The collection is arranged as six series. Series 1: Correspondence, 1945-2015 (0.7 Linear feet; Box 1) Series 2: Writings, circa 1962-2014 (5 Folders: Box 1) Series 3: Project Files, 1972-2016 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 1) Series 4: Personal Business, 1951-2009 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 2) Series 5: Printed Material, 1949-2015 (1.3 Linear feet: Box 2-4) Series 6: Photographic Material, 1960-2007 (2 Folders: Box 3)
Access Note / Rights:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of John Kearney measure 2.7 linear feet and date from 1945-2016. The papers document Kearney's career as a sculptor through correspondence, writings, project files and personal business files. Also found are printed materials such as clippings and exhibition announcements and photographic material of Kearney and his artwork.
Citation:
John Kearney papers, 1945-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Use Note:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Related Materials:
Related materials include an Archives of American Art oral history interview with John Kearney, 2009 Mar. 12-13.
Biography Note:
John Kearney (1924 2014) was a Chicago, Illinois based sculptor best known for his sculptures of animals made out of car bumpers. Kearney studied art at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI, after serving four years in the Navy during World War II during which time he learned welding skills repairing naval vessels. He received a Fulbright scholarship to Italy in 1963 and was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome, in 1985, 1992, 1998 and 2003. In 1949 he co-founded the Contemporary Art Workshop in Chicago, an organization dedicated to providing affordable studios and exhibition space for emerging and mid-career artists.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated 2015 and 2017 by Lynn Kearney, John Kearney's widow.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
