Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Laura Andreson, 1981 May 20. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of Laura Andreson conducted 1981 May 20, by Ruth Bowman, for the Archives of American Art.
Andreson speaks of her youth in California; the decision to go to college and become a teacher; the impact on her life of contracting tuberculosis; the development of her work, her first exhibitions, her current work and research; her teaching career at UCLA; the science of clay and glazes; her opinions of contemporary ceramics, and the relationship of art to her life.
Biographical / Historical:
Laura Andreson (1902-1999) was a ceramist and art teacher from Los Angeles, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 42 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Ceramicists -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Educators -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service. This interview received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative Pool.
The papers of ceramicist and educator Laura Andreson measure 1.9 linear feet and date from 1932 to 1991. The collection is comprised of correspondence, professional files, gallery records, writings and notes, artwork, and photographic materials that document her pioneering work in ceramics.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of ceramicist and educator Laura Andreson measure 1.9 linear feet and date from 1932 to 1991. The collection is comprised of correspondence, professional files, gallery records, writings and notes, artwork, and photographic materials that document her pioneering work in ceramics.
Correspondence is with clients, colleagues, artists Vivika and Otto Heino, Gail Natzler, Harding Black, Albert Henry King, Beatrice Wood, Imogen Cunningham, Sam Maloof, and others.
Professional files include curriculum vitae, employment records, a portfolio, publicity files, material from UCLA, and scrapbook. Gallery records document Andreson's personal business with galleries and museums. Andreson's writings consist of artist's statements, notes on ceramic history, nine glaze formula notebooks, and a sabbatical report.
Artwork includes sketches of pottery and case diagrams for an unidentified exhibition. Photographic materials consist of photographs and negatives of Andreson, family and colleagues, exhibitions, and works of art by Andreson's students.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as six series.
Series 1: Correspondence, 1935-1988 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 2: Professional Files, 1932-1989 (Box 1, OV 4; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 3: Gallery Records, 1940-1991 (Box 1-2; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1940-1986 (Box 2-3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 5: Artwork, circa 1960-1970s (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographic Materials, circa 1940-1986 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Laura Andreson (1902-1999) was a ceramicist and educator in Los Angeles, California. She received a bachelor's degree in education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1932 and a master's degree in painting from Columbia University in 1937. She began her career in ceramics studying under the influential ceramicist Glen Lukens. In 1933 she founded the ceramics department at UCLA where she taught from 1933 to 1970.
Andreson was a pioneer in ceramics, experimenting and developing glaze and clay techniques during a time when equipment was limited and only a few books were available on ceramics. Her work has been widely exhibited, primarily after her retirement from UCLA in 1970. Andreson died in Los Angeles, C.A. in 1999.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an interview of Laura Andreson conducted May 20, 1981 by Ruth Bowman, for the Archives of American Art.
Provenance:
The papers were donated by Laura Andreson and her companion Pauline Blank in 1991 and 1996.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Ceramicists -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Educators -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Correspondence is with artists Vivika and Otto Heino, Gail Natzler, Harding Black, Albert Henry King, Beatrice Wood, Imogen Cunningham, and Sam Maloof. Professional correspondence is with clients and colleagues regarding exhibitions, talks, letters of recognition, and letters and photographs relating to the art collection developed by Joan Mondale at the vice president's house.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection Citation:
Laura Andreson Papers, 1932-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Professional files include curriculum vitae, teaching employment records, publicity files of mostly mixed printed material, material from UCLA, and a scrapbook of photocopied certificates, exhibition announcements, an essay by Pauline Blank, and clippings about Andreson and her artwork. Also found is a photocopied portfolio with tabbed sections for a curriculum vitae, photographs of pots accompanied by Andreson's notes, a section for glazes created to replace a glaze notebook that Andreson once thought was stolen from her studio but may have been found later, printed materials, and one set of notecards with handwritten glaze formulas.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Collection Citation:
Laura Andreson Papers, 1932-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
