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Catalog Data

Interviewee:
Dawson, William, 1901-1990  Search this
Interviewer:
Blum, Betty  Search this
Subject:
Brown, Roger  Search this
Kind, Phyllis  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
173 Pages, Transcript
General Note:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 58 min.
Summary:
An interview of William Dawson conducted 1990 April 11-23, by Betty Blum, for the Archives of American Art.
Dawson speaks of his childhood in Alabama; coming to Chicago in 1923; working as a porter and janitor; the beginnings of his art career after retiring in 1965; making carvings from found objects; the process of discovering and creating forms; his first exhibition at the Lincoln Park Public Library; his first sales to collectors, including Phyllis Kind and Roger Brown; gaining exposure through collectors and eventually getting discovered; the beginning of his work in painting; his exhibition at the Corcoran in 1982; work methods; and inspirations and ideas.
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with William Dawson, 1990 April 11-23. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Biography Note:
William Dawson (1901-1990) was a self-taught painter and sculptor from Chicago, Illinois. Dawson was born in 1901 in Huntsville, Alabama, came to Chicago in 1923, and after retiring from a career as a janitor and porter, he began sculpting and painting. He died July 1, 1990.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
African American artists  Search this
Sculptors -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Self-taught artists -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11468
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213037
AAA_collcode_dawson90
Theme:
African American
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213037