The papers of abstract painter Joan Snyder measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1962 to 2009. They document the career of Snyder through biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings, gallery and exhibition files, professional files, printed materials, photographic material, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of American painter Joan Snyder measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1962 to 2009. They document the career of Snyder through biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings, gallery and exhibition files, professional files, printed materials, photographic material, and artwork.
The biographical material series includes honors and awards as well as a resume. Correspondence includes personal letters from friends and fellow artists. The interviews series features three transcripts of separate interviews with Ardele Lister and Ned Rifkin. The writings series includes journal entries and manuscripts by Snyder, as well as manuscripts and published reviews. The gallery and exhibition files series includes documentation originating from various organizations including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Rutgers University and the Hirschl and Adler Gallery. The professional files series includes business correspondence with State University of New York (SUNY) and the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota. The printed material series includes many clippings featuring Snyder and miscellaneous exhibition advertisements from Boston, New York, and across the nation. The photographic material series includes many labeled slides of Snyder's artwork and studio. The artwork series is comprised of a single sketchbook.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 9 series:
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1962-1983 0.1 Linear feet (Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1971-2006 0.1 Folders (Box 1)
Series 3: Interviews, circa 1990-1991 0.1 Linear feet (Box 1)
Series 4: Writings, circa 1971-1994 0.2 Linear feet (Box 1)
Series 5: Gallery and Exhibition Files, circa 1971-2005 0.5 Linear feet (Box 1)
Series 6: Professional Files, circa 1969-1996 0.2 Linear feet (Box 2)
Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1963-2000 1.4 Linear feet (Boxes 2-3)
Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1979-2014 0.2 Linear feet (Box 3)
Series 9: Artwork, circa 2003-2009 0.1 Linear feet (Box 3 )
Biographical / Historical:
Joan Snyder (1940-present) is an abstract painter and feminist organizer who primarily works in New York City and New Jersey. Born in the Highland Park area, Snyder did not decide to pursue a career in the arts until after taking her first introductory art class at Douglass College in 1961. After earning a MFA at Rutgers University, she married photographer Larry Fink and began teaching at Neighborhood House in New Brunswick. She would continue to teach and serve as a visiting artist at universities like Yale, Princeton and SUNY later in her career.
In 1970, Snyder held her first solo exhibition in New York City, and participated in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and universities in the city and across the nation throughout her career. In repsonse to the gender imbalance among artistic faculty and gallery representation, Snyder became active in the feminist art movement, founding the Mary H. Dana Women Artist Series and supporting organizations like The Woman's Building. Her work can be found in the collections of institutions like the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, the MOMA, and the National Gallery of Art.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Joan Snyder conducted by Judith Olch Richards, February 25-26 2010.
Provenance:
The Joan Snyder papers were donated by Snyder in two installments, in 2011 and 2014.
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 -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
