African American women artists talked about their artwork in-detail, including technique and meaning of work; the various types of media and tools they use to produce their work; their creative and work processes; and when and how they became interested in the media they are working. Additionally, Gail Shaw-Clemons spoke of her Anacostia roots. Most of the interviews took place in the artists' studios; and some of the artists, such as printmaker Stephanie Pogue, demonstrated part of their work process. All interviews included samples of the artists' work. The painters, sculptors, printmakers, mixed media, and performance artists included Viola Burley Leak (7-25-90), Erlena Chisolm Bland (7-27-90), Joyce Wellman (7-31-90 and 9-22-90), Malkia Roberts (8-1-90), Stephanie Pogue (8-3-90), Renee Stout (8-6-90 and 9-5-90), Gail Shaw-Clemons (8-7-90), Lilian Thomas Burwell (8-8-90), Adell Westbrook (8-10-90), Margo Humphrey (8-15-90), Yvonne Pickering Carter (8-17-90), Martha Jackson Jarvis (8-20-90), Denise Ward-Brown (9-7-90), and Sylvia Snowden (9-22-90).
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
The papers of Washington, D.C.-based mixed media artist Cleve Overton measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1928-2022, bulk 1948-2020. Included are biographical materials; correspondence including letters from Overton to his wife Jude Andreasen while she was in various countries in Africa; writings, exhibition files, project files, printed materials, subject files, and photographs and photograph albums of Cleve, family, events, artwork, events and exhibitions.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Washington, D.C.-based mixed media artist Cleve Overton measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1928-2022, bulk 1948-2020. Included are biographical materials; correspondence including letters from Overton to his wife Jude Andreasen while she was in various countries in Africa; writings, exhibition files, project files, printed materials, subject files, and photographs and photograph albums of Cleve, family, events, artwork, events and exhibitions.
Biographical material includes award certificates, biographical profiles, family history, travel documents, memorial records and obituaries, and an audiovisual recording from Cleve Overton's 80th birthday celebration. Also included is a disbound binder of biographical material compiled by Overton.
Correspondence mostly consists of Cleve Overton's letters to his wife Jude Andreasen while she lived in several countries in Africa as well as some letters he wrote to "Dear Ones," presumably friends and family. There are some letters from various correspondents addressed to Cleve Overton and there is one folder of condolence letters.
Writings include articles, essays, notes, and letters to the editor written by Cleve Overton. There is also one binder of book production records that was compiled by Overton and his wife Jude Andreasen about books they collaborated on and published.
Exhibition files consist of catalogs and announcements, clippings, photographs, artist statements, price lists, video recordings of receptions, and guestbooks of group and solo exhibitions of Cleve Overton's artwork.
Project files include correspondence, printed material, photographs, and other documentation related to Overton's art projects.
Printed material is mostly comprised of clippings, magazines, and books about Cleve Overton and his artwork, whereas subject files include a mixture of printed material, photographs and documents that were compiled by Overton on topics and artists that interested him.
Photographs are of Cleve Overton, his artwork, friends and family, exhibitions (images are of the opening receptions as well as the art), military service in Japan, and various protests and marches he participated in. Most of the series is comprised of snapshots but there are also some slides and digital photographs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1928-2020 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1948-2021 (0.8 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1969-circa 2020 (0.3 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1992-2015 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 2, 5)
Series 5: Project Files, 1987-2018 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, OV 6)
Series 6: Printed Material and Subject Files, 1948-2022 (Boxes 3, 5)
Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1935-2020 (Boxes 3-5)
Biographical / Historical:
Cleve Overton (1928-2020) was an African American mixed media artist based in Washington, D.C. Overton was born in Staten Island, New York on September 17, 1928.
From 1945 to 1948, Overton served in the military in an All-Black army unit, the 76th/933rd AAA battalion in Japan. He studied art at the New School and other New York schools. He also ran his studio, the Potter's Wheel, where he offered pottery classes, and later he founded and managed his business, Earthworks. He was a skilled welder. He also taught as an adjunct professor of art at Baruch College and the College of Staten Island, CUNY.
Overton collaborated on many projects with his wife, Jude Andreasen. They moved to Washington, D.C. in 1989. Overton traveled extensively and lived in many countries in Europe and Africa. His time in Senegal led to the creation of a photographic series which were exhibited in IFAN National Museum in Dakar and later became a book The Doors of Senegal that he published with Andreasen. The couple published a second book of photography together, and Overton wrote three other books of his own: a memoir, a book of essays, and a novel.
Overton exhibited widely and often. His mixed media art often reflected his profound commitment to environmental, social, and racial justice. He passed away in 2020.
Provenance:
The Cleve Overton papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2022 by Jude Andreasen, Cleve Overton's wife.
Restrictions:
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 in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Mixed-media artists -- Washington (D.C). Search this
Mixed-media artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Cleve Overton papers, circa 1928-2022, bulk 1948-2020. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of the the Cleve Overton papers was provided by the donor. Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided in part from the donor and the Walton Family Foundation.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Liliana Porter, 2012 June 27-28. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource Search this
Chicago Art and Artists: Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Ted Halkin, 2015 July 29- August 17. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Artists -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews Search this
Visual Arts and the AIDS Epidemic: An Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Eric Rhein, 2017 February 26-April 16. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
Visual Arts and the AIDS Epidemic: An Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Jim Hodges, 2017 March 9-May 25. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Juan Sánchez, 2018 October 1-2. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview with Juan Sánchez conducted 2018 October 1-2, by Josh T. Franco, for the Archives of American Art, at Sánchez studio, in Brooklyn, New York.
Sanchez speaks of his childhood in Puerto Rican enclaves of Brooklyn; formative experiences with Nuyorican poets; early memories of Puerto Rico; his earliest interest in drawing from comic books; early art-making and art education experiences, including the Pratt Saturday program; encountering Taller Boricua during the time he studied at Cooper Union; drawing formative inspiration from En Foco's photography; flourishing after initial difficulties at Cooper Union; his graduate studies at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University; his early exhibition experiences; his negative experience of participating in Group Material's exhibition Americana; reflections on political art; his friendship with Ana Mendieta; his collaborations with MoCHA , INTAR gallery, and Exit Art; the development of his painting, photography, and collage aesthetics through graduate school; the personal and emotional dimension of his art-making process; his use of circles and photographs of heroic historical figures in his paintings; the development and execution of his public art commissions; the development of his teaching career; his experiences working at the Queens Museum education department and Cooper Union admissions department; specific controversies over the content of his work being shown at Princeton University and SUNY Stony Brook; the development and execution of his printmaking practice; and his reflections on the experience and importance of participating in an oral history interview. Sanchez also recalls Amiri Baraka, Sandra María Esteves, Louis Reyes Rivera, Pedro Pietri, Gilbert Hernandez, Jorge Soto, Hans Haacke, Reuben Kadish, Eugene Tulchin, Charles Biasiny, Leon Golub, Larry Fink, Robert Blackburn, Mel Edwards, Doug Ashford, Jimmie Durham, Nancy Spero, Lucy Lippard, Geno Rodriguez, Papo Colo, Jayne Cortez, Carl Andre, Ana Mendieta, Raquelín Mendieta, Noah Jemison, Inverna Lockpez, Nilda Peraza, James Luna, Julia Hirschberg, Susana Leval, Miguel Algarín, Jeanetter Ingberman, Jolie Guy, Susan Bloodworth, Zachary Fabri, Gilbert Cardenas, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Michael Brathwaite, Alfredo Jaar, Tomie Arai, Lorenzo Clayton, Joan Hall, Pepe Coronado, Maryanne Simmons, and Melquiades Rosario Sastre.
Biographical / Historical:
Juan Sánchez (1954- ) is a printmaker, muralist, painter, and teacher in Brooklyn, New York. Josh T. Franco (1985- ) is the National Collector, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
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 administrators.
Restrictions:
The transcript and recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Search this
The papers of Anna Campbell Bliss measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1948-2015. The papers document Bliss' career as an artist and architect along with Bliss' involvement with several professional organizations and time spent giving color theory lectures. Materials in this collection include biographical material, correspondence, exhibition files, and personal business files which document Bliss' financial, project and studio files. Also found are printed materials, and photographic materials.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Anna Campbell Bliss measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1948-2015. The papers document Bliss' career as an architect and artist along with Bliss' involvement with several professional organizations and time spent giving color theory lectures. Materials in this collection include biographical material, correspondence, exhibition files, and personal business files which document Bliss' financial, project and studio files. Also found are printed materials, and photographic materials. Biographical material contains curriculum vitaes, a student ID from the University of Studies in Florence and interviews with Bliss. Correspondence is both personal and professional in nature and documents Bliss' relationships with friends, other artists, museums, universities, and organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts. Notable correspondence includes Jan van der Marck, Jo Hansen, Gyorgy Kepes and Anni and Josef Albers. The writings series documents Bliss' career through narrative statements on her career, notes and outlines for color theory lectures and workshops as well as an essay on color for Utah Architect magazine, 1967. Exhibition Files document several exhibitions that Bliss participated in, namely in Salt Lake City and Utah at large.
Personal Business document financial, studio and project records. Financial records include price lists, grant and fellowship proposals and Bliss' involvement in supporting professional organizations. Projects document Bliss' career outside of exhibitions including documentary DVD on Bliss titled Arc of Light: A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss and the studio records contain an administrative file Bliss compiled as a comprehensive snapshot of her career. Also found are compiled materials on paint colors, framing schematics and software registration records. Printed material includes exhibition announcements, flyers, catalogs and postcards of her digital artwork. Also included are news clippings, and magazine articles about Bliss as well as the Utah art and architecture scene and compiled exhibition material related to Joseph Albers. Of note is a copy of Labyrinths of The Mind, an editioned accordion book with a wooden cover containing mixed media art. Photographic material consists of professional photographs and snap shots of Bliss, her husband and their friends over the years a long with snapshots of travel and the building Bliss transformed into her studio. Also found are photographs, slides and negative of Bliss' artwork and exhibitions along with a small amount of slides that show travel and home interiors.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1951-2012 (4 Folders: Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1962-2012 (1.4 Linear feet: Box 1-2)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1951-2015 (7 Folders: Box 2)
Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1951-2012 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 2)
Series 5: Personal Business, 1956-2013 (1 Linear foot: Box 2-4)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1951-2014 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 4)
Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1948-2010 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 4-5)
Biographical / Historical:
Anna Campbell Bliss (1925-2015) was an architect, painter, printmaker, and installation artist in Salt Lake City, Utah. Originally from Morristown, New Jersey, Bliss graduated from Wellesley College with a bachelor's degree in art history and mathematics in 1946, followed by a master's degree in architecture from Harvard University in 1950. She also studied color theory and design with Gyorgy Kepes at M.I.T and Josef Albers in Minnesota. While in Minnesota, Bliss and her husband Robert Bliss established their own architectural firm: Bliss and Campbell Architects, a business they brought with them to Salt Lake City when Robert Bliss was hired as the dean of the Department of Architecture at the University of Utah. While in Salt Lake City, Anna Campbell Bliss continued to learn and incorporate new techniques including screen printing and computer programming into her practice. Bliss was also heavily influenced by the Bauhaus movement.
Blending color theory with her architectural and mathematics background, Bliss juxtaposed complementary colors to create optical vibrations and large architectural installations. Throughout her career Bliss displayed her work in several solo and group exhibitions across the country and her work can be found in many collections including that of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City; and the National Building Museum, Washington D.C.
Provenance:
Donated in 2016 by Robert Bliss, Bliss' husband.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
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.
Anna Campbell Bliss papers, circa 1948-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
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.
Printed Material illuminates Bliss career through exhibition announcements, flyers, catalogs and postcards of her digital artwork. Also included are news clippings, and magazine articles about Bliss as well as the Utah art and architecture scene. Of note is a copy of Labyrinths of The Mind, an editioned accordion book with a wooden cover containing mixed media art.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Anna Campbell Bliss papers, circa 1948-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
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.
Organized by the Anacostia Museum and held there June 18, 1994 through September 07, 1994. This exhibit featured over a dozen collages by Richmond-based artist Lydia Thompson. As an African American artist Thompson believes that it is important to educate communities to diverse approaches of communicating through the arts.
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, brochures, flyers, exhibit script, newspaper clippings, and education booklet.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Oral history interview with Jim Hodges, conducted 2017 March 9 and May 25, by Cynthia Carr, for the Archives of American Art's Visual Arts and the AIDS Epidemic: An Oral History Project, at Hodges' studio in Queens, New York.
Hodges speaks of his childhood in Spokane, Washington; exposure to art-making in high school and at Fort Wright College; attending Pratt Institute in 1983; his first New York gallery job in 1984; discovering his sexuality and becoming interested in queer life and history; the early years of the AIDS crisis; taking a studio with the Dannheisser Foundation; his body of work in mixed media; his gallery exhibitions in the late 1980s and early '90s; becoming sober in 1990; and the influence of the AIDS crisis on his artwork and art-making process. Hodges also recalls Karen Kaiser, Scott Smith, Marnie Fuller, Davie Nyzio, Lynn McCarty, Robert Vallenciano, Bob Morris, Linda Montano, Joseph Nechvatal, Rhys Chatham, Nancy Hoffman, Hunter Reynolds, Tony Feher, Bill Arning, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Doug Safranek, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Jim Hodges (1957- ) is an installation artist in New York, New York. Cynthia Carr (1950- ) is a writer in New York, New York.
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 administrators.
