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Catalog Data

Interviewee:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Interviewer:
Forgey, Benjamin  Search this
Names:
Coalition of Washington Artists  Search this
Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this
District of Columbia Arts Center, Inc.  Search this
Jefferson Place Gallery  Search this
Washington Gallery of Modern Art (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Washington Project for the Arts (D.C.)  Search this
Downing, Thomas, 1928-1985  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Krebs, Rockne, 1938-2011  Search this
Extent:
4 Items (Sound recording, sound cassettes)
54 Pages (Transcript)
4 Items (Sound recording, sound cassettes)
54 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1989 Nov. 4-11
1989 Nov. 4-11
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Sam Gilliam conducted 1989 Nov. 4-11, by Ben Forgey for the Archives of American Art. Gilliam speaks of his decision to come to Washington, D.C., from Louisville, Ky.; his shift from figurative painting to abstract painting; meeting Washington painters Robert Gates and Tom Downing; the "stature" of Tom Downing in the Washington art scene in the 1960s and Walter Hopps' role; influential exhibitions at the Jefferson Place Gallery and the Washington Gallery of Modern Art; being a Washington artist and a black artist; artist/teachers at American University; the Johnson Avenue Workshop grant; his relationship with Rockne Krebs; the history of the Washington Coalition of Artists; the Corcoran Gallery and the Washington Project for the Arts' relationship to Washington artists; his involvement with the District of Columbia Art Center; teaching; and his working methods. Gilliam also discusses various paintings, processes, materials, ideas and experiments at length. He recalls Gene Davis, Howard Mehring, Ken Noland, Morris Louis, Nesta Dorrance, Alma Thomas, Lou Stovall, Al Nodal, Jock Reynolds, Michael Botwinick, Willem de Looper, Paul Reed, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) was a painter in Washington, D.C.
Provenance:
These interviews are 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.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Art -- Technique  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.gillia89
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91401a0dd-4bc8-462b-b67b-53a0d0eb38cb
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-gillia89