An interview of Dana Chandler conducted 1993 March 11-May 5, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art.
Chandler remembers his childhood in the Black community of Roxbury, Massachussets, with numerous siblings, pugnacious, hard-drinking longshoreman father, and mother who was the linchpin of the family; precocity as a reader and child artist; attendance at Saturday morning children's art classes at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and at Boston Educational High School where needed discipline was instilled in him by its all-white faculty; and as an assistant at school after graduation (1959-61).
Chandler talks about his awareness of budding civil rights movement; his attendance (1962-67) at Massachusetts College of Art while supporting his new, young family and working for the Jamaica Plain Area Planning Action Council which was funded by the federal Model Cities program; his first exhibitions (1967), in a liberal local church and a black businessmen's club; the exhibition (1969) "Twelve Black Artists from Boston," at the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University; and his involvement, along with Harold Tovish and Michael Mazur, in the group, Artists Against the War.
He recalls his initiation of the exhibition, "Afro-American Artists/New York and Boston," at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1970, for which he was given no credit; his position as an unpaid cultural commentator for a Black newspaper and radio station; his politically-charged paintings and prints from the late 1960s onward; his meetings with senior Black artists, such as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett Mora, and Benny Andrews; and his steady espousal of confrontation.
Chandler discusses teaching at Simmons College, Boston, 1971 to present; his creation in 1974 of the African-American Master Artists-in-Residence Program (AMARP), Northeastern University, Boston, and his direction of it until 1993, when he was relieved of the position by the University.
Chandler discusses his exhibition at Northeastern University in 1976, "If the Shoe Fits, Hear It!" under the name Akin Duro, and its evidence of the respect in which he was held; the loss of much of his work in a studio fire; and his current large-scale graphic work.
Biographical / Historical:
Dana Chandler (1941- ) is an African American painter, printmaker, and educator from Boston, Massachussets.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 51 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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 administrators. Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by the Newland Foundation.
Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.) Search this
Extent:
0.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1968-1993
Summary:
The papers of painter and educator Dana Chandler (1941-) date from 1968-1993 and measure 0.9 linear feet. The papers consist of biographical material, correspondence, printed material, professional records, and reproductions of works of art, and relate primarily to Chandler's founding of the African American Master Artists in Residency Program (AAMARP) at Northeastern University.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter and educator Dana Chandler (1941-) date from 1968-1993 and measure 0.9 linear feet. The papers consist of biographical material, correspondence, printed material, professional records, and reproductions of works of art, and relate primarily to Chandler's founding of the African American Master Artists in Residency Program (AAMARP) at Northeastern University.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Dana Chandler (1941-), also known as Akin Duro, is an African American painter, printmaker, and educator in Boston, Massachusetts. Chandler is an activist known for his work with the Black integrationist movement in Boston, and Professor Emeritus at Simmons College. Chandler founded the African American Master Artists in Residency Program (AAMARP) at Northeastern University.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an interview of Dana Chandler conducted 1993 March 11-May 5, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art
Provenance:
Donated 1993 by Dana Chandler.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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.
Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission of Dana Chandler. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Series includes biographical material such as awards, certificates, and identification cards; correspondence with friends, colleagues, Northeastern University, and other cultural and educational institutions; and printed material including clippings and exhibition materials. While the bulk of the papers document Chandler's founding of and activities involving the African American Master Artists in Residency Program (AAMARP) at Northeastern University, there are alo scattered professional records relating to his activities as a professor and an activist.
The bulk of the series consists of photocopied material.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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.
Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission of Dana Chandler. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Collection Citation:
Dana Chandler papers, 1968-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Dana Chandler, 1993 March 11-May 5. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
