The papers of Italian-American sculptor, educator, printmaker, and painter Italo Scanga, date from circa 1930 to 2001 and measure 15.4 linear feet. The papers focus on Scanga's work as an artist but also include scattered teaching materials. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, artist files, exhibition and gallery files, professional files, a video recording, and printed material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Italian-American sculptor, educator, printmaker, and painter Italo Scanga, date from circa 1930 to 2001 and measure 15.4 linear feet. The papers focus on Scanga's work as an artist but also include scattered teaching materials. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, artist files, exhibition and gallery files, professional files, a video recording, and printed material.
Of note are files containing correspondence, photographs, and printed materials on Dale Chihuly, a friend and collaborator of Italo Scanga. Considerable material is also found for Richard Merkin, William Schwedler, and Gary Stoneman.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 6 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1930-2001 (2.5 linear feet; Box 1-3)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1950s-2000s (3.4 linear feet; Box 3-6, 17)
Series 3: Artist Files, 1957-2000s (3.4 linear feet; Box 6-10, 16)
Series 4: Exhibition and Gallery Files, 1973-2001 (1.1 linear feet; Box 10-12)
Series 5: Professional Files, 1971-2001 (0.6 linear feet; Box 12)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1950s-2000s (3.5 linear feet; Box 12-17)
Biographical / Historical:
Italo Scanga (1932-2001) was a sculptor, painter, and educator based in San Diego, California.
Born in Calabria, Italy in 1932, Italo Scanga and his family immigrated to the United States in 1946 and settled in Michigan. After graduating from high school, Scanga worked on the assembly line of General Motors and enlisted in the United States Army, serving in Austria in the early 1950s. Upon returning to Michigan, Scanga studied at Michigan State University where he received his MFA in sculpture in 1961.
Scanga's career was marked by a dual love of teaching and creating art. He accepted many teaching positions at various institutions including the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the Tyler School of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Pilchuck Glass School, and the University of California, San Diego. He created works of art in various forms of media including sculpture, sometimes using found-objects, prints, ceramics, glass, painting, and mixed-media. His works combined fine art, craft, and kitsch.
Scanga married Mary Louise Ashley in 1956 and together they had five children. Later, he married artist Stephanie Smedley. Italo Scanga died in 2001 and is survived by his partner, Su Mei Yu, a restauranteur and his five children, Katherine, Sarah, Anthony, Joseph, and William.
Provenance:
The Italo Scanga Foundation via Joseph and Katherine Scanga, Italo Scanga's children, donated the papers in 2002.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
