The collection is arranged into six series. Series 1: Correspondence, 1998-2015 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1) Series 2: Professional Activity Files, 1954-2015 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, OV 5, ER01; 2.92 GB) Series 3: Administrative Files, 1981-2012 (0.2 linear feet; Box 2) Series 4: Artist Files, 1999-2012 (0.5 linear feet; Box 2, ER02-ER19; 0.914 GB) Series 5: Printed Material, 1953-2016 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, OV 5) Series 6: Photographic Material, 1968-2009 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, ER20-ER22; 0.168 GB)
Access Note / Rights:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of Karen Karnes measure 3.5 linear feet and 4.00 GB and date from 1953 to 2016. The papers document Karnes career as a ceramicist in Vermont through correspondence with family, friends, and art institutions; video productions on Karnes' life, exhibitions at museums and galleries, and other professional activities; participation lists, sales documents, correspondence, and other administrative materials; artist files for various participants at the annual Old Church Cultural Center pottery show in Demarest, New Jersey; clippings, announcements, catalogs, and other printed and digital material; personal photographs and photographs and slides of pottery.
Citation:
Karen Karnes papers, 1953-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
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.
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.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral histories with Karen Karnes: one conducted by Paul Cumming, October 4, 1971, and one conducted by Matt Shapiro, August 9-10, 2005.
Biography Note:
Karen Karnes (1925-2016) was a ceramicist in Morgan, Vermont. Karnes attended Brooklyn College where she studied design, and decided to concetrate on ceramics after a trip to Italy. In 1954, Karnes and her husband, David Weinrib, moved to Stony Point, New York, where they established the Gate Hill Cooperative. In 1967, while teaching at Penland School of Craft, Karnes began incorporating salt in her firings. It would become a signature of her work until a fire destroyed her studio in 1998. Karnes also organized and took part in the annual Old Church Cultural Center pottery show between 1980 and the 2010s in Demarest, New Jersey.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated 2018 by Ann Stannard, executor of Karnes' estate. A kiln fire in Karnes' studio and home in 1998 destroyed most of her papers.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
