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Catalog Data

Interviewee:
Mason, John, 1927-2019  Search this
Interviewer:
Smith, Paul J.  Search this
Creator:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Names:
Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Students  Search this
Ferus Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Otis Art Institute -- Students  Search this
Ballard, Richard  Search this
Coplans, John  Search this
Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Kienholz, Edward, 1927-  Search this
Koshalek, Richard  Search this
Marer, Fred  Search this
McClain, Mac  Search this
Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this
Peterson, Susan, 1925-2009  Search this
Price, Kenneth, 1935-2012  Search this
Sheets, Millard, 1907-1989  Search this
Soldner, Paul  Search this
Sullivan, Louis H., 1856-1924  Search this
Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959  Search this
Extent:
47 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2006 August 28
Scope and Contents:
An interview of John Mason conducted 2006 August 28, by Paul Smith, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Smith's office, in New York, N.Y.
Mason speaks of his childhood in rural Nevada; early interests in photography and jazz; moving to Los Angeles to attend the Los Angeles County Art Institute, now Otis College of Art and Design; attending Chouinard Art Institute; experiences working at Vernon Kilns and with the head designer Elliot House; opening Glendale Boulevard Studio with Peter Voulkos; his association with Ferus Gallery; and teaching experiences at Pomona College, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Irvine, and Hunter College. He also discusses the development of the Hudson River series exhibition; solo exhibitions at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LA Louver Gallery, Pasadena Art Museum, now Norton Simon Museum of Art, and others; participation in group exhibitions such as, "Sculpture Off the Pedestal" at Grand Rapids Museum of Art; imagery found in his work including the orbit, the figure, the torque, the spear form, the vertical form, the cross or X form, symmetry and the monolith; an interest in Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan; the architectural qualities in his work; the foresight of Buckminster Fuller; and the accelerating change in technology that has taken place over the course of his career. Mason recalls Susan Peterson, Kenneth Price, Paul Soldner, Mac McClain, Fred Marer, Millard Sheets, Edward Kienholz, Walter Hopps, James Melchert, John Coplans, Richard Ballard, Richard Koshalek, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
John Mason (1927-2019 ) was a ceramicist of Los Angeles, California. Paul Smith (1931- ) is Director Emeritus, American Craft Museum of New York City, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 26 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 administrators.
Restrictions:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Topic:
Ceramicists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.mason06
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93531d57a-bc1c-4053-908d-79bc55d3fcc1
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mason06