This collection is arranged as 8 series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1931-2003 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 1, 20) Series 2: Correspondence, 1965-2007 (2 linear feet; Boxes 1-3) Series 3: Writings, 1955-2001 (6.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-10, 20) Series 4: Organizational Records, 1968-1996 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 10-11, 20, OV 21) Series 5: Project Files, 1968-2008 (6.5 linear feet; Boxes 11-17, 20, OV 21-22, 24, RD 26) Series 6: Teaching Files, 1967-2008 (0.7 linear feet; Box 17) Series 7: Printed Materials, 1968-2009 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 18-20, OV 23, 25) Series 8: Artwork, 1965-2003 (0.1 linear feet; Boxes 19-20, OV 22)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers and archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Summary:
The Paul Ryan papers measure 19.7 linear feet and document Ryan's education and career as a pioneering video artist, theorist, writer, and educator. Records include school records, family papers, correspondence, writings, project files, video recordings, teaching files, printed materials, scattered photographs, and artwork by others. Organizational records are also found for the Earthscore Foundation, Earth Environmental Group, the Gaia Institute, and the Raindance Corporation, among others. The bulk of Ryan's professional work is documented in his writings and project files.
Citation:
Paul Ryan papers, 1931-2009. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' Hidden Collections grant program.
Use Note:
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.
Biography Note:
Paul Ryan was a pioneering video artist, writer, teacher, and theoretician based in New York City and the Hudson Valley of New York State. Born in 1943, Ryan spent his early adulthood as a seminarian and later a member of the Roman Catholic order of Passionist monks, which he left in 1965. He eventually received a B.A. from New York University. During the Vietnam War, Ryan received conscientious objector status and studied with Marshall McLuhan at Fordham University as alternative service. It was McLuhan's influence that led Ryan to begin to explore the possibilities of the medium of video.
Language Note:
The collection is in English.
Provenance:
The papers of Paul Ryan were donated to the Archives of American Art by Ryan in 2008.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001