960s and 1970s, documents South Dakota schools, political campaigns, public officials, government activities, agricultural subjects, recreation, and local events. These images complement the written and artistic materials by recording aspects of the communities and environments in which Pollock worked.

The collection supports research into the U.S. Army Combat Artists Program, visual interpretations of the Vietnam War, and later efforts to document and exhibit soldier-artists' work. Its extensive sketches, original artwork, and related publications provide evidence of Pollock's working methods and the use of his imagery in fine art, commercial illustration, and public projects. Correspondence, journals, and photographs also document professional networks and aspects of South Dakota's artistic, educational, political, and community history.