The Sybaris Gallery records measure 11 linear feet and date from 1966 to 2010, with the bulk of the records dating from 1986 to 2003. The collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through administrative records, artist files, exhibition files, and gallery and museum files.
Scope and Contents:
The Sybaris Gallery records measure 11 linear feet and date from 1966 to 2010, with the bulk of the records dating from 1986 to 2003. The collection sheds light on the gallery's operations through administrative records, artist files, exhibition and event files, and gallery and museum files.
Administrative records include advertisement records, collector lists, material relating to the gallery's dealings with corporate collections and art consultants, press releases, newspaper and magazine clippings, and a scrapbook. Artist files consist of price lists, artist statements, agreements, photographs and negatives of artwork, sales records, inventories, packing and shipping instructions, as well as correspondence with artists, collectors, and other museums and galleries. Artist files found in the collection include Nick Cave, Barbara Cooper, Philip Cornelius, Patrick Dougherty, Jack Earl, Viola Frey, William Hunter, Ferne Jacobs, Marilyn Levine, Joan Livingstone, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Ron Nagle, Ken Price, Ed Rossbach, Jane Sauer, June Schwarcz, Joyce Scott, Kiff Slemmons, and Lenore Tawney.
Exhibition and event files include press releases, artist resumes, artist statements, correspondence, photographs of artwork, and printed material such as newspaper clippings, catalogs, and announcements. Files related to events held by other organizations include correspondence, checklists, printed material, and agreements. Gallery and museum files contain invoices, consignment records, correspondence, pricelists, invoices, agreements, scattered artist resumes, and some printed material.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series.
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1988-2003 (Box 1; 1 linear feet)
Series 2: Artist Files, 1966-2010, bulk 1986-2003 (Box 2-10; 8.2 linear feet)
Series 3: Exhibition and Event Files, 1990-2003 (Box 10-11; .7 linear feet)
Series 4: Gallery and Museum Files, 1989-2003 (Box 11; .8 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Sybaris Gallery was founded in Royal Oak, Michigan, in 1989 by Linda Ross and Arlene Selik. Ross and Selik were both private art dealers and curators before establishing Sybaris in 1989, operating under the name The Sybaris Group. The gallery established an international reputation for exhibiting contemporary crafts in all media, including fiber, wood, metal, and ceramics. Among its notable exhibitions was the gallery's annual basketry invitational. Other notable group and solo shows displayed the work of artists Nick Cave, Viola Frey, Joan Livingstone, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Ed Rossbach, and June Schwarcz. The gallery closed in 2003. Selik and Ross continued their careers as dealers, curators, and art consultants.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2014 by Linda Ross and Arlene Selik, founders of Sybaris Gallery.
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.
Sybaris Gallery Records, 1966-2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
