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Charles W. White papers, 1933-1987, bulk 1960s-1970s

Creator:
White, Charles, 1918-1979  Search this
Subject:
White, Frances Barrett  Search this
Catlett, Elizabeth  Search this
Barthé, Richmond  Search this
Heritage Gallery  Search this
Otis Art Institute  Search this
Belafonte Enterprises  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Charles W. White papers, 1933-1987, bulk 1960s-1970s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
African American printmakers  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
African American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9350
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211546
AAA_collcode_whitchar
Theme:
Diaries
African American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211546
Online Media:

Frank Romero drawings, 1972-1973

Creator:
Romero, Frank, 1941-  Search this
Type:
Drawings
Citation:
Frank Romero drawings, 1972-1973. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Latino and Latin American artists  Search this
Chicano art movement  Search this
Chicano artists  Search this
Theme:
Latino and Latin American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13525
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211807
AAA_collcode_romefran
Theme:
Latino and Latin American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211807

Charles W. White papers

Creator:
White, Charles (1918-1979)  Search this
Names:
Belafonte Enterprises  Search this
Heritage Gallery  Search this
Otis Art Institute  Search this
Barthé, Richmond, 1901-1989  Search this
Catlett, Elizabeth, 1915-2012  Search this
White, Frances Barrett  Search this
Extent:
12.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Date:
1933-1987
bulk 1960s-1970s
Summary:
The papers of Los Angeles painter, printmaker, and educator, Charles W. White, measure 12.9 linear feet and date from 1933 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1960s to the 1970s. The collection contains biographical material, including a sound recording of an interview with White; personal and professional correspondence; writings by White and others about his philosophy of art, his life, and career; professional files documenting White's participation in a variety of boards, committees, juries, symposiums, professional projects, and commissions; teaching files documenting White's tenure at Otis Art Institute; extensive printed material charting White's career from the 1930s until his death; scrapbooks primarily documenting his early career; and a small series of photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Los Angeles painter, printmaker, and educator, Charles W. White, measure 12.9 linear feet and date from 1933 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1960s to the 1970s. The collection contains biographical material including a sound recording of an interview with White; personal and professional correspondence; writings by White and others about his philosophy of art, his life, and career; professional files documenting White's participation in a variety of boards, committees, juries, symposiums, professional projects, and commissions; teaching files documenting White's tenure at Otis Art Institute; extensive printed material charting White's career from the 1930s until his death; scrapbooks primarily documenting his early career; and a small series of photographs.

Biographical material includes documentation of awards received by White, biographical notes, resumes, White's high school report cards, interview transcripts and a sound recording of an interview, and records related to Elizabeth Catlett from the 1940s.

Correspondence includes scattered letters from family and friends but is primarily professional. White's correspondence was often conducted by Benjamin Horowitz and, occasionally, by Frances White, although some scattered original drafts of letters by White can also be found in this series. The series documents many aspects of White's career including: his relationship with Horowitz and Heritage Gallery as his representative; sales, loans, and exhibitions of White's artwork at many museums, galleries, and art institutions; the publication of his work in journals, magazines, and books, and it's use in the film and music industries; and his relationships with others in the arts and the entertainment industry including Richmond Barthé, Margaret Burroughs, Bing Davis, David Driskell, Lorraine Hansberry, and Harry Belafonte's company, Belafonte Enterprises.

Writings by White include two addresses made to the Annual Conference of Negro Artists, statements on his philosophy of art, and an autobiographical essay. Writings by others include drafts of Benjamin Horowitz's book Images of Dignity:The Drawings of Charles White.

White's professional activities are further documented through records related to the many boards, committees, and exhibition and art contest juries he served on, as well as lectures he delivered, and panels and symposiums he participated in. White's professional files also contain records relating to fellowships he received and document projects such as designs for books, films, and magazines.

White's teaching files primarily relate to Otis Art Institute and contain some records related directly to his work there as well as general faculty and board material. The records document, to some extent, White's role as spokesperson for the faculty and students during the transfer of the Otis charter to Parsons School of Design in 1979. Documentation of White's association with Howard University is minimal and includes letters related to his appointment and resignation in 1978-1979.

Gallery and exhibition files document specific solo and group exhibitions and include records on two visits White made to Germany in 1974 and 1978.

Printed material includes announcements, exhibition catalogs, articles in journals, magazines, and news clippings, and publications with artwork by White that provide extensive coverage of White's career from the 1930s to his death. Also found is printed material collected by White on other artists, and on subjects of interest to him.

Three disbound scrapbooks provide compilations of printed material and occasional letters further documenting White's career. A small series of photographs includes holiday card photos of White, Frances White, and their two children, and photos of White and others taken at a workshop in 1969.

Throughout the collection there are folders containing notes written by Frances White, circa 1980-1981, which provide important contextual information about people, organizations and subjects in the collection, and sometimes highlight the racism White encountered, particularly during his early career. The dates of these notes are not included in folder dates.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1934-1979 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1937-1984 (Boxes 1-4, 13; 3.64 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1936-circa 1981 (Boxes 4-5; 0.45 linear feet)

Series 4: Professional Activities, circa 1942-1982 (Boxes 5-6, 13, OV 15; 1.81 linear feet)

Series 5: Teaching Files, 1950-1979 (Boxes 6, 13; 0.72 linear feet)

Series 6: Gallery and Exhibition Files, 1946-1980 (Box 7, Box 14; 0.98 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1933-1987 (Boxes 8-14, OVs 15-17; 4.8 linear feet)

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1936-1970s (Box 12; 0.15 linear feet)

Series 9: Photographic Material, 1940-1976 (Box 12; 0.15 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, printmaker, and educator, Charles W. White (1918-1979), was a prominent figure in the Chicago Black Renaissance and became one of the most celebrated and influential African American artists of the twentieth century. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, White lived and worked in California beginning in 1956, and taught at the Otis Art Institute from 1965 until his death.

White began painting at a young age, earning first prize in a nationwide high school art contest. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was awarded a full scholarship, from 1937-1938. After graduating from the school, White worked as a muralist for the Illinois Federal Arts Project sponsored by the Works Progress Administration from 1939 to 1940. He then received two fellowships from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation in 1942 and 1943 and created the mural The Contribution of the Negro to American Democracy at the Hampton Institute. From 1943-1945 he taught at the George Washington Carver School in New York City, and was artist-in-residence at Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1945.

White's first marriage to Elizabeth Catlett ended in divorce and he married Frances Barrett in 1950. The couple relocated to Los Angeles where White was represented by Benjamin Horowitz's Heritage Gallery. White was widely exhibited in Los Angeles, and at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Newark Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and elsewhere. Working primarily in black and white or sepia and white drawings, paintings, and lithographs, White's artwork was primarily figurative and depicted African American history, socio-economic struggles, and human relationships.

Charles White received a number of awards and honors and in 1972 he was the third African American artist to be elected a full member of the National Academy of Design.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Charles W. and Frances White letters and photographs to Melvin and Lorraine Williamson, the Lucinda H. Gedeon research material on Charles W. White, and an oral history interview with Charles W. White conducted by Betty Hoag, March 9, 1965.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of loaned materials (reels LA7 and 3099). Reel LA7 includes photographs of White, his work, and a career resume. Reel 3099 contains 31 items consisting of three travel diaries kept by Frances White, photographs and a recording of their trip to Russia in 1950, and 11 record album covers designed by Charles White. Loaned materials were returned to the lenders after microfilming and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Charles White's "Black Experience Archive," originally received with the papers, was donated to Howard University's Moorland-Springarn Research Center in 1985 at the request of Frances White.
Provenance:
Photographs on reel LA7 and material on reel 3099 were lent to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1965 and 1982, by Benjamin Horowitz, White's dealer, and by Frances White. Material on reel 2041 was donated by the George Arents Research Library, Syracuse University, 1976, who had originally received it from Horowitz. The remainder of the papers were donated by Charles White, 1975-1978, and after his death by Frances White and Benjamin Horowitz, 1981-1989.
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 audiovisual recordings 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:
Painters -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Printmakers -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Educators -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
African American printmakers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Charles W. White papers, 1933-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.whitchar
See more items in:
Charles W. White papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9280ca62a-d068-4695-872f-041df8333648
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-whitchar
Online Media:

Allyn Cox papers, 1856-1982

Creator:
Cox, Allyn, 1896-1982  Search this
Subject:
Bishop, Warner  Search this
Bayley, John Barrington  Search this
Conrad, Arthur  Search this
Cassio, Fabrizio  Search this
Cox, Louise Howland King  Search this
Cox, Kenyon  Search this
Frost, Stuart  Search this
DeWitt, Roscoe  Search this
Shutze, Philip Trammell  Search this
Schwengel, Fred  Search this
Lay, Charles Downing  Search this
Laning, Edward  Search this
Harbeson, John F. (John Frederick)  Search this
Keller, Deane  Search this
Keally, Francis  Search this
Lamb, Adrian  Search this
Young, Clifford  Search this
MacDonald, Pirie  Search this
Cox, Ethel  Search this
National Society of Mural Painters (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Park Club of Kalamazoo  Search this
Smithsonian Institution  Search this
United States Capitol Historical Society  Search this
American Battle Monuments Commission  Search this
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Art Commission of the City of New York  Search this
Century Association (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Cosmos Club (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Dumbarton Oaks  Search this
George Washington Masonic National Memorial (Alexandria, Va.)  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Sketches
Citation:
Allyn Cox papers, 1856-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Muralists -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9398
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211595
AAA_collcode_coxally
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211595
Online Media:

Allyn Cox papers

Creator:
Cox, Allyn, 1896-1982  Search this
Names:
American Battle Monuments Commission  Search this
Art Commission of the City of New York  Search this
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Century Association (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Cosmos Club (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Dumbarton Oaks  Search this
George Washington Masonic National Memorial (Alexandria, Va.)  Search this
National Society of Mural Painters (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Park Club of Kalamazoo  Search this
Smithsonian Institution  Search this
United States Capitol Historical Society  Search this
Bayley, John Barrington, 1914-1981  Search this
Bishop, Warner  Search this
Cassio, Fabrizio  Search this
Conrad, Arthur  Search this
Cox, Ethel  Search this
Cox, Kenyon, 1856-1919  Search this
Cox, Louise Howland King, 1865-1945  Search this
DeWitt, Roscoe, 1894-1975  Search this
Frost, Stuart  Search this
Harbeson, John F. (John Frederick), 1888-1986  Search this
Keally, Francis, 1889-1978  Search this
Keller, Deane, 1901-1992  Search this
Lamb, Adrian  Search this
Laning, Edward, 1906-1981  Search this
Lay, Charles Downing, 1877-1956  Search this
MacDonald, Pirie, 1867-1942  Search this
Schwengel, Fred, 1907-1993  Search this
Shutze, Philip Trammell  Search this
Young, Clifford, 1905-  Search this
Extent:
11 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Sketches
Date:
1856-1982
Summary:
The papers of New York, N.Y., and Washington, D.C. painter and muralist Allyn Cox measure 11 linear feet and date from 1856-1982. The collection documents Cox's personal and professional life through biographical material, family and general correspondence, writings and notes, research material, printed material, sketchbooks and loose sketches, and photographs. Photographs are of Cox at work, the Cox family, including Kenyon and Louise Cox, Cox's friends and colleagues, events, and Cox's artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York, N.Y., and Washington, D.C. painter and muralist Allyn Cox measure 11 linear feet and date from 1856-1982. The collection documents Cox's personal and professional life through biographical material, family and general correspondence, writings and notes, research material, printed material, sketchbooks and loose sketches, and photographs. Photographs are of Cox at work, the Cox family, including Kenyon and Louise Cox, Cox's friends and colleagues, events, and Cox's artwork.

Biographical material includes family birth, death, and marriage certificates, and passports for Cox and his wife Ethel, whom he married in 1927; professional membership cards, awards and certificates; records related to sales of furnishings from the Cox family home in Essex, Massachusetts; and an untranscribed interview of Cox by Tony Janak of NBC TV.

Cox's family correspondence is primarily with his mother, Louise Cox. Also found is correspondence with Cox's sister, Caroline Cox Lansing, and his brother Leonard Cox and Leonard's wife, Sylvia, and letters from Ethel Cox to her mother. Additional correspondence relating to the disposition of Kenyon Cox''s artwork and archives to various institutions, can also be found here.

General correspondence documents Cox's career and professional relationships with artists and architects, including John Barrington Bayley, Fabrizio Cassio, Arthur Conrad, Roscoe DeWitt, Stuart Frost, John Harbeson, Francis Keally, Adrian Lamb, Edward Laning, Charles Downing Lay, Deane Keller, Philip Trammell Shutze, and Cliff Young; art institutions and organizations including the Art Commission of the City of New York, the Art Students League, Dumbarton Oaks, the National Society of Mural Painters, and the Smithsonian Institution; federal, state and local government agencies including the American Battle Monuments Commission, the Architect of the Capitol, and the General Grant National Memorial; members of Congress including founder of the United States Capitol Historical Society, Representative Fred Schwengel; and private social clubs in which Cox was active, including the Century Association, the Cosmopolitan Club and the Cosmos Club. Correspondence documents Cox's most well known commissions including work for the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and the United States Capitol, as well as work for many private clients including banks and residences.

Also found are typescripts, manuscripts and notes for Cox's lectures, as well as Ethel Cox's diary from 1923-1936 and her diary excerpt from 1955. Ten folders of research files, consisting primarily of clippings, comprise Cox's source material. Additional printed material provides scattered documentation of Cox's career through announcements and catalogs, and magazine and newspaper articles written by him or about his work. Also found is one folder of clippings about Kenyon Cox.

Four sketchbooks and circa twenty-two loose animal, figure, architectural and landscape sketches comprise Cox's artwork, in addition to two 1943 sketches Cox entered into a War Department mural competition. Also found is an 1873 sketchbook of Kenyon Cox, with sketches of people and scenes in Ohio.

Photographs are of Cox from childhood to the 1980s; his family, including parents, siblings, and grandparents; friends including Philip Trammell Shutze and Warner Bishop; family residences; artist models; events; and artwork, including many of Cox's commissions. In addition to photographic prints, slides, and negatives, the series includes vintage formats such as an ambrotype, 8 tintypes, 2 cyanotypes, and a platinum print. Of particular note are circa 16 photos of Kenyon Cox, one taken by Pirie MacDonald and three of him teaching a class at the Art Students League, and a series of circa 1906 photos taken in a garden, of Louise and Kenyon Cox with their children and others. Also found are 10 glass plate negatives of artwork by Cox.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and are closed to researchers.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1916-1982 (0.33 linear feet; Boxes 1, 12)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1878-1982 (6.74 linear feet; Boxes 1-7, 12)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1919-1982 (0.58 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 4: Research Files, circa 1950s-circa 1970s (0.25 linear feet; Box 8)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1920s-1982 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 8-9)

Series 6: Sketchbooks and Sketches, 1873-circa 1978 (0.25 linear feet; Box 9, OVs 13-14)

Series 7: Photographs, 1856-circa 1980 (2.25 linear feet; Boxes 9-12, OV 13)
Biographical / Historical:
New York, N.Y. and Washington, D.C. painter and muralist, Allyn Cox (1896-1982), was born in New York City to artists Kenyon and Louise Cox. Cox first trained as his father's assistant, serving as an apprentice to Kenyon Cox during the painting of the murals at the Wisconsin State Capitol, circa 1912. He attended the National Academy of Design from 1910-1915, and the Art Student's League with George Bridgman in 1915. In 1916 he was awarded the Prix de Rome and subsequently studied at the American Academy in Rome for 2 years before returning to New York City to begin a career in mural painting.

Cox completed numerous murals and decorative paintings for private residences, businesses, churches, and public buildings. Some of his most famous commissions included murals for the Royal Arch Room and Memorial Hall of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia; the Law School at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville; and the William A. Clark Memorial Library at the University of California, Los Angeles; panels for the National City Bank, the Continental Bank, and the Guaranty Trust Company in New York; and glass mosaics and inlaid stone maps for the United States Military Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.

Cox is best known for his work in the United States Capitol, beginning in 1952 when he undertook a congressional commission to restore and complete the murals in in the Capitol rotunda begun by Constantino Brumidi and Filipo Costaggini in 1878. Over the course of the next two decades Cox, now residing in Washington, D.C., restored the Frieze of American History and the Apotheosis of Washington in the Rotunda, and designed murals for three first-floor corridors in the Capitol's House wing, now known as the Cox Corridors. Assisted by Cliff Young, Cox completed painting for two of these corridors before his death. In 1958 Cox also painted a portrait of Henry Clay for the Senate Reception Room and in 1975 completed a mural depicting the 1969 moon landing in the Brumidi Corridor.

Cox taught at the Art Students League in 1940 and 1941, and was active in professional organizations throughout his career. He served as President of the American Artists Professional League and the National Society of Mural Painters, and Vice President of both the Fine Arts Federation and the New York Architectural League. He was a member of the board of the New York Municipal Art Society and served on the the New York City Art Commission.

Cox retired in March 1982 at the age of 86 and died the following September.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Allyn Cox papers relating to U.S. Capitol murals, 1970-1974, donated by the Committee on House Administration, via Cindy Szady in 1981. Papers include a resume; a cost estimate by Cox for designing and executing mural decorations in the U.S. Capitol, 1970; a letter, 1974, from the Office of the Architect of the Capitol to the Capitol Historical Society enclosing photocopies of printed material pertinent to the unveiling and dedication of the Capitol rotunda frieze in 1954; miscellaneous printed material, 1971-1974; and 15 photographs of the murals in the Capitol.
Provenance:
The bulk of the Allyn Cox papers was donated in 1977 and 1983 by the Estate of Allyn Cox, Stephen M. Pulsifer, Exectuor, including material that had been loaned for microfiliming in 1969. Two mural sketches were donated by the Essex County Greenbelt Association in 1984.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and are not served to researchers. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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:
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Muralists -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Sketches
Citation:
Allyn Cox papers, 1856-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.coxally
See more items in:
Allyn Cox papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90c9efb57-6d34-4007-ad8a-8ce4b40537fd
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-coxally
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Judith Baca, 1986 August 5-6

Interviewee:
Baca, Judith Francisca, 1946-  Search this
Interviewer:
Mesa-Bains, Amalia  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Judith Baca, 1986 August 5-6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Latino and Latin American artists  Search this
Mexican American art  Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American  Search this
Chicano art movement  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women arts administrators  Search this
Women muralists  Search this
Theme:
Latino and Latin American  Search this
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)5436
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211937
AAA_collcode_baca86
Theme:
Latino and Latin American
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_211937
Online Media:

Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records

Creator:
Tartan, James, 1931-  Search this
Names:
Craft and Folk Art Museum  Search this
Extent:
5.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Motion pictures (visual works)
Date:
1981
Summary:
The Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.
Scope and Contents:
The Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.
Arrangement:
Collection arranged as 5 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Exhibition and Production Notes, 1981 (8 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Work Print and Soundtrack, 1981 (2.6 linear feet; Box 3, FC 1-30)

Series 3: Sound Recordings, 1981 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 4: Voiceover Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 31-39)

Series 5: Trims and Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 40-48)
Biographical / Historical:
Murals of Aztlán is a documentary film produced by actor and filmmaker James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles held at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, California in 1981. For the exhibition, artists Carlos Almaraz, Gronk, Judithe Hernandez, Willie Herron, Frank Romero, John Valadez and the East Los Streetscrapers (David Botello, Wayne Healy, George Yepes) painted portable murals in the gallery, which was open to the public during the installation of the work. The filmmaker and his crew interviewed the artists involved in the exhibition for the film, filmed the artists creating murals in the gallery, and also filmed the public viewing the artists working and the murals themselves.

James Tartan was born in 1931 and worked as a filmmaker, actor, and voiceover artist. In addition to Murals of Aztlán, Tartan created a documentary film about the 1974 Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibition Los Four, and has been credited with training many Chicano filmmakers in the 1970s.
Separated Materials:
Additional production material from the documentary Murals of Aztlán, including a final print, is found in the James Tartan Film Collection, 1960-1985, held at the UCLA Chicano Research Center.
Provenance:
Donated by James Tartan, the filmmaker, in 1988.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference 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:
Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Latino and Latin American artists  Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Street art  Search this
Mexican American art  Search this
Mexican American artists  Search this
Chicano artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Motion pictures (visual works)
Citation:
Murals of Aztlán film production records, 1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.tartjame
See more items in:
Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw991bf1938-9d52-43a4-84d1-44021f0daf63
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-tartjame

Oral history interview with Arthur and Jean Goodwin Ames, 1965 June 9

Interviewee:
Ames, Arthur Forbes, 1906-1975  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
Ames, Jean Goodwin, 1903-1986  Search this
Albro, Maxine  Search this
Bruton, Helen  Search this
Bruton, Margaret  Search this
Drerup, Karl  Search this
Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Arthur and Jean Goodwin Ames, 1965 June 9. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Mosaics -- California  Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- California  Search this
Tapestry -- California  Search this
Mosaicists -- California -- Interviews  Search this
Muralists -- California -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12923
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213229
AAA_collcode_ames65
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213229
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Edward Biberman, 1964 April 15

Interviewee:
Biberman, Edward  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
Orozco, José Clemente  Search this
Rivera, Diego  Search this
Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Edward Biberman, 1964 April 15. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art and state  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Painters -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Printmakers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12807
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213268
AAA_collcode_biberm64
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213268
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Ted Gilien, 1965 Mar. 3

Interviewee:
Gilien, Ted, 1914-1967  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
Bocour, Leonard  Search this
Levine, Jack  Search this
Federal Art Project (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Ted Gilien, 1965 Mar. 3. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art and state  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Art and war  Search this
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Muralists -- California -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- California -- Interviews  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12806
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213487
AAA_collcode_gilien65
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213487

Oral history interview with Boris Gorelick, 1964 May 20

Interviewee:
Gorelick, Boris, 1912-  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
Gorky, Arshile  Search this
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Artists' Union (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Boris Gorelick, 1964 May 20. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art front  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Designers -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
Architecture & Design  Search this
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12336
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213492
AAA_collcode_goreli64
Theme:
Architecture & Design
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213492

Oral history interview with Buckley Mac-Gurrin, 1964 June 20

Interviewee:
Mac-Gurrin, Buckley, 1896-1971  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Buckley Mac-Gurrin, 1964 June 20. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12334
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213788
AAA_collcode_macgur64
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213788
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Donald Totten, 1964 May 28

Interviewee:
Totten, Donald Cecil, 1903-1967  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Donald Totten, 1964 May 28. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Painters -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12977
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213951
AAA_collcode_totten64
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213951
Online Media:

Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records, 1981

Creator:
Tartan, James  Search this
Subject:
Craft and Folk Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Motion pictures (visual works)
Citation:
Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records, 1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Latino and Latin American artists  Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Street art  Search this
Mexican American art  Search this
Mexican American artists  Search this
Chicano artists  Search this
Theme:
Latino and Latin American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13501
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211809
AAA_collcode_tartjame
Theme:
Latino and Latin American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211809

Oral history interview with Dorr Bothwell, 1965 February 27

Interviewee:
Bothwell, Dorr Hodgson, 1902-2000  Search this
Interviewer:
McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this
Subject:
Clements, Grace  Search this
Feitelson, Lorser  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton  Search this
Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Dorr Bothwell, 1965 February 27. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Women muralists  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12484
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213363
AAA_collcode_bothwe65
Theme:
New Deal
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213363
Online Media:

Jirayr Zorthian papers, circa 1937-2004

Creator:
Zorthian, Jirayr, 1912-2004  Search this
Type:
Video recordings
Drawings
Citation:
Jirayr Zorthian papers, circa 1937-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6517
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215776
AAA_collcode_zortjira
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215776

Reuben Kadish papers

Creator:
Kadish, Reuben, 1913-1992  Search this
Names:
Ashton, Dore  Search this
Cherry, Herman  Search this
Conant, Howard  Search this
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this
Guston, Philip, 1913-1980  Search this
Hiler, Hilaire, 1898-1966  Search this
Langsner, Jules, 1911-1967  Search this
Neininger, Urban  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this
Pollock, Charles C.  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Siqueiros, David Alfaro, 1896-1974  Search this
Tully, Judd  Search this
Extent:
7.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Photographs
Date:
1851-1995
bulk 1913-1995
Summary:
This collection, which measures 7.9 linear feet and dates from 1851 to 1995 (bulk 1913-1995), documents the life and career of muralist, sculptor, and educator Reuben Kadish. The papers contain biographical material, letters, personal business records, an exhibition file, notes, writings, artwork, printed material, photographs, and artifacts.
Scope and Content Note:
The Reuben Kadish papers measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1851 to 1995 with the bulk of the material dating from 1913 to 1995. The collection documents the life and career of muralist, sculptor, and educator Reuben Kadish and contains biographical material, letters, personal business records, an exhibition file, notes, writings, artwork, printed material, photographs, and artifacts.

Biographical material, 1938-1992, includes résumés and personal identification items. Letters are from friends and colleagues including Herman Cherry, Philip Guston, Hilaire Hiler, Jules Langsner, Urban Neininger, Charles Pollock, and Jackson Pollock. One letter from the Leonard Stark family contains a small photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe.

Personal business records, 1952-1995, consist of legal documents, including estate papers for Ida and Reuben Kadish, and financial records. The only specific exhibition file documents the 1990 exhibition Reuben Kadish: Works from 1930 to the Present at the New Jersey State Museum in 1990.

Notes include unbound notes on mural painting, printmaking, sculpture, and other art-related topics, and handwritten translations by William H. Thomson of thirty classic texts by Homer, Horace, and Demosthenes. Writings, 1975-1992, consist of an autobiographical manuscript by Kadish, and typescripts concerning Kadish and other art-related topics by other authors including Dore Ashton, Herman Cherry, Howard Conant, and Judd Tully.

Artwork, undated and 1981-1992, includes a hundred sketches and seventeen watercolors by Kadish, and a drawing for DIG (Archeology) by Barbara Kadish. Printed material relates primarily to exhibitions for Kadish and others but also includes a baseball program autographed by Darryl Strawberry. Photographs include prints of Kadish and other artists working on murals, and photographs picturing family and friends.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into ten series, based on type of material. Although acquired as a gift before the rest of the collection was loaned to the Archives of American Art in 1998, eight photographs are described in Series 9: Photographs, with those included in the 1998 loan.

Each series is arranged chronologically, except Series 2: Letters and Series 6: Writings, which are arranged alphabetically according to the surname of the writer.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1938-1992 (box 1, 3 folders)

Series 2: Letters, 1934-1995, undated (boxes 1-3, 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1952-1995 (boxes 3-4, 37 folders)

Series 4: Exhibition File, 1989-1991 (box 4, 1 folder)

Series 5: Notes, 1851-1853, 1937-1992, undated (boxes 4-5, 35 folders)

Series 6: Writings, 1963-1992, undated (box 5, 14 folders)

Series 7: Artwork, 1981-1992, undated (boxes 5, 10, 8 folders)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1934-1993, undated (boxes 5-7, 76 folders)

Series 9: Photographs, 1913-1992, undated (boxes 7-9, sol 10, 2.0 linear ft.)

Series 10: Artifacts, undated (box 9, 1 folder)
Biographical Note:
Reuben Kadish was born in Chicago on January 29, 1913. His father and mother were from Latvia and the Ukraine respectively.

In 1921, the family moved to East Los Angeles, California, where Kadish studied painting under Lorser Feitelson. During this time, he befriended Jackson Pollock and Philip Guston, who attended the Manual Arts High School.

During a trip to New York City in 1930, Kadish was impressed with the modern art, especially the work of the Surrealists, which he saw there. Upon his return to Los Angeles the following year, Kadish attended the Otis Art School, the Stickney School of Art in Pasadena, and Los Angeles City College. He also shared a studio with Philip Guston.

In 1933, Kadish, Guston and Jules Langsner were apprenticed to Mexican muralist, David Alfaro Siqueiros. Their most notable work being the mural "Triumph of Good Over Evil", at the University of Morelia in Mexico. During the next three years, the three young artists collaborated on painting murals in California and Mexico. After another visit to New York, Kadish was invited to San Francisco by Bill Gaskin to head the art division of the WPA project there, a position he occupied until 1940.

From 1940, Kadish worked as a coppersmith and welder at the Bethlehem Steel Works in San Francisco until 1942, when he joined the Army as a member of the War Artist Unit, serving in India and Southeast Asia during World War II. In 1944, he rejoined his wife Barbara in the Bay Area, but they soon returned to New York City, where Kadish worked for Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17. In the summer of 1945, the Kadish painted with Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner in a shared Long Island house on Slow's Point in Amagansett.

In 1946, the Kadishes moved to a dairy farm in Vernon, New Jersey, where they supported themselves by farming until 1957. A catastrophic fire in the studio destroyed most of Kadish's paintings in 1947, causing him to turn his interest to creating sculpture.

After teaching art and design at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art in 1957, Kadish taught sculpture at the Brooklyn Museum Art School from 1958-1959. In 1960, he began his thirty-year teaching career at Cooper Union, which ended only a few months before his death on September 20, 1992 in Manhattan.
Related Material:
Other resources relating to Reuben Kadish in the Archives of American Art include an oral history interview with Kadish, April 15, 1992.
Provenance:
The eight photographs on Reel 5660 were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1984 by Reuben Kadish. The other material on Reels 5655-5660 was lent for filming in 1998 by Morris and Ruth Kadish, brother and sister-in-law of Reuben Kadish, and executors of his estate, and subsequently donated to the Archives of American Art in 2002.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment. Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm.
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.
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Muralists -- California  Search this
Sculptors -- California  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Photographs
Citation:
Reuben Kadish papers, 1851-1995, bulk 1913-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.kadireub
See more items in:
Reuben Kadish papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw974482335-aae0-4e72-8e41-8c2fb3fe28f8
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-kadireub
Online Media:

Buffie Johnson papers, circa 1920-2010

Creator:
Johnson, Buffie, 1912-2006  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Citation:
Buffie Johnson papers, circa 1920-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women muralists  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6887
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209016
AAA_collcode_johnbuff
Theme:
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209016
Online Media:

Boris Deutsch papers, circa 1912-1979

Creator:
Deutsch, Boris, 1892-1978  Search this
Subject:
United States. Public Buildings Administration. Section of Fine Arts  Search this
Citation:
Boris Deutsch papers, circa 1912-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7521
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209680
AAA_collcode_deutbori
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209680

Paul Sample papers, circa 1890-1974

Creator:
Sample, Paul Starrett, 1896-1974  Search this
Type:
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Paul Sample papers, circa 1890-1974. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Drawing -- Vermont -- Norwich  Search this
Art, American -- 20th century  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9053
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211244
AAA_collcode_samppaul
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211244

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