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David Ireland Papers, circa 1910s-circa 2009, bulk 1960-2005

Creator:
Ireland, David Kenneth, 1930-2009  Search this
Subject:
Tingle, Alta  Search this
Marion, Paul  Search this
Lienhard, Marie-Louise  Search this
Lee, Margie  Search this
Grobart, Jeffrey  Search this
Coppola, Eleanor  Search this
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture  Search this
Mattress Factory  Search this
Washington State Arts Commission  Search this
Gallery Paule Anglim  Search this
Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens  Search this
California College of Arts and Crafts (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this
Arts Club of Chicago  Search this
American Academy in Rome  Search this
Stanford University  Search this
Walker Art Center  Search this
Helmhaus Zürich  Search this
San Francisco Art Institute  Search this
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts  Search this
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art  Search this
Western Washington University  Search this
New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Video recordings
Sketches
Interviews
Prints
Sound recordings
Drawings
Photographs
Citation:
David Ireland Papers, circa 1910s-circa 2009, bulk 1960-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Installations (Art)  Search this
Public art  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)15853
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)292739
AAA_collcode_ireldavi
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_292739
Online Media:

David Ireland Papers

Artist:
Ireland, David, 1930-2009  Search this
Names:
American Academy in Rome  Search this
Arts Club of Chicago  Search this
California College of Arts and Crafts (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this
Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens  Search this
Gallery Paule Anglim  Search this
Helmhaus Zürich  Search this
Mattress Factory  Search this
New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts  Search this
San Francisco Art Institute  Search this
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art  Search this
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture  Search this
Stanford University  Search this
Walker Art Center  Search this
Washington State Arts Commission  Search this
Western Washington University  Search this
Coppola, Eleanor  Search this
Grobart, Jeffrey  Search this
Lee, Margie  Search this
Lienhard, Marie-Louise  Search this
Marion, Paul  Search this
Tingle, Alta  Search this
Extent:
24.8 Linear feet
8.39 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Video recordings
Sketches
Interviews
Prints
Sound recordings
Drawings
Photographs
Date:
circa 1910s-circa 2009
bulk 1960-2005
Summary:
The papers of California conceptual artist and sculptor David Ireland measure 24.8 linear feet and 8.39 GB and date from circa 1910s to circa 2009, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 2005. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, notes and notebooks, installation projects and exhibition files, teaching files, travel files, personal business records, printed and digital material and commercial recordings, photographic materials, artwork, and video and sound recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of California conceptual artist and sculptor David Ireland measure 24.8 linear feet and 8.39 GB and date from circa 1910s to circa 2009, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 2005. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, notes and notebooks, installation projects and exhibition files, teaching files, travel files, personal business records, printed and digital material and commercial sound recordings, photographic materials, artwork, and video and sound recordings.

Biographical material includes awards and certificates, address books and appointment books, artist's statements, resumes, chronologies, student university materials, passports, and sound and video recordings of interviews with Ireland. Correspondence is with friends, peers, universities, galleries, and museums, including Jeffrey Grobart, Eleanor Coppola, Margie Lee, Marie-Louise Lienhard, Paul Marion, and Alta Tingle, among others. Notes and notebooks contain incoming phone messages, notes to self, regarding projects and ideas, as well as various other notes and plans.

Installation projects and exhibition files constitute the bulk of the collection and document David Ireland's extensive projects and exhibitions around the world. Files are found for his Capp Street house project and Pacific Enterprises project in San Francisco; Boott Mills project in Lowell, Massachusetts; IKEA Emeryville Public Art Project in Emeryville, California; and several Washington State Arts Commission and Western Washington University projects. Other exhibition and installation locations found within the files include the American Academy in Rome; Yerba Buena Arts Center in California; Perth Institute of Contemporary Art in Australia; Helmhaus in Zurich, Switzerland; Arts Club of Chicago; SFMOMA; New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York; Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, among many others. The files contain a wide variety of materials, including sound and video recordings in various formats.

Teaching files document David Ireland's many roles as visiting artist, artist-in-residence, instructor, and conference and symposium panelist at the California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco Art Institute, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and Stanford University Department of Art, among others. Travel files document Ireland's trips abroad, both independent of and as a result of installation and project obligations.

Personal business records are comprised of financial materials and documentation relating to Ireland's two early South African import and safari businesses as well grants and project proposals, various loan agreements, representation through Gallery Paule Anglim, property sales and tax documentation, inventory materials, and various other business materials. Also found within the collection are printed material and four commercial sound recordings. Photographs are of the artist, friends and family, Ireland's Oakland studio, and works of art. There is artwork by Ireland, including sketches, drawings, and prints, and a few pieces of artwork by other artists. In addition to sound and video recordings arranged in other series, there is one video recording and six sound cassettes that are either unidentified or have no additional context within the collection.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 11 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1950-circa 2009 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1937-circa 2008 (4 linear feet; Boxes 2-6)

Series 3: Notes and Notebooks, circa 1965-circa 2008 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 6-7)

Series 4: Installation Projects and Exhibition Files, circa 1960s-circa 2009 (11.6 linear feet; Boxes 7-18, OV26, OV27, 7.84 GB; ER01-ER15)

Series 5: Teaching Files, 1977-1998 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 18-19)

Series 6: Travel Files, circa 1950s-circa 1994 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 19-20)

Series 7: Personal Business Records, circa 1965-circa 2008 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 20-21)

Series 8: Printed Material and Commercial Recordings, 1932-circa 2009 (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 21-23, 0.553 GB; ER16)

Series 9: Photographic Materials, circa 1910s-circa 2005 (1 linear foot; Boxes 23-24)

Series 10: Artwork, circa 1965-circa 2003 (0.2 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 11: Video and Sound Recordings, circa 1965-circa 1990s (0.4 linear feet; Box 25)
Biographical / Historical:
David Ireland (1930-2009) was a conceptual artist and sculptor who worked in San Francisco, California.

Ireland was born in Bellingham, Washington and attended Western Washington University. In 1953, he received a degree in industrial design and printmaking from the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) in Oakland. He then served two years in the U. S. Army in Missouri, returning to live and work in Bellingham. For several years, Bellingham served as his launch point for extensive travels in Europe and Africa.

In the late 1950s, Ireland founded Hunter Africa, an artifacts import business. He moved the business to San Francisco in 1965 and also began a second business leading safaris in Africa. He married Bellingham native Joanne Westford and had two children, Ian Ireland and Shaughn Niland; they divorced in 1970.

Ireland attended the San Francisco Art Institute and received a graduate degree in 1974. There, he met other Bay Area artists involved in the conceptual movement there, including Tom Marioni, Paul Kos, Howard Fried, and Terry Fox.

Much of Ireland's artwork of the 1980s and 1990s centered on the transformation of his home at 500 Capp Street in San Francisco, where he dramatically physically and conceptually transformed the interior and exterior structure into a mix of architectural sculpture and environmental art piece. He bought a second home in 1979 to transform, and, in the 1980s, completed a renovation of the main building at the Headlands Center for Arts in Sausalito with artist Mark Thompson.

David Ireland's work has been presented in more than forty solo exhibitions at venues that included the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.; The Museum of Modern Art and the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York. He created major public projects and private commissions in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, D. C., and other cities. His work is included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of California, and University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, among others.
Provenance:
The David Ireland papers were donated in 2010 by the David Ireland Estate through Jock Reynolds, Special Trustee, The David Ireland Revocable Trust.
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. 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:
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Conceptual artists -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Topic:
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Installations (Art)  Search this
Public art  Search this
Genre/Form:
Video recordings
Sketches
Interviews
Prints
Sound recordings
Drawings
Photographs
Citation:
David Ireland papers, circa 1910s-circa 2009, bulk 1960-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.ireldavi
See more items in:
David Ireland Papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw927567772-c71f-4f30-a427-adbd535e1009
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ireldavi
Online Media:

Maren Hassinger papers

Creator:
Hassinger, Maren  Search this
Names:
Maryland Institute, College of Art  Search this
Nengudi, Senga, 1943-  Search this
Extent:
11.3 Linear feet
4.55 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Diaries
Date:
1955-2018
Summary:
The papers of African American artist and educator Maren Hassinger measure 11.3 linear feet and 4.55 gigabytes, dating from 1955 to 2018. The collection contains biographical material; personal and professional correspondence; and writings; as well as project and exhibition files; material related to Hassinger's tenure at the Rinehart School of Graduate Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA); material related to other professional activities, including teaching files; photographic material; and artwork and artifacts.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of African American artist and educator Maren Hassinger measure 11.3 linear feet and 4.55 gigabytes, dating from 1955 to 2018. The collection contains biographical material including appointment and address books, education records, family and other home movie recordings, interview transcripts, and resumes; personal and professional correspondence; and writings including diaries, notebooks, notes, and writings by others. Also included are project and exhibition files, including accompanying audiovisual material and performance recordings; material related to Hassinger's tenure at the Rinehart School of Graduate Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA); material related to other professional activities, including other teaching files, panels, and grants; printed material; photographic material depicting Maren Hassinger, other individuals, and works of art, including student work; and artwork and artifacts.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as nine series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1959-2001, 2013-circa 2015 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1961-2018 (Boxes 1-2; 1 linear foot, ER02; 3.01 GB)

Series 3: Writings, 1955-2017 (Boxes 2-3; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 4: Project and Exhibition Files, 1966, 1982-2015 (Boxes 3-4, OV 12; 1.5 linear feet, ER03-ER04; 1.31 GB)

Series 5: Rinehart School of Graduate Sculpture/MICA Files, circa 1960s-2018 (Boxes 4-5; 1.4 linear feet)

Series 6: Professional Activities, circa 1969-2017 (Boxes 5-6; 0.8 linear feet, ER05; 0.006 GB)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1960-2018 (Boxes 6-9, OVs 12-15; 2.9 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographic Material, 1969-2010s (Boxes 9-10, OV 12, Box 16; 2.2 linear feet, ER06; 0.224 GB)

Series 9: Artwork and Artifacts, circa 1960s-2010s (Box 11; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Maren Hassinger (1947- ) is an African American artist in New York known for sculpture, performance, and public art in which she uses natural and industrial materials. She was also an educator and is the director emeritus of the Rinehart School of Graduate Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD.

Born Maren Jenkins in Los Angeles, California in 1947, Hassinger studied dance and sculpture at Bennington College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in sculpture in 1969. In 1973 she completed a Master of Fine Arts in fiber structure at UCLA.

During her time in Los Angeles, Hassinger began to collaborate with Senga Nengudi — a collaborative relationship that has continued throughout their careers. She also participated in the Studio Z collective with Nengudi, Ulysses Jenkins, David Hammons, and Houston Conwill.

Hassinger taught at the State University of New York, Stony Brook from 1992 to 1997 and was the director of the Rinehart School of Graduate Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art from 1997 to 2018. Throughout her career, she has been awarded numerous residencies, awards, and grants. Her work is held in many collections including the Baltimore Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, the Hammer Museum, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Provenance:
The Maren Hassinger papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2018 by Maren Hassinger.
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 or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. 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:
Performance artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Educators -- Maryland -- Baltimore  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Women educators  Search this
African American art -- African influences  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Diaries
Citation:
Maren Hassinger papers, 1955-2018. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.hassmare
See more items in:
Maren Hassinger papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9cd224705-e329-48a4-bf88-db31ad8ebd4e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-hassmare
Online Media:

Joyce Treiman papers

Creator:
Treiman, Joyce  Search this
Extent:
4.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Date:
1942-1990
Scope and Contents:
Biographical material, undated and 1980; correspondence with galleries, museums, publishers, artists, and critics, 1951-1990, including Leonard Baskin, Richard Diebenkorn, Grant Holcomb, Bella Fishko, Theodore Wolff, Ernest Fiene, and others; business and financial records, 1955-1979; writings and notes, including personal journals and illustrated travel journals, undated and 1968-1989; artworks, including a pen and ink drawing and 3 sketchbooks, 1970-1977; five scrapbooks, 1942-1960, containing articles, bulletins, and clippings; exhibition catalogs and announcements, undated and 1940-1980s; clippings and articles undated and 1955-1986, photographs and slides of Treiman and her work, undated and 1960-1981;
2 U-matic video interviews of Treiman, including "Joyce Treiman: Painter," interview with Bob Pelfrey, Apr. 1978, 37 min., at Barnstall Municipal Gallery, L.A., and a Univ. of Minn. Media Resources production, "Undercurrents in American Art: Joyce Treiman," 1981, 7 min.; a motion picture film (silent, color, 22 min., also available on VHS videocassette), "Joyce Treiman, 1955-1958" shows Treiman at work and many close-up shots of paintings; a sound tape of Irving Block's senior seminar, UCLA, 1985; a 26 p. transcript of an interview conducted by Lucy Sargeant, 1980; and a file on the exhibition and symposium "Personal Realities in American Painting," Minneapolis, Minn, 1981.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, sculptor; Chicago, Ill. and Los Angeles, Calif.
Provenance:
Donated by Joyce Treiman, 1973-1990.
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- California  Search this
Sculptors -- California  Search this
Topic:
Painting, American -- California  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Identifier:
AAA.treijoyc
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9aa0f92b8-cbb4-4ec0-bf65-7bc5d654e018
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-treijoyc

Claire Falkenstein papers

Creator:
Falkenstein, Claire, 1908-1997  Search this
Names:
Coos Art Museum  Search this
Fresno Art Museum  Search this
Galerie Anderson-Mayer  Search this
Galerie Stadler  Search this
Jack Rutberg Fine Arts (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this
John Bolles Gallery (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this
Los Angeles Museum of Art  Search this
Malvina Miller  Search this
Martha Jackson Gallery  Search this
Merging One Gallery  Search this
Mills College -- Faculty  Search this
Pond Farm Workshop  Search this
San Francisco Museum of Art  Search this
University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts -- Faculty  Search this
Green, Ray, 1908-1997  Search this
Guggenheim, Peggy, 1898-1979  Search this
Kuh, Katharine  Search this
O'Donnell, May, 1906-2004  Search this
Sawyer, Kenneth B.  Search this
Still, Clyfford, 1904-  Search this
Still, Patricia  Search this
Tapie, Michel  Search this
Temko, Allan  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Wildenhain, Frans, 1905-1980  Search this
Extent:
42.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Date:
circa 1914-1997
bulk 1940-1990
Summary:
The papers of sculptor, painter, jewelry designer, and teacher Claire Falkenstein measure 42.8 linear feet and date from 1917 to her death in 1997. There is extensive correspondence with fellow artists, collectors, critics, friends, museums, and galleries. The collection also contains biographical materials, much of it collected and organized by Falkenstein, personal and business records, writings, diaries, exhibition files, commission files, teaching files, photographs, original artwork, scrapbooks, and printed materials. There is a short motion picture film of an interview with Falkenstein featuring the windows she designed for St. Basil's Church in Los Angeles.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of sculptor, painter, jewelry designer, and teacher Claire Falkenstein measure 42.8 linear feet and date from 1917 to her death in 1997. There is extensive correspondence with fellow artists, collectors, critics, friends, museums, and galleries. The collection also contains biographical materials, much of it collected and organized by Falkenstein, personal and business records, writings, diaries, exhibition files, commission files, teaching files, photographs, original artwork, scrapbooks, and printed materials. There is a short motion picture film of an interview with Falkenstein featuring the windows she designed for St. Basil's Church in Los Angeles.

Biographical material includes appointment calendars, awards and honorary degrees, interview transcripts, passports, resumes, wills, and scrapbooks. Scrapbooks were compiled by Falkenstein and focus primarily on her exhibitions at the Galerie Stadler and Gallery Meyer in 1959 and 1960. Also of interest are the "biography files" created and arranged by Falkenstein. These files contain material that she personally felt was the most important in documenting her activities each year. They include correspondence, exhibition catalogs, printed material, and invitations.

Measuring nine linear feet, correspondence is extensive and comprehensively documents Falkenstein's work, social life, relationships, and other business and personal activities. Correspondence dates from 1941 to 1997 and includes business letters and correspondence with friends and family. Her communications with friends, family, clients, gallery owners, collectors, museums, publishers, foundations, and grant agencies reveal many of her ideas and techniques. Individual correspondents include Ray Green, Peggy Guggenheim, Katharine Kuh, May O'Donnell, Ken Sawyer, Clyfford and Pat Still, Michel Tapie, Allan Temko, Mark Tobey, and Frans Wildenhain. Gallery and museum correspondence is with the San Francisco Museum of Art, Coos Art Museum, Los Angeles Museum of Art, Galerie Stadler (Paris), Gallery Mayer (Paris), Malvina Miller (New York), Martha Jackson Gallery (New York), Jack Rutberg Fine Arts (Los Angeles), Galerie Anderson-Mayer (Paris), and Bolles Gallery. Correspondence is also found in the Commission Files and Exhibition Files.

Personal and business records contain a wide variety of material documenting Falkenstein's business, financial, legal, professional, and personal transactions. Files are found for sales and prices, art inventories, smaller jewelry commissions, her work as a juror, her business with galleries, legal affairs and contracts, expenses, records of arts organizations to which she belonged, conferences, grants and fellowships, studio and house renovations, her Paris studio and Paris expenses, travel, donations, loans and consignments, conservation, art shipping, insurance, and taxes. Oversized visitor's logs contain comments from visitors to Falkenstein's studio in Venice, California.

Falkenstein maintained comprehensive documentation of her exhibitions from her first exhibition in the 1930s to the last one at the Merging One Gallery in 1996. Files include both a chronological record and individual record for nearly all of her exhibitions. Found with the files are correspondence, photographs, loan and shipping records, catalogs, announcements, clippings, articles, and other records. Most of the photographs related to exhibitions are found in the Photographs Series. The files for exhibitions at the Fresno Art Museum, Martha Jackson Gallery and Jack Rutberg Fine Art Gallery are particularly rich.

Commission files document nearly all of Falkenstein's public and private large-scale projects and often contain a visual record of the work, as well as correspondence, design notes, contracts, and expense reports. There is documentation of the St. Basils Church windows in Los Angeles; the Peggy Guggenheim gate in Venice, Italy; and the fountain at the California Savings and Loan, in Los Angeles; and many others. There is also a chronological record of her commissions. The bulk of the photographs of commissions are found in the Photograph series. Also, most of Falkenstein's jewelry design commissions are found in the Personal and Business Records series.

Falkenstein's work as a prolific writer, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s, is well-documented here through her numerous published articles in Arts and Architecture magazine, and the New York Herald-Tribune. Her work for Arts and Architecture was primarily written for the "Art Comments from San Francisco" section. She was living in Paris when she contributed an art news column to the New York Herald-Tribune. Also found here are five diaries and one journal dating from circa 1929-1978. The entries are inconsistent and concern mostly travel. The diaries from 1929 and 1934 are more personal. Falkenstein also maintained extensive notes and notebooks about artwork ideas, observations about art, research, and even drafts of letters. There are also many notes about various topics, including art and class notes. Additional writings are eclectic and cover a wide range of topics, including music, poetry, the script for Falkestein's film entitled Touching the Quick, and drafts of her unpublished book on murals. A handful of writings by others are found, most with annotations by Falkenstein.

Teaching files include Falkenstein's numerous lectures given while teaching at Mills College, Pond Farm Workshops, and California School of Fine Arts, and various symposiums and conferences. Also found are lesson plans, contracts, scattered correspondence, and notes. The files on her tenure at the Pond Farm Workshops are particularly interesting, with notes about her fellow teacher Frans Wildenhain and correspondence with workshop owners, Jane and Gordon Herr.

There are extensive photographs of Falkenstein, her family and friends, colleagues, commissions, exhibitions, and works of art. Included are many images of Falkenstein, of Falkenstien with her art, of Falkentstien working, and of Falkenstein's studio. There are numerous photographs of Falkenstein with friends, family, and colleagues in social or work settings. Also found are photographs of exhibition openings, installation views, and works of art exhibited. Additional photographs document Falkenstein's commissions, including images of her at work. Additional images of commissions may also be found in the Commission Series, but the bulk are filed here. There are numerous photographs of Falkenstein's works of art, including drawings, sculpture, jewelry, murals, lamps, and ceramics.

Falkenstein's papers include a large amount of sketches, sketchbooks, and drawings. Many of the sketches and drawings relate to her ideas about commissions and large sculpture, jewelry designs, and general sketches. Sketches are also found in the Commission Files. Also included are drawings by Mark Tobey and Michel Tapie, and others.

Finally, printed materials include general exhibition catalogs, newspapers clippings, and clippings of articles by and about Falkenstein. Also included are books that have been inscribed and signed by the author.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1934-1997 (Box 1-4, 41; 4.3 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1931-1997 (Box 5-13; 9 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal and Business Records, 1936-1997 (Box 14-17, 41, 46-49; 4.2 linear feet)

Series 4: Exhibitions, 1930-1996 (Box 18-21, 42, OV 50; 3.3 linear feet)

Series 5. Commissions, 1930-1992 (Box 21-22, OV 50-54 ; 2.0 linear feet)

Series 6: Writings, circa 1929-1993 (Box 22-26, 42, 55; 4.6 linear feet)

Series 7: Teaching Files, 1929-1995 (Box 26; .8 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1917-1997 (Box 27-35, 43, 55-56; 9.5 linear feet)

Series 9: Artwork, circa 1937-1995 (Box 36-37, 44, 57; 2.0 linear feet)

Series 10: Printed Materials, circa 1914-1990 (Box 37-40, 45, 58; 3.9 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997) spent the majority of her life working as an artist, sculptor, jewelry designer, teacher, and writer in California.

Claire Falkenstein was born in 1908 and grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon. In 1920, Falkenstein and her family moved to Berkeley, California, where she attended high school and then college at the University of California at Berkeley, studying philosophy, anthropology, and art. She graduated in 1930. Falkenstein had her first solo show at the East-West Gallery in San Francisco in 1930, the only member of her class to have an exhibition before graduation.

During the early 1930s, Falkenstein studied at Mills College with modernist sculptor Alexander Archipenko. There she also met Bauhaus artists Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Gyorgy Kepes. Falkenstein married her high school sweetheart, Richard McCarthy in 1936.

In 1944, Falkenstein had her first New York exhibition at the Bonestall Gallery. At that time, Falkenstein's primary mediums were stone and wood. However, she became increasingly experimental with new materials that included sheet aluminum, Cor-Ten steel, glass, plastics, and welded wire rods while maintaining a connection to organic and natural forms. Her work in jewelry design was an outlet for exploring these new materials, forms, and techniques on a small scale. As her work grew physically larger, so did her recognition and it was her work in sculpture that won her a faculty appointment at the California School of Fine Arts from 1947-1949. It was here that she met Patricia and Clyfford Still, Hassel Smith, and Richard Diebenkorn.

In 1948, Falkenstein was invited to exhibit at the Salon des Realites Nouvelle in Paris, her first European show. She eventually moved to Europe in 1950 and had studios in Paris, Venice, and Rome. While in Europe, Falkenstein executed a number of large scale commissions, including the stair screen for Galerie Stadler (1955), grotto gates for Princess Pignatelli's villa in Rome (1957), and the bronze, steel, and the glass gate at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice (1961). While in Paris, she became acquainted with noted art critic Michel Tapie, with whom she maintained a life-long friendship.

During the 1940s and 1950s Falkenstein was a regular contributor to Arts and Architecture magazine, most often writing the "Art Comments from San Francisco" section. While in Paris, she also wrote a column on art news for the New York Herald Tribune.

Falkenstein returned to the United States in 1962, eventually renovating a studio space in Venice, California. It was here that she conceived her largest commissions. In 1965, Falkenstein received a commission from the California Savings and Loan to create a sculpture for a large fountain at the front of the bank in downtown Los Angeles. The copper tube fountain, entitled "Structure and Flow #2," was the first of many large scale public art commissions that Falkenstein completed during her years in California. Her most important commission in the United States, completed in 1969, was for the doors, rectory gates and grills and stained-glass windows for St. Basil's Church on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. The eight doors and fifteen rectory screens, including 80 foot high windows in the nave, were an expansion of the "never ending screen" concept that Falkenstein executed with the Pignatelli commission in Rome. She continued to use this motif in her work throughout her career.

Claire Falkenstein worked as an arts instructor, visiting artist, and guest lecturer at many colleges, workshops, and schools in California. Her first position was at Mills College from 1946-1947. Shortly thereafter, she was appointed to the faculty at the California School of Fine Arts and later taught in the Extension Divisions of the University of California, Berkeley. She taught classes at California State Polytechnic University, California State University at Davis, and the Anna Head School. Falkenstein also taught art at the Pond Farm Workshops in California, and lectured at numerous colleges and museums. She served on many juried art shows in Southern California.

Falkenstein was acquainted with many artists, writers, instructors, collectors, gallery owners, and critics. Close friends included Esther and Bob Robles, Clyfford and Patricia Still, Michel Tapie, Allan Temko, Mark Tobey, Frans Wildenhain, and other notable figures in the art world.

Falkenstein continued to complete large scale private and public commissioned sculptures during the 1960s through the 1980s, including work for the University of Southern California, Hyland Biological Laboratory, California State University at Dominquez Hills and the California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Throughout her career, Falkenstein's work was featured in numerous exhibitions across the country. Her sculpture and other artwork can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Coos Art Museum, Harvard University Art Museum, University of Southern California Fisher Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Tate Gallery.

Falkenstein died in 1997 at the age of 89.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds two oral history interviews with Claire Falkenstein. The interview on April 13, 1965 was conducted by Betty Hoag and the one on March 2 and 21, 1995 was conducted by Paul Karlstrom.
Provenance:
The Claire Falkenstein papers were donated in 1997 by Steffan Wacholtz and Nancy Kendall, trustees for the Claire Falkenstein Trust.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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:
Sculptors -- California  Search this
Painters -- California  Search this
Jewelers -- California  Search this
Educators -- California  Search this
Authors -- California  Search this
Topic:
Art patronage  Search this
Artists' studios  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women designers  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Citation:
Claire Falkenstein papers, circa 1914-1997, bulk 1940-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.falkclai
See more items in:
Claire Falkenstein papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9911c74ff-413b-4b54-9280-89c8b0480495
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-falkclai
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun, 1974 November 23

Interviewee:
Crown, Constance Lebrun, 1916-2010  Search this
Interviewer:
Karlstrom, Paul J., 1941-  Search this
Subject:
Lebrun, David  Search this
Baskin, Leonard  Search this
Lebrun, Rico  Search this
Warshaw, Howard  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun, 1974 November 23. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Sculptors  Search this
Italian American artists  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13021
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212324
AAA_collcode_crown74
Theme:
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212324
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun

Interviewee:
Crown, Constance Lebrun  Search this
Lebrun, David  Search this
Interviewer:
Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this
Names:
Baskin, Leonard, 1922-2000  Search this
Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this
Warshaw, Howard  Search this
Extent:
64 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1974 November 23
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun conducted 1974 November 23, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Constance Lebrun Crown and David Lebrun speak of Rico Lebrun; living in Mexico, Los Angeles, and New Haven, and traveling to Italy. Both speak of Lebrun's work methods, and daily habits; subject matter that inspired him; his mural paintings; and images of suffering in Lebrun's work. They recall Howard Warshaw and Leonard Baskin.
Biographical / Historical:
Constance Lebrun Crown (1916-2010) was the wife of the sculptor and painter Rico Lebrun (b. Naples, Italy, 1900, d. Malibu, California, 1964). David Lebrun is their son.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 32 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:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- California  Search this
Topic:
Sculptors  Search this
Italian American artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.crown74
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95a78573e-5ddf-4d3e-8d4b-37938576641a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-crown74
Online Media:

Maxine Kim Stussy papers

Creator:
Stussy, Maxine Kim, 1923-2020  Search this
Names:
University of California, Los Angeles  Search this
Stussy, Jan, 1921-1990  Search this
Extent:
2.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Date:
circa 1930-2018
bulk 1956-1999
Summary:
The papers of sculptor Maxine Kim Stussy measure 2.7 linear feet and date from circa 1930-2018, bulk 1956-1999. Included is biographical material; a transcript of an interview of Stussy conducted by Gregory Cloud, May 12, 1972; transparencies, photographs, negatives and slides of works of art, Maxine Kim Stussy, Jan Stussy and others; writings by Maxine and Jan; printed material; scrapbook pages; lists of works of art and price lists; exhibition planning documents; and correspondence.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor Maxine Kim Stussy measure 2.7 linear feet and date from circa 1930-2018, bulk 1956-1999. Included is biographical material comprised of a transcript of an interview of Stussy conducted by Gregory Cloud, May 12, 1972, and resumes, and correspondence, the bulk of which are letters and an unofficial will from Jan Stussy. Also found are letters from colleges and universities and Decker Studio, an art foundry. Writings contain poems and screenplay: Sam and Dellah written by Maxine Kim Stussy; artist statements and priced sculpture descriptions. Also found is a copy of the book Burnt Icarusemph> by Virginia Murrell with cover illustration done by Stussy. Photographic materials make up the bulk of the papers and consist of photographs, negatives and slides of Maxine Kim Stussy, her artwork, family and colleagues including Jan Stussy, her home and exhibitions, notably a joint show with Jan Stussy at Everett Ellis Gallery, circa 1985 and solo exhibition at Sindin Gallery, 1986. The papers also include printed material; magazine articles and news clippings; scrapbook pages; lists of works of art and price lists; an artist portfolio and exhibition planning documents.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1957-2001 0.1 Linear feet (Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1957-2001 0.1 Linear feet (Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1940-2009 0.1 Linear feet (Box 1)

Series 4: Professional Files, circa 1958-2018 0.1 Linear feet (Box 1)

Series 5: Printed Materials, circa 1957-2017 0.3 Linear feet (Box 1, 4)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, circa 1956-1986 0.1 Linear feet (Box 4)

Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1930-2018 2 Linear feet (Boxes 1-4)
Biographical / Historical:
Maxine Kim Stussy (1923-2020) was a native Los Angeles modernist sculptor and painter. Stussy studied at University of California, Los Angeles, earning her B.A. in 1947. During her studies at UCLA she met painter Jan Stussy whom she married in 1949. The couple often exhibited together in the late 1950s and 60s. Her sculptural work is comprised of many forms of materials ranging from ceramic to wood, bronze, and wood cast in bronze. She created an enormous body of work, with subjects including horses, abstract figures and towering human figures over six feet tall. Over the past sixty years, Stussy exhibited at galleries and museums throughout the United States and in Europe, such as the Esther Robles Gallery and Ceeje Gallery. In addition to her fine arts, Stussy also wrote poetry. In 1982, she married her long-time friend Raymond Frankel, Jr. They moved to New York for 16 years before returning to Los Angeles where she continued her artistic pursuits. Maxine Kim Stussy passed away in March of 2020.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Jan Stussy papers, 1943-1989.
Provenance:
Donated in 1977 by Maxine Stussy. 84 of the slides of her art work were donated in 1985 by her ex-husband, Jan Stussy, with his papers. Additional material donated in 2022 by Belinda Frankel, Maxine's stepdaughter.
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.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
American poetry  Search this
Animals in art  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Citation:
Maxine Kim Stussy papers, circa 1930s-2018, bulk 1956-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
AAA.stusmaxi
See more items in:
Maxine Kim Stussy papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw999639bc3-bb77-46eb-9a9a-60ba9f29393d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-stusmaxi
Online Media:

Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records

Creator:
Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art  Search this
Names:
Marks, Ben  Search this
Plagens, Peter  Search this
Smith, Robert Lewis  Search this
Spence, Judy  Search this
Extent:
18.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Photographs
Slides (photographs)
Date:
1973-1988
Summary:
The records of the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art measure 18.9 linear feet, date from 1973 to 1988, and document the brief thirteen-year history of LAICA's activities as a Southern California visual arts organization and exhibition space for contemporary art. Records detail the founding of the organization, operations and administration, exhibitions, events, and publications. More than half of the collection is comprised of exhibition, program, and event files that include correspondence with artists, curators, and others; printed materials; and photographs, negatives, and slides. There is a 0.9 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes slides; performance and exhibition notes and supplements; newsletters and other printed material; a chronology of exhibitions, projects, publications and activities. Materials date from 1974- 1987.
Scope and Content Note:
The Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records measure 18.9 linear feet, date from 1973 to 1988, and document the founding of the organization, board activities, general operations and administration, exhibitions, programs, events, and publications. There is a 0.9 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes slides; performance and exhibition notes and supplements; newsletters and other printed material; a chronology of exhibitions, projects, publications and activities. Materials date from 1974- 1987.

Founding documents and Board of Director's files contained in the collection include the articles of confederation, by-laws, constitution, director's reports, board meeting minutes, and scattered correspondence of Peter Plagens and Judy Spence, both of whom served as Chair of the Board. These records detail the mission, organization, objectives, and goals of LAICA.

More than half of the records are comprised of exhibition, program, and event files covering LAICA's entire history of operation. Included are exhibition announcements and catalogs; correspondence with artists, curators, and organizers; press releases and other publicity; grant applications and proposals; and photographs, contact sheets, negatives, and slides which depict the exhibition's installation and works of art.

Two series of photographs and slides provide additional visual documentation of LAICA's exhibitions and events, including the installations and work of LAICA's Artists-in-Residence program. Slides depicting LAICA's buildings, offices, and staff activities are also found.

LAICA's production of its publications, including material related to their regular periodical, Journal, is well-documented through correspondence, manuscripts, and editorial files. Also found are unedited transcripts of interviews and material that was not used for publication. Meeting minutes and correspondence represent the activities of the publication committee from the mid 1970s to 1987.

The correspondence of LAICA directors Robert Smith (18 folders) and Ben Marks (one folder) contain information on almost all of the organization's activities, including exhibitions, events, funding, staffing, and general operations. General Operations files include Administrative Files and Financial Files that document members and donors, staff, financial activities, fundraising efforts, income, expenses, and grants.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 9 series.

Slides were separated from Series 1-6, and filed in Series 8 for better preservation housing.

Missing Title

Series 1: Board of Directors, 1973-1987 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet )

Series 2: Correspondence, early 1970s-1987 (Boxes 1-2; 0.75 linear feet )

Series 3: General Operations, 1974-1988, undated (Boxes 2-3; 1.25 linear feet)

Series 4: Publicity, 1974-1986 (Box 3; 15 folders)

Series 5: Exhibitions and Programs, 1974-1987 (Boxes 3-13; 9.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Publications, 1974-1987 (Boxes 13-15; 2.75 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographs, mid-1970s-1983 (Box 15; 11 folders)

Series 8: Slides, 1974-1987 (Boxes 16-18; 3.0 linear feet)

Series 9: Unprocessed Addition, 1974-1987 (Boxes 19-21, 0.9 linear feet)
Historical Note:
The Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art was formed between 1973-1974 to provide a permanent exhibition venue for the visual contemporary arts in the Los Angeles area. The founding principle was to establish an arts organization that operated democratically and spoke with a multiplicity of voices. In order to remain flexible and minimize operating expense, LAICA did not establish a permanent collection.

Members of the Board of Directors included Peter Alexander, John Baldessari, Rosamund Felsen, Peter Plagens, Judy Spence, and other artists, gallery owners, and members of the art community. Committees that supervised exhibition programming and LAICA's published Journal were elected by members, and the duties of exhibition curator and periodical editor rotated among members, rather than being the responsibility of permanent staff. A registry of slides and biographical materials, begun in 1971, was open to submission by any Southern California artist. LAICA's first exhibitions were held in the fall of 1974, under founding director Robert Smith, a former curator at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, California. The first issue of Journal was published in June of the same year.

LAICA's first exhibition space consisted of 4,200 square feet on the fifth floor of the Century City complex. During the mid-1970s, the organization hosted numerous exhibitions and events - all were were well attended, despite the lack of parking and restrooms. Exhibitions focused on a wide variety of contemporary painting, sculpture, decorative arts, fashion, performance art, video, music, architecture, social issues, and public art. Exhibitions were curated by both LAICA staff and guest curators, including Walter Hopps. Desiring to expand their space, LAICA had hopes of Frank Gehry redesigning the Century City space. The institute, however, was forced to relocate after losing their lease.

In March of 1977, LAICA reopened in an 8,000 square foot facility on 2020 South Robertson Boulevard. In addition to their public programming, the organization created an Artist-in-Residence program with funding made available by the Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA). By the end of the 1970s, LAICA was flourishing with increased budget and staff, and, by 1980, opened a second exhibition space at 815 Traction Avenue, referred to as the "Downtown Gallery." An additional storefront exhibition space in the Eastern Columbia building was donated by State Senator Alan Sieroty.

A decrease in public funding in the early 1980s forced LAICA to cut some of its public programs. The organization, however, still staged ambitious exhibitions, including one of contemporary Italian art that traveled to nine different venues, and a show of nine contemporary Australian artists in connection with the 1984 Olympics Art Festival.

Robert Smith resigned from his position as director in early 1985. Ben Marks, the former director of the Center of Contemporary Art in Seattle, was hired that summer. By March of 1986, however, Marks had resigned and the Board of Directors decided to sell LAICA's South Robertson location. Faced with financial burdens and the lack of a permanent exhibition space, LAICA staged exhibits at temporary spaces around Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art officially closed in 1987 after thirteen years of operation.
Related Material:
Found in the Archives of American Art are the Peter Plagens papers, 1941-1987, which include meeting minutes and correspondence relating to LAICA.
Provenance:
The bulk of the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records were donated by Judy Spence, the former Chair of the LAICA Board of Directors, in 1986. Additional material was donated in 1997 by her husband, Stuart Spence and in 2021 by Robert Smith, founding director of LAICA.
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.
Occupation:
Painters  Search this
Topic:
Sculptors  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Photographers  Search this
Function:
Art centers -- California
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Photographs
Slides (photographs)
Citation:
Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records, 1973-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.losangin
See more items in:
Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a3d39c03-5a63-4b67-b34f-40bbb63cb13c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-losangin
Online Media:

Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren papers

Creator:
Fine, Jud  Search this
McCarren, Barbara  Search this
Extent:
16.7 Linear feet
0.345 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Interviews
Date:
circa 1968-2009
Summary:
The papers of sculptors Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren measure 16.7 linear feet and 0.345 Gigabytes, and date from circa 1968-2009. The majority of the collection falls into project files, with other series including correspondence, writings, personal business, printed material, photographic material, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptors Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren measure 16.7 linear feet and 0.345 Gigabytes, and date from circa 1968-2009. The majority of the collection falls into project files, with other series including correspondence, writings, personal business, printed material, photographic material, and artwork.

Correspondence is mostly professional in nature and is largely from Jud Fine's early career in the late sixties through the 1970s. There is also come McCarren/Fine correspondence starting in the 1990s as well as some correspondence regarding Barbara McCarren's solo career.

The writings series is comprised primarily of Jud Fine's writing practice associated with his earlier career, including notes and journal entries, lectures by Fine, as well as manuscripts for catalog essays and artist publications, an interview from 1984, and writings on Fine by others.

The personal business series includes exhibition files as well as gallery files containing sale and consignment paperwork, as well as daily business of the studio, primarily pertaining to Jud Fine's earlier career, with some documents pertaining to Barbara McCarren's solo career from the 1990s on.

Project files document various public art works and commissions taken on or applied for by McCarren/Fine, as well as solo projects that date before and after their formal collaboration in 1996. These documents include correspondence, contracts, reports, meeting minutes, renderings and other plans, notes, photographic material and research material, some of which is in digital formats.

Printed material includes various promotional materials for McCarren/Fine and solo projects for Barbara McCarren and Jud Fine, as well as a graphic design magazine publication, and a monographic catalog for a Jud Fine exhibition from 1974. Photographic material includes miscellaneous snapshots and snapshot albums, some of Fine and McCarren, in the studio and with artist friends, as well as an untitled album with study images of a strelitzia plant.

Artwork includes a single, unsigned painted work on canvas that has been cut awat from the frame or support.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as seven series:

Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1970-2001 (0.5 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Writings, circa 1968-2003 (0.5 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Personal Business, circa 1969-2001 (1 Linear foot: Box 2)

Series 4: Project Files, circa 1988-2009 (14.4 Linear feet: Boxes 2-20; Oversize 21; 0.345 Gigabytes: ER0001-ER0005)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1974-1992 (0.2 Linear feet: Box 16)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1970s-2000 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 16)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1980s (1 Folder: Box 16)
Biographical / Historical:
Jud Fine (1944- ) is a sculptor and educator in Venice, California, as well as former director of the University of Southern California Roski School of Fine Arts. Jud Fine is married to fellow artist, sculptor and installation artist Barbara McCarren (1958-), born in Washington, D.C., and they maintain a studio where they work on projects and commissions both individually and collaboratively.

Born in Los Angeles, Fine received a BA in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. With a limited artwork portfolio he was lucky enough to be accepted into the Masters of Fine Arts program at Cornell University. Fine's reputation as an artist took hold firmly in the late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming particularly well known for sculpture and mixed media drawings, which established a recognizable style and conceptual framework. He has been represented by Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York City since 1972. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions internationally at institutions including Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Chicago Art Institute, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Guggenheim Museum, New York, Yale University Art Museum, Museum Stuki, Poland, University of Sidney, Power Art Institute, Australia and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Art, Moscow. McCarren received her bachelors of arts degree at UCLA in1980 and would meet Fine during work towards her masters of fine arts at USC in 1986. After nearly a decade of pursuing solo career opportunities including public art commissions, they decided to join forces making collaborative project proposals as McCarren Fine.

As Mccarren/Fine they have executed several works including Waterline a two square block mixed use development in Huntington Beach, CA, Split Mound for the San Francisco Zoo, Mais a 23-acre interactive park in Long beach, CA, Modestopo, the civic center plaza for the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County, CA and both the Central Library and Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. Beyond public art commissions, their collaboration has extended to their studio practice, with collaborative exhibitions including a 2002 show in Bangkok, Thailand, that was later expanded with new work for the 2005 show, Currency, at Ronald Feldman Gallery, New York. Together McCarren/Fine have completed around thirty public work projects, and numerous studio projects.
Provenance:
Donated in 2022 by Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren.
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.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Educators -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Installation artists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Topic:
Public art -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Citation:
Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren papers, circa 1968-2009. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.finejud
See more items in:
Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c608732e-9329-442c-a514-56242b3018e9
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-finejud

Fletcher Benton papers

Creator:
Benton, Fletcher, 1931-  Search this
Names:
André Emmerich Gallery  Search this
Galerie Denino  Search this
Bury, Pol, 1922-2005  Search this
De Wilde, Dan  Search this
Finn, David  Search this
Jones, Lillian E.  Search this
Louchheim, Marlene  Search this
Lucie-Smith, Edward  Search this
Marquand, Ed  Search this
Neubert, George W.  Search this
Rickey, George  Search this
Sanders, Pieter  Search this
Tooker, Dan  Search this
Valentine, DeWain, 1936-  Search this
Wilke, Ulfert, 1907-1987  Search this
Extent:
8.7 Linear feet
1.47 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Interviews
Motion pictures (visual works)
Drawings
Video recordings
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Photographs
Christmas cards
Date:
1934-2014
Summary:
The papers of sculptor and painter Fletcher Benton measure 8.2 linear feet and 1.47 GB and date from 1934 to 2014. They document his career as a sculptor with international presence through certificates, personal photographs, legal papers, correspondence, exhibition and commission documentation, clippings, exhibition-related printed materials, broadcast materials, publications about his work, an editioned kinetic Christmas card, and photographs, sound and video recordings, and motion picture film documenting his work and career.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor and painter Fletcher Benton measure 8.2 linear feet and 1.47 GB and date from 1934 to 2014. They document his career through personal photographs, legal papers, correspondence, exhibition and commission documentation, clippings, exhibition-related printed materials, broadcast materials, publications about his work, an editioned kinetic Christmas card, photographs, sound and video recordings motion picture film, some of which also appears in digitized form.

Biographical Materials include personal photographs, legal documents related to a court case with book designer Ed Marquand, biographical texts, interview transcripts, and a home video made by the artist. Correspondence is with other artists, friends, galleries, museums and other institutions, including George W. Neubert, André Emmerich Gallery, Pieter Sanders, Pol Bury, George Rickey, Ulfert Wilke, Marlene Louchheim, DeWain Valentine, Lillian E. Jones, and Edward Lucie-Smith. Interviews include sound recordings of interviews with Benton by academics and journalists, including Edward Lucie-Smith, Dan Tooker, and Dan De Wilde.

Exhibition and Commission Files consist of correspondence with galleries, museums and commission patrons; financial records; shipping and subcontracting documentation; motion picture film, video, and sound recordings related to exhibitions and installations; and planning and design materials. Series includes a significant amount of oversized drawings and plans for site-specific work. There is a large volume documentation from the Folded Circle-Arc commission by Stanley Consultants, Inc. in Muscatine, Iowa; the California/International Arts Foundation Traveling Sculpture Exhibition; Double Folded Circle Ring in Brussels and Double Circle Folded by Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Printed Materials include news clippings related to Benton's career, as well as brochures, exhibition catalogs, posters and other printed materials related to exhibitions and commissions. Broadcast materials include television news footage, radio and television interviews, documentaries, and promotional materials made by galleries and other cultural institutions.

Photographic and Moving Image Materials include art-related images showing Benton in his studio and images of exhibitions, installations and inaugurations. Also found are still photographs and motion picture films of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and kinetic drawings, and a series of photographs of sculptures taken by David Finn.

Artwork consists of an editioned art Christmas card created by Benton for Galeria Bonino in New York from 1969. An American Artist Moving Image Materials consist of 13 videocassettes (VHS) which document the production process of the documentaryFletcher Benton: An American Artist by Morgan Cavett. There is footage from interviews with Benton and with curator George W. Neubert, footage of San Francisco with comments from Benton about his time there, interviews with the artist's studio assistants, images of his studio in Dore street and a couple of almost finished rough versions of the documentary.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as nine series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material (0.3 linear feet; boxes 1, 9)

Series 2: Correspondence (1 linear foot; boxes 1, 2, OV 10)

Series 3: Interviews (0.3 linear feet; box 2)

Series 4: Exhibition and Commission Files (2 linear feet, 0.50 GB; boxes 2-4, OV 11-13, RD 14, FC 15, ER01)

Series 5: Printed Materials (2.3 linear feet; boxes 4-6, OV 10)

Series 6: Broadcast Materials (1.1 linear foot; boxes 6-7)

Series 7: Photographic and Moving Image Materials (0.5 linear feet, 0.97 GB; boxes 7, 9, FC 16-17, ER02)

Series 8: Artwork (1 item; box 7)

Series 9: -- An American Artist -- Video Recordings (0.6 linear feet; boxes 7-8)
Biographical / Historical:
Fletcher Benton was born in Jackson, Ohio in 1931 to Fletcher and Nell Cavett Benton and was the oldest of three children. Benton graduated from Jackson High School in 1949. After serving in the Navy he graduated from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 1956 and moved to San Francisco, where he started working as an instructor at the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1959. He was in San Francisco during the flourishing of the Beat generation, where he had a studio in the North beach area and exhibited at coffee house galleries.

After travelling around Europe in 1960, Benton moved to New York City where he tried to make his living through painting and teaching privately. During those years he was supported by Jackson's local arts patron and family friend, Lillian E. Jones. In 1960 he had his first solo exhibition at Gump's gallery in San Francisco, but his work was taken down after one day because it was considered obscene for including female nudes. He returned to San Francisco in late 1961.

In 1966 Fletcher started teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute and established himself as a primary figure of American kinetic art. In 1966, Peter Selz included his work in the exhibition Directions in Kinetic Sculpture at the University Art Gallery in Berkeley, CA. During the exhibition Benton met the artists Pol Bury and George Rickey with whom he became friends. The exhibition, along with an article "The Movement Movement" that appeared in Time magazine the same year, established Benton's reputation as a significant American Kinetic artist. He also started teaching at the California State University in San José in 1967 where he continued working until 1986.

By 1974 Benton abandoned kinetic art to continue exploring sculpture in three dimensions in a style that became known as "new constructivism." The artworks were conceived in the series Folded Circles and Folded Square Alphabets and were produced in bronze, aluminum and steel. It was also during the 1970s that he started doing large-scale commissions such as the 1977 IBM commission.

Between 1981 and 1984 Benton constructed his studio in Dore Street in the Market district of San Francisco where he continues to work today. During the 1980s Benton started his Balanced/Unbalanced series, which introduced the idea of gravity using geometric forms in different formats and sizes.

From 1984 he began to show more work in Europe, especially in Germany, where in 1993 he got a major commission to create a colossal public sculpture in Cologne entitled Steel Watercolor Triangle Ring. It was also in Germany where Benton encountered the work of Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich, and he began work on his Construct Relief series in reponse, which he dedicated to Kandinsky. These geometric constructions are flat, canvas-like steel structures that combine features of painting and sculpture. As the series evolved, the work became more like painting, constructed to hang on the wall without a back piece, so they seem to be floating in the space.

Benton continues to live and work in San Francisco and is represented by multiple galleries in the United States and Germany.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Fletcher Benton conducted by Paul J. Karlstrom, 1989 May 2-4 is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Provenance:
Donated 2005-2006 and 2014 by Fletcher Benton. Benton's wife, Bobbie Benton, organized the material by subject matter and date.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual material without a duplicate copy requires advanced 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 -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Topic:
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Motion pictures (visual works)
Drawings
Video recordings
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Photographs
Christmas cards
Citation:
Fletcher Benton papers, 1934-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.bentflet
See more items in:
Fletcher Benton papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9951bf858-723f-4f17-804b-fc250edde964
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bentflet

Claire Falkenstein papers, circa 1914-1997, bulk 1940-1990

Creator:
Falkenstein, Claire, 1908-1997  Search this
Subject:
O'Donnell, May  Search this
Still, Patricia  Search this
Still, Clyfford  Search this
Sawyer, Kenneth B.  Search this
Guggenheim, Peggy  Search this
Green, Ray  Search this
Kuh, Katharine  Search this
Wildenhain, Frans  Search this
Tapie, Michel  Search this
Temko, Allan  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Pond Farm Workshop  Search this
Merging One Gallery  Search this
San Francisco Museum of Art  Search this
John Bolles Gallery (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this
Jack Rutberg Fine Arts (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this
Martha Jackson Gallery  Search this
Malvina Miller  Search this
Los Angeles Museum of Art  Search this
Coos Art Museum  Search this
Galerie Anderson-Mayer  Search this
Galerie Stadler  Search this
Fresno Art Museum  Search this
Mills College  Search this
University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this
Type:
Sketchbooks
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Citation:
Claire Falkenstein papers, circa 1914-1997, bulk 1940-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art patronage  Search this
Artists' studios  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women designers  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women authors  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6135
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216351
AAA_collcode_falkclai
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_216351
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Anton Blazek, 1965 April 13

Interviewee:
Blazek, Anton James, 1902-1974  Search this
Interviewer:
McGlynn, Betty Lochrie Hoag  Search this
Subject:
Ebstrom, David  Search this
Feitelson, Lorser  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton  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 Anton Blazek, 1965 April 13. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Art and state  Search this
Painters -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13218
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213312
AAA_collcode_blazek65
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213312
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Albert Henry King, 1964 June 10

Interviewee:
King, Albert Henry, 1900-1982  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 Albert Henry King, 1964 June 10. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13159
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213607
AAA_collcode_king64
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213607
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Henry Lion, 1964 May 21

Interviewee:
Lion, Henry, 1900-1966  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 Henry Lion, 1964 May 21. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Painters -- California -- Interviews  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12633
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213638
AAA_collcode_lion64
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213638

Oral history interview with Leon Saulter, 1964 November 19

Interviewee:
Saulter, Leon, 1908-1986  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 Leon Saulter, 1964 November 19. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Sculpture, American  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
New Deal  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12254
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213791
AAA_collcode_saulte64
Theme:
New Deal
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213791

Oral history interview with Margaret Honda, 2020 August 17

Interviewee:
Honda, Margaret, 1961-  Search this
Interviewer:
Proctor, Jacob  Search this
Subject:
Pandemic Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Video recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Margaret Honda, 2020 August 17. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Pandemics  Search this
COVID-19 (Disease)  Search this
COVID-19 (Disease) and the arts  Search this
COVID-19 (Disease) -- Social aspects  Search this
Mutual aid  Search this
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Asian American filmmakers  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women filmmakers  Search this
Theme:
Asian American  Search this
Women  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)22000
AAA_collcode_honda20
Theme:
Asian American
Women
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_22000

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

Elyn Zimmerman papers

Creator:
Zimmerman, Elyn, 1945-  Search this
Names:
Dicker, Ruth  Search this
Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993  Search this
Gund, Agnes  Search this
Teraoka, Masami, 1936-  Search this
Varnedoe, Kirk  Search this
Extent:
37.8 Linear feet
1,710.223 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Interviews
Date:
1967-2022
Summary:
The papers of sculptor and site-specific installation artist Elyn Zimmerman measure 37.8 linear feet and 1710.223 gigabytes, and date from 1967-2022. The collection documents the artist's life and work through correspondence, interviews, writings, project and commission files, exhibition files, teaching files, printed material, and photographic material. Project and commission files comprise the majority of the collection at 19.40 linear feet and comprehensively document dozens of Zimmerman's site-specific sculptural projects and proposals for public and private sites across the United States and internationally. Items include correspondence, contracts, photographs, models, blueprints, and original sketches and drawings. Photographic material documents Zimmerman's work through color and black and white slides, transparencies, contact sheets, negatives, and prints. The papers include a small number of born digital records, including interviews, digital images of projects, construction sites, and floorplans, as well as PowerPoint presentations.

There is a 2.2 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2023 that includes project files, photographs, works of art on paper, journals, a scrapbook and printed material regarding Elyn Zimmerman. Materials date from circa 1967-2022.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor and site-specific installation artist Elyn Zimmerman measure 37.8 linear feet and 1710.223 gigabytes, and date from 1967-2022. The collection documents the artist's life and work through correspondence, interviews, writings, project and commission files, exhibition files, teaching files, printed material, and photographic material. Project and commission files comprise the majority of the collection at 19.40 linear feet and comprehensively document dozens of Zimmerman's site-specific sculptural projects and proposals for public and private sites across the United States and internationally. Items include correspondence, contracts, photographs, models, blueprints, and original sketches and drawings. Photographic material documents Zimmerman's work through color and black and white slides, transparencies, contact sheets, negatives, and prints. The papers include a small number of born digital records, including interviews, digital images of projects, construction sites, and floorplans, as well as PowerPoint presentations.

Correspondence is comprised predominately of received letters and fewer drafts and copies of outgoing letters. Notable correspondents include Zimmerman's late husband, curator Kirk Varnedoe, arts advocate Agnes Gund, and artists Ruth Dicker, Richard Diebenkorn, Kady Hoffman, and Masami Teraoka. Interviews include digital video recordings of Elyn Zimmerman discussing various public projects between circa 1991 and 2005. Writings include drafts of journal articles, a book mock-up, project notes, and statements. Agendas and address books are filed with writings. Project and commission files comprise the bulk of the collection and comprehensively document dozens of Zimmerman's site-specific sculptural projects and proposals for public and private sites across the United States and internationally. Items include correspondence, contracts, photographs, models, blueprints, and original sketches and drawings. The files include a small number of born digital records, including digital images of projects, construction sites, and floorplans, as well as PowerPoint presentations. Exhibition files document Zimmerman's site-specific installations and exhibitions in a gallery and museum context. Files include correspondence, photographs, slides, statements, press releases, shipping information, and price lists. Teaching files document the many courses Zimmerman taught in painting, drawing, design, architecture, and landscape architecture. Items include syllabi, assignments, lecture notes, reading lists, and articles. Printed material primarily consists of items cataloging Zimmerman's career including exhibition announcements, catalogs, and press clippings. Subject files were saved and collected by Zimmerman and are arranged at the end of the series. Photographic material document Zimmerman's installations of commissioned works, exhibitions, and other installations through color and black and white slides, negatives, contact sheets, prints, and digital photographs.

There is a 2.2 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2023 that includes project files, photographs, works of art on paper, journals, a scrapbook and printed material regarding Elyn Zimmerman. Materials date from circa 1967-2022.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1978-2011 (3.7 linear feet; Box 1-4)

Series 2: Interviews, circa 1991-2005 (0.2 linear feet; Box 100)

Series 3: Writings, Agendas, and Address Books, 1970-2003 (0.5 linear feet; Box 4-5)

Series 4: Project and Commission Files, 1970-2022 (20.4 linear feet, Box 5-15, 21-22, 100, 123-125 OV 23-85, 109-116, 120-122, 126-127 RD 97-98; 0.223 gigabytes, ER01-04)

Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1969-2018 (4.6 linear feet; Box 15-16, 20-21, 100, 103, 123, OV 86-96,105-108, 120, RD 99)

Series 6: Teaching Files, 1970-1994 (0.4 linear feet; Box 16)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1970-2018 (2.2 linear feet; Box 16-19, 100, 123)

Series 8: Photographic Material, 1967-2018 (3.6 linear feet; Box 100-102, 123-125, OV 117-119)

Series 9: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1967-2022 (2.2 linear feet; Box 128-130, OV 131-135)
Biographical / Historical:
Elyn Zimmerman (1945-) is a New York City and Los Angeles based sculptor best known for her large scale site-specific outdoor installations incorporating granite, water features, and landscape architecture.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Zimmerman moved to California for college, earning both her BFA and MFA from University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, she studied with Richard Diebenkorn and Robert Irwin, and worked in photography, drawing, and site-specific installation. In 1978 she created Monarch's Trough for Artpark in Lewiston, New York, her first site-specific work using granite. For the next several decades Zimmerman would complete dozens of site-specific installations in public and private spaces across the United States, and submit proposals for dozens more. Working frequently with stone and granite, she developed a decades long relationship with a granite quarry in Cold Spring, Minnesota, which fabricated many of her designs. Zimmerman's clients have included the National Geographic Society, the Birmingham Art Museum, and the New York City Parks Department.

In addition to her site-specific work, Zimmerman has had an extensive exhibition history, and has shown for many years with Gagosian Gallery. In 2016, Zimmerman was the recipient of the Isamu Noguchi Award. She has taught at Mills College, California Institute of the Arts, Harvard University, New York University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Zimmerman was married to the late curator Kirk Varnedoe from 1978-2002.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2015-2023 by Elyn Zimmerman.
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 or 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:
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Installation artists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Installation artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women sculptors  Search this
Installations (Art)  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Elyn Zimmerman papers, 1967-2022. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.zimmelyn
See more items in:
Elyn Zimmerman papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw907b8edfc-e9ed-4849-99fa-3bc8ec9991a6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-zimmelyn
Online Media:

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:

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