With two exceptions, the interviews were conducted by Ruth Bowman. She is the subject of two interviews, and one KUSC "Live from Trump's" radio program was hosted by Myra Livingston.
In 1976, while attending an arts administration program offered by the British Arts Council, Bowman inteviewed museum administrators and educators in England (6 sounds cassettes).
Serving as an advisor to Metroplitan Museum of Art Director Thomas Hoving, Bowman interviewed more than a dozen people in 1976 concerning the benefits, drawbacks, and ramifications of the Annenberg Fine Arts Center proposed for The Metropolitan Museum of Art (12 sound cassettes). The controversial plan aroused much concern and Annenberg eventually withdrew his offer.
Among the interviews with miscellaneous individuals (4 sound reels, 6 sound cassettes, and 2 transcripts) , of particular interest is an interview with Noguchi concerning a possible commission for a sculpture at Bryn Mawr College, his mother's alma mater. A 1974 interview with Bowman concerns her work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Bowman was the host of "Sounds of Seeing," a radio show produced by KUSC radio in Los Angeles, 1979-1983. With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, "Sounds of Seeing" aired Bowman's interviews with artists, art historians, museum curators and directors, conservators, local politicians, and others on a wide range of art related topics (7 sound reels and 69 sound cassettes). On "Live from Trump's," a KUSC radio program broadcast from Trump's Restaurant, Bowman conversed with guests about local exhibitions and other arts events.
Interviews with 12 American abstract artists were conducted by Ruth Bowman (Ruth Gurin at the time) as background research for her intended thesis on the subject. Plans changed, and the thesis she eventually wrote was "Thomas Pollock Anshutz, 1851-1912" (M.A., Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1971).
"Views on Art," her weekly radio show on WNYC, 1967-1973, featured interviews with artists, museum directors and curators, gallery owners and others who discussed their work and current exhibitions. Other topics covered include: art forgeries, underground movie making, museum management, art publishing, business and the arts, art and public relations, computers and the humanities, new art technologies, and trends in art education. (72 sound reels, 3 sound cassettes, and 1 transcript; 70 digital recordings).
Arrangement:
Interviews concerning the Annenberg Fine Arts Center, interviews of miscellaneous individuals, and WNYC "Views on Art" radio programs are alphabetized by interviewee. Those with museum administrators and educators are arraned chronologically, as are the interviews for KUSC radio shows "Sounds of Seeing" and "Live From Trump's." "Sounds of Seeing" interviews are housed in 1 folder and 4 smaller boxes within Box 14. Additional interviews recorded for other purposes are scattered among the subject files (series 4).
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Collection Rights:
Research material including correspondence, writings and notes, photographs, and printed material on Cezanne, Thomas Eakins, and Picasso: Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Ruth Bowman. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Collection Citation:
Ruth Bowman papers, 1936-2006, bulk 1963-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
