Project files primarily document Ross's collaborations with prominent artists to create tapestries of their paintings. She worked with artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, Romare Bearden, Louise Nevelson, Milton Avery, and Stuart Davis to create designs and selected weavers to translate the artworks into tapestries. She also oversaw commissions and sales of these works to individuals, corporations, and museums. Project files may include correspondence, contracts, invoices, notes, photographs, yarn samples, and a few maquettes and cartoons. Also of note are extensive files regarding her collaborations with Kenneth Noland, with whom she had the longest working relationship of any artist. Included is documentation regarding the Native/Noland series. For this series Ross worked with Navajo weavers to create tapestries based on Noland's geometric paintings. Researchers should note that a few files document project collaborations that were never realized.
Other project files found here include a commissioned tapestry for Temple Emanu-El in collaboration with artist Mark Podwal, as well as commissions for Mazza Gallerie, Phoenix Civic Center, and Westinghouse Broadcasting Company. Documents include correspondence, invoices, agreements, photographs, and notes. Files regarding a Vesti Corporation mostly contain legal records and correspondence regarding Gloria Ross's role in the project.
Arrangement:
This series is arranged as 2 subseries.
Missing Title
3.1: Artist Collaborations, 1960-1998
3.2: Other Projects, 1971-1997
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Gloria Ross papers, circa 1924-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
