Search Results

Interviewee:

Fisch, Arline M.  Search this

Interviewer:

Church, Sharon, 1948-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Students  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Skidmore College -- Faculty  Search this

Skidmore College -- Students  Search this

Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Faculty  Search this

Adamson, Glenn  Search this

Extent:

61 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2001 July 29-30

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Arline M. Fisch conducted 2001 July 29-30, by Sharon Church McNabb, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Fisch's home, in San Diego, California.

Biographical / Historical:

Arline M. Fisch (1931-) is a metalsmith from San Diego, California. Sharon Church McNabb (1948-) is a jewelry designer.

General:

Originally recorded on 6 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 13 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.

Occupation:

Metal-workers -- California -- San Diego  Search this

Jewelers -- California -- San Diego  Search this

Educators -- California -- San Diego  Search this

Fulbright scholars  Search this

Topic:

Art and religion  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Knitting  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Women textile artists  Search this

Jewelry making  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.fisch01

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw953b7f3c1-1e9d-443b-8501-888ae6399225

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-fisch01

Interviewee:

Choo, Chunghi  Search this

Interviewer:

Milosch, Jane  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Cranbrook Academy of Art -- Students  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Ihwa Yŏja Taehakkyo  Search this

Museum für Kunsthandwerk Frankfurt am Main  Search this

Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Penland School of Handicrafts -- Students  Search this

University of Iowa -- Faculty  Search this

University of Northern Iowa  Search this

Victoria and Albert Museum  Search this

Bush, Cody  Search this

Chateauvert, Jocelyn  Search this

Fujio, Yuho  Search this

Grotell, Maija  Search this

Kao, Ruth  Search this

Kaufman, Glen  Search this

Larsen, Jack Lenor  Search this

Lechtzin, Stanley, 1936-  Search this

Lee, Sang-Bong  Search this

Mayer-VanderMey, Sandra  Search this

McFadden, David Revere  Search this

Merkel-Hess, Mary  Search this

Park, No Soo  Search this

Raab, Rosanne  Search this

Saarinen, Loja  Search this

Smith, Paul J.  Search this

Thomas, Richard C., 1917-1988  Search this

Yeun, Kee-ho  Search this

Extent:

75 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Place:

Korea (South) -- History -- April Revolution, 1960

Date:

2007 July 30-2008 July 26

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Chunghi Choo conducted 2007 July 30-2008 July 26, by Jane Milosch, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home, in Iowa City, Iowa.

Choo speaks of establishing the Metalsmithing and Jewelry program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City; the elaborate equipment, tools, and safety protection used in the studio; her experience teaching silent metalforming at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine; participating in international workshops and seminars in Korea; the extensive world traveling she does with her husband, Dr. Charles Read, including destinations in Scandinavia, Thailand, Austria, Italy, and South Africa, among others; the house she designed in Iowa City; her love of the city and being surrounded by treasured friends, a supportive university, and beautiful environments; an interest in creative cooking and appreciation for diverse dishes from all around the world; her childhood and young adulthood in Inchon, Korea; growing up with an appreciation for beautiful art objects and classical music; an early interest and talent in drawing; attending Ewha Women's University as generations of women in her family had previously; experiences during the Korean War and April 19 Revolution in 1961; coming to the United States in 1961 as a student; studying English, ceramics, enameling, and stone cutting for one semester at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, N.C.; attending Cranbrook Art Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and studying metalsmithing with Richard Thomas, ceramics with Maija Grotell, and weaving with Glen Kaufman; living with Mrs. Loja Saarinen during her three and a half years at Cranbrook; teaching general craft at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids from 1965-1968; pioneering the mixed-media studies with her students at UNI; accepting the challenge to build a metalsmithing and jewelry program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1968; learning and teaching electroforming; the development of the electro-appliqué technique; extensive donor support and fundraising for the Metalsmithing and Jewelry program and its students; finding inspiration in nature, East Asian calligraphy, classical music, and travel; her long friendship with Jack Lenor Larsen and the great influence he has had on her work; being represented in major art museums and institutions world-wide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Museum fur Kunsthandwerk in Frankfurt, Germany, and many others; the joy she has when her students succeed and surpass her; and plans for future work, writing projects, and travel. Choo also speaks of the 2008 flooding of Iowa City and the state of Iowa during which her studio was severely damaged and many things were lost. Choo also recalls Park, No Soo; Lee, Sang Bong; Ruth Kao; Stanley Lechtzin; Yuho Fujio; David McFadden; Paul J. Smith; Rosanne Raab; Cody Bush; Jocelyn Chateauvert; Mary Merkel Hess; Sandra Mayer-VanderMey; Kee-ho Yeun, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Chunghi Choo (1938- ) is a Korean American educator, metalsmith, jeweler, and textile and mixed media artist based in Iowa City, Iowa. Interviewer Jane Milosch is a curator from Silver Spring, Maryland.

General:

Originally recorded 5 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 27 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 22 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.

Restrictions:

This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Metal-workers -- Iowa -- Iowa City  Search this

Jewelers -- Iowa -- Iowa City  Search this

Textile designers -- Iowa -- Iowa City  Search this

Mixed-media artists -- Iowa -- Iowa City  Search this

Topic:

Decorative arts  Search this

Metal-work  Search this

Jewelers -- Interviews  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Korean War, 1950-1953  Search this

Korean American art  Search this

Korean American Artists  Search this

Asian American jewelers  Search this

Asian American metal-workers  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women textile artists  Search this

Jewelry making  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.choo07

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91d0f3d3d-e648-47b2-9282-e395b73f635f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-choo07

Interviewee:

Eckert, Carol  Search this

Interviewer:

Lauria, Jo  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Anderson, Dale, 1944-  Search this

Anderson, Doug, 1943-  Search this

Blaine, Sandy  Search this

Boyd, Karen Johnson  Search this

Branford, Joanne Segal, 1933-1994  Search this

Covey, Steven  Search this

Docter, Marcia  Search this

Eckert, Tom, 1942-  Search this

Elliot, Lillian  Search this

Garrett, John  Search this

Koplos, Janet  Search this

Lieberman, David  Search this

Lieberman, Sarah  Search this

Manhart, Marcia, 1943-  Search this

McQueen, John, 1943-  Search this

Minkowitz, Norma M., 1937-  Search this

Niehues, Leon  Search this

Okun, Barbara Rose  Search this

Rapp, Joanne  Search this

Sauer, Jane, 1937-  Search this

Turk, Rudy H.  Search this

Extent:

48 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2007 June 18-19

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Carol Eckert conducted June 18-19, 2007 by Jo Lauria, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in the artist's home and studio in Tempe, Arizona.

Eckert speaks of moving from North Carolina to New York during her childhood; her interest in making things as a child; her love of reading and a particular interest in mythology, legends, and fairy tales; choosing to pursue painting as an art major at Arizona State University; working as a substitute teacher after graduation; teaching herself the needle arts; and teaching painting and drawing classes at a local community arts center.

She also discusses experimenting with clay; the process that guides her work; the influence of her painting training on her color and composition choices; her marriage to furniture maker Tom Eckert; the development of the basketry field over the past decades; participating in exhibitions and shows; teaching workshops at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; the cross-cultural animal symbolism present in her pieces; the working environment in her studio; the importance of craft publications; the development in her own work towards larger pieces; her commitment to the longevity and preservation of her work; and upcoming exhibitions.

Eckert recalls Steven Covey, Barbara Rose Okun, Jane Sauer, Sandy Blaine, Lillian Elliot, Joanne Segal Branford, John Garrett, John McQueen, Leon Niehues, Norma Minkowitz, Sarah and David Lieberman, Janet Koplos, Marcia Docter, Doug and Dale Anderson, Karen Johnson Boyd, Rudy Turk, Marcia Manhart, Joanne Rapp, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Carol Eckert (1945- ) is a fiber artist from Tempe, Arizona. Jo Lauria is a curator and arts wrtier from Los Angeles, California.

General:

Originally recorded 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 40 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.

Restrictions:

Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Occupation:

Fiber artists -- Arizona  Search this

Topic:

Decorative arts  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women textile artists  Search this

Function:

Artists' studios

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.eckert07

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c45a09a8-6375-4149-b2b1-78211976b4aa

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-eckert07

Interviewee:

Cook, Lia, 1942-  Search this

Interviewer:

Baizerman, Suzanne  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Allrich Gallery  Search this

American Craft Council  Search this

College Art Association of America  Search this

European Textile Network  Search this

Hadler Galleries  Search this

Handarbetets vanner (Society)  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Konstfack (Stockholm, Sweden)  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Perimeter Gallery  Search this

University of California, Berkeley -- Students  Search this

Abakanowicz, Magdalena  Search this

Hicks, Sheila, 1934-  Search this

Jacobi, Peter, 1935-  Search this

Jacobi, Ritzi, 1941-  Search this

Laky, Gyöngy, 1944-  Search this

O'Banion, Nance  Search this

Rappaport, Deborah  Search this

Rossbach, Ed  Search this

Extent:

36 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Place:

Europe -- description and travel

Japan -- Description and Travel

Date:

2006 August 22-29

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Lia Cook conducted 2006 August 22-29, by Suzanne Baizerman, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in the artist's studio, in Berkeley, California.

Cook speaks of her childhood in California; studying political science at University of California, Berkeley; being strongly influenced by the textiles of Mexican cultures; studying weaving at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design and Handarbetets Vänner in Stockholm, Sweden; attending graduate school at Berkeley under Ed Rossbach; a strong interest in photography; teaching experiences at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; participating in the Lausanne International Biennial of Tapestry in Switzerland; the impact of the digital Jacquard loom on the development of her work; travels throughout Europe and Japan; commission work; experiences with Allrich Gallery, Hadler/Rodriguez Gallery, and Perimeter Gallery; series Fabric Landscape, Material Pleasure, Point of Touch, Presence/Absence, and Anatomy of a Portrait; her involvement with American Craft Council, European Textile Network, and College Art Association; and the importance of teaching in her life. Cook also recalls Gyongy Laky, Nance O'Banion, Deborah Rappaport, Sheila Hicks, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Peter and Ritzi Jacobi, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Lia Cook (1942- ) is a textile painter of Berkeley, California. Suzanne Baizerman (1942- ) is an independent curator of Alameda, California.

General:

Originally recorded as 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 11 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 23 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.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Fiber artists -- California -- Berkeley  Search this

Painters -- California -- Berkeley  Search this

Topic:

Decorative arts  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women textile artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.cook06

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91647bf42-c0b5-4fa9-87ad-2c6325c496b8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-cook06

Interviewee:

Butt, Harlan W., 1950-  Search this

Interviewer:

Riedel, Mija, 1958-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

American Craft Council  Search this

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Enamelist Society  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Penland School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Rhode Island School of Design -- Faculty  Search this

San Diego State University -- Faculty  Search this

Society of North American Goldsmiths  Search this

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale -- Students  Search this

Tyler School of Art -- Students  Search this

University of North Texas -- Faculty  Search this

Brooks, Jan  Search this

Glantz, Ken  Search this

Kington, L. Brent (Louis Brent), 1934-2013  Search this

Lechtzin, Stanley, 1936-  Search this

Moty, Eleanor  Search this

Paley, Albert  Search this

Pijanowski, Eugene, 1938-  Search this

Pijanowski, Hiroko Sato, 1942-  Search this

Pujol, Elliot  Search this

Scanga, Italo, 1932-2001  Search this

Shirk, Helen Z., 1942-  Search this

Snyder, Gary, 1930-  Search this

Staffel, Rudolf, 1911-2002  Search this

Winokur, Robert, 1933-  Search this

Extent:

7 Items (Sound recording: 7 sound files (5 hr., 19 min.), digital, wav)

90 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Place:

Australia -- Description and Travel

India -- description and travel

Japan -- Description and Travel

Date:

2009 July 27-28

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Harlan W. Butt conducted 2009 July 27-28, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Butt's studio, in Ptarmigan Meadows, Colorado.

Harlan Butt speaks of the influence of Asian art on his work; the use of text and imagery in his work; the use of pattern in his work; his undergraduate minor in weaving; the influence of Asian religion and mythology; series The Earth Beneath Our Feet , Garden Anagogies, and Snakes in Heaven; his childhood growing up in Hopewell, New Jersey, near Princeton; undergraduate work at Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; discovery of Buddhism and Eastern religions; his mother's death when he was 20; studying with Stanley Lechtzin and Elliot Pujol at Tyler; graduate school at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; interest in Japanese tea ceremony; more exploration of Zen Buddhism; use of color in his work; studying with L. Brent Kington; reliquary series; move to Connecticut in 1974; second trip to Japan in 1984 to co-curate Kyoto Metal: An Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Art Metalwork; introduction to Japanese system of artisan apprenticeship; early efforts as a writer and poet; the influence of poet Gary Snyder; summer teaching position at Rhode Island School of Design, Providence; teaching job at San Diego [California] State University in the mid-1970s; rattles and pipes series; exploring the Western landscape; the power of the snake image; taking a teaching position at University of North Texas, Denton (1976- ); first trip to Japan in 1980; differences in artisanal/metalworking practices in Japan and the United States; teaching workshops at various craft schools, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina; Haystack School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine; and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, compared with teaching in a university; the pros and cons of the gallery system; work with the Nancy Yaw Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan; the challenge of commission work; National Parks Project, Denton Center for the Visual Arts, Denton, Texas; the role of haiku and text in his pieces; series 1,001 Views of Mt. Mu; series Snakes in Heaven; the influence of his wife and children; trip to India and organizing Colour & Light: The Art and Craft of Enamel on Metal, National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, 2001; trip to Australia; involvement with the Society of North American Goldsmiths, Enamelist Society, and American Craft Council; subtle issues of environmentalism in his work; his affinity for metalsmithing and enameling. He also recalls [Rudolf] Staffel, Robert Winokur, Italo Scanga, Jan Brooks, Mike Riegel, Rachelle Thiewes, Eleanor Moty, Albert Paley, Shumei Tanaka, Ken Glantz (Ken Chowder), Randy Thelma Coles, Sandy Green, Mickey McCarter, Gene Pijanowski, Hiroko Pijanowski, Toshihiro Yamanaka, Helen Shirk, Ana Lopez, and Sarah Perkins.

Biographical / Historical:

Harlan W. Butt (1950- ) is an artist, metalsmith, and educator in Denton, Texas. Mija Riedel (1958- ) is a writer and independent scholar in San Francisco, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound mini discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 19 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.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Art teachers -- Interviews  Search this

Topic:

Art, Asian  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Buddhism  Search this

Metal-workers -- Texas -- Interviews  Search this

Weaving  Search this

Japanese tea ceremony  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.butt09

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw990c0174f-3e27-4a2f-bccb-8d302a50d30d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-butt09

Interviewee:

Schira, Cynthia, 1934-  Search this

Interviewer:

Mensing, Margo, 1941-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Rhode Island School of Design -- Students  Search this

Extent:

52 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2001 July 25-26

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Cynthia Schira conducted 2001 July 25-26, by Margo Mensing, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Schira's home and studio, in Westport, N.Y.

Biographical / Historical:

Cynthia Schira (1934- ) is a fiber artist from Westport, N.Y. Margo Mensing (1941- ) is a fiber artist from Gansevoort, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 22 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.

Topic:

Fiber artists -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Tapestry  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Weaving  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.schira01

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw983656621-df52-480b-8e6a-b1cde3a121a5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-schira01

Interviewee:

Woell, J. Fred, 1934-  Search this

Interviewer:

Gold, Donna, 1953-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Boy Scouts of America  Search this

Cranbrook Academy of Art -- Students  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

University of Wisconsin--Madison -- Students  Search this

Callahan, Harry M.  Search this

Extent:

75 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2001 June 6-2002 January 19

Scope and Contents:

An interview of J. Fred Woell conducted 2001 June 6-2002 January 19, by Donna Gold, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in the artist's home and studio, Deer Isle, Maine.

Woell speaks of his childhood and the impact of many moves; his affiliation with the Presbyterian Church; his experiences at Park College and the University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana, studying economics and political science; and the influence of jewelry teacher Robert Von Neumann. Woell describes his experience in the masters program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and refers again to his early childhood noting his participation in Boy Scouts and how it engendered his respect for the environment. He also mentions collecting baseball cards and rocks; the absence of a peer group; and his lack of confidence. He discusses his affinity for open space and unpopulated places; his enjoyment of camping, kayaking with his wife Pat; and notes that his views of nature mirror those of Taoists. He cites effective teaching techniques and comments on secondary school curricula. He discusses a cover story about his work in Metalsmith and his mother's response; his early art classes and interest in drawing cartoons; his tendency to be a clown; his participation in an American-Legion-sponsored event called Boys State; artists as purveyors of culture; and the premise for a workshop titled "Art by Accident." Woell speaks of influence of a John Cage performance at University of Illinois and subsequently contacting Cage; and teaching at Boston University, Haystack, and elsewhere. Woell also provides thoughtful commentary on the teaching style and learning process at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He discusses in some detail the strong influence of Vincent Campanella and Frank Gallo on his work; sharing a workbench with Bob von Neumann; recording and saving ideas; drawing preliminary sketches for jewelry; and his early sculptures of helmets and spoons. He describes and interprets his piece, "Come Alive, You're in the Pepsi Generation," and he comments on found-object pieces that were inspired by Scouting and cartooning. Woell explains how his environmental concerns inform his work and argues that art has a healing function. He remarks on meeting and marrying Kathleen, his first wife; his one-man show at Garth Clark Gallery; and how his work is part of an American, rather than international, tradition. Woell discusses his relationship with galleries including Helen Drutt in Philadelphia, Sybaris Gallery in Royal Oak, Michigan, Connell Gallery in Atlanta, and Mobilia in Cambridge, Massachusetts He points out the value of being included in publications such as, "Metalsmith," "Jewelers Circular Keystone," "Ornament," "American Craft," "Craft Horizon," and "Craft Report." He speaks about commissions for institutions and individuals and describes his current obligation to Haystack and his plans for his retirement, which includes exploring photography and making videos. Woell also describes his typical workday and his symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder and dyslexia. He recalls Peter Voulkos, Jennifer Burton, Francis Sumner Merritt, Ronald Pearson, Georg Jensen, Audrey Handler, Jerry Brown, Jon Wilson, and others.

On January 19, 2002 Woell added an addendum to the interview which included remarks about September 11, 2001 acts of terrorism in the U.S.

Biographical / Historical:

J. Fred Woell (1934-) is a jeweler and metalsmith from Deer Isle, Maine. Donna Gold (1953-) is an art critic from Stockton Springs, Maine.

General:

Originally recorded on 6 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 11 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 43 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.

Topic:

Jewelers -- Maine -- Interviews  Search this

Metal-workers -- Maine -- Interviews  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.woell01

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw939303f25-e810-46cd-b745-00b2cb922419

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-woell01

Interviewee:

Higby, Wayne  Search this

Interviewer:

McInnes, Mary, 1956-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Alfred University -- Faculty  Search this

Archie Bray Foundation  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Helen Drutt Gallery  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Rhode Island School of Design -- Faculty  Search this

University of Colorado (Boulder campus) -- Students  Search this

University of Michigan -- Students  Search this

University of Nebraska -- Faculty  Search this

Bauer, Fred  Search this

Cushing, Val M.  Search this

Ferguson, Ken, 1928-2004  Search this

McKinnell, James  Search this

McKinnell, Nan  Search this

Merritt, Francis Sumner, 1913-2000  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Neri, Manuel, 1930-  Search this

Randall, Theodore, 1914-1985  Search this

Shaner, David, 1934-  Search this

Soldner, Paul  Search this

Turner, Robert Chapman, 1913-2005  Search this

Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this

Woodman, Betty, 1930-2018  Search this

Extent:

9 Items (Sound recording: 9 sound files (4 hr., 55 min.), digital, wav)

66 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Place:

Africa -- description and travel

Asia -- Description and Travel

China -- Description and Travel

Colorado -- description and travel

Europe -- description and travel

Date:

2005 April 12-14

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Wayne Higby conducted 2005 April 12-14, by Mary McInnes, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Alfred Station, New York. Higby speaks of growing up in Colorado Springs, Colorado; choosing to go to University of Colorado, Boulder; traveling to Europe, Asia, and Africa; being influenced by Minoan pottery; working for ceramicist Betty Woodman; deciding to become a teacher; getting a graduate degree at the University of Michigan; working at Archie Bray Foundation; teaching at the University of Nebraska and Rhode Island School of Design; having his first one person art show and exhibiting nationally; teaching at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; the influence of landscape on his work; how the craft market has changed during his career; working with the Helen Drutt Gallery; writing about craft and the need for critical dialogue in craft publications; being inspired by Asian art; learning ceramics from Jim and Nan McKinnell, and the influence of other teachers on his career; getting hired at Alfred University; the challenges and benefits of teaching at Alfred; his colleagues at Alfred; making functional art and using the vessel form; his teaching philosophy; putting ceramics in a larger art context; his current project; his studio practice; themes in his artwork; choosing to work in porcelain; lecturing and touring in China; being interested in landscape painting; the public response to his work; and recently being awarded several honors. Higby also recalls Manuel Neri, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner, Fred Bauer, David Shaner, Francis Merritt, Ted Randall, Bob Turner, Val Cushing, Kenneth Ferguson, Robert Motherwell, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Wayne Higby (1943- ) is a ceramicist from Alfred Station, New York. Mary McInnes is a professor from Alfred, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 55 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.

Restrictions:

Use requires an appointment.

Topic:

Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Ceramics -- Study and teaching  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Educators -- New York (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Pottery, Minoan  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.higby05

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bf162d01-21b8-45c0-a721-3b28272fd72c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-higby05

Interviewee:

Ben Tré, Howard, 1949-2020  Search this

Interviewer:

Shea, Josephine, 1958-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Appalachian Center for Craft  Search this

Brooklyn College -- Students  Search this

Brooklyn Technical High School (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Cristallerie Daum  Search this

Hadler/Rodriguez Gallery  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Missouri Valley College -- Students  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Pilchuck School  Search this

Portland State University -- Students  Search this

Rhode Island School of Design -- Students  Search this

Venceremos Brigade  Search this

Aycock, Alice  Search this

Brychtová, Jaroslava, 1924-  Search this

Chihuly, Dale, 1941-  Search this

Dailey, Dan, 1947-  Search this

Hampson, Ferdinand  Search this

LaMonte, Karen, 1967-  Search this

Labino, Dominick  Search this

Libenský, Stanislav, 1921-2002  Search this

Littleton, Harvey K.  Search this

Onorato, Ronald J.  Search this

Parker, Anthony  Search this

Polander, Steve  Search this

Scanga, Italo, 1932-2001  Search this

Extent:

63 Pages (Transcript)

3 Sound discs (Sound recording (4 hr., 3 min.), digital, 2 5/8 in.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound discs

Interviews

Sound recordings

Place:

Cuba -- Description and Travel

Europe -- description and travel

Date:

2007 July 7

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Howard Ben Tré conducted 2007 July 7, by Josephine Shea, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's studio, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Ben Tré speaks of his childhood in Rockaway Park, New York; his Polish immigrant father who was a woodworker and artist; inheriting a particular aesthetic and sense of hard work from his father; attending Brooklyn Technical High School to play football but not graduating; moving to Marshall, Missouri to attend Missouri Valley College for one year; attending Brooklyn College; becoming involved in Students for a Democratic Society, the antiwar movement and civil rights movement of the 1960s; traveling to Cuba as part of the first Venceremos Brigade to cut sugarcane in 1969; meeting his first wife, Gay, in Cuba and returning to New York with her; organizing a food co-op and community events in Brooklyn; moving to Portland, Oregon; working in construction for the city before going back to school to study veterinarian medicine at Portland State University; discovering the glass studio in a garage at Portland State; meeting Dale Chihuly and working at Pilchuck Glass School; utilizing the foundry skills learned from Brooklyn Technical High to work with glass in casting and cope and drag methods; his series Burial Boxes and the influence of ancient architecture and ceremonial Chinese bronzes; the rise of the studio glass movement as symptomatic of socio-political-economic times, not just the pioneering efforts of Harvey Littleton and Dominic Labino; traveling throughout Europe with Gay; visiting Stanislav Libenský and Jaraslava Brychtová in Czechoslovakia; visiting Dan Dailey at Cristallerie Daum in France; attending Rhode Island School of Design [RISD]; his first show at Hadler/Rodriguez Gallery in 1980; teaching experiences at Haystack Mountain School of Craft and Appalachian Center for Craft; building and installing an oven at Blenko Glass in Milton, West Virginia and at Super Glass in Brooklyn; working with Mold Melted Glass Studio in Pelechov, Czech Republic; the history of glass and early glass-working techniques; his many commissions, including sited public projects such as Post Office Square in Boston; the adoption of his name, Ben Tré; return visits to Cuba; working with RISD to create a winter study session in Havana; and his view of artists as artists, not defined by medium. Ben Tré also recalls Anthony Parker, Italo Scanga, Ron Onorato, Alice Aycock, Ferdinand Hampson, Steven Polander, Karen LaMonte, among others.

Biographical / Historical:

Howard Ben Tré (1949- 2020) was a glass artist from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Josephine Shea is a curator from Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.

General:

Originally recorded 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 3 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.

Occupation:

Glass artists  Search this

Topic:

Art commissions  Search this

Civil rights -- United States  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Peace movements  Search this

Glass art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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.

Identifier:

AAA.bentre07

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d4615d25-e2f4-4f9f-8c8b-9587cb029302

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bentre07

Creator:

Calapai, Letterio, 1902-1993  Search this

Names:

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Extent:

3.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketches

Photographs

Sketchbooks

Date:

1858, 1870, 1900-1993

bulk 1920-1993

Summary:

The papers of Italian-American painter, engraver, and printmaker Letterio Calapai measure 3.4 linear feet and date from 1858 through 1993 (bulk 1920s-1993). Found are correspondence, teaching and project files, writings and notes, printed materials, photographs, and sketchbooks, including one with scenes of Rockwell Kent's dairy farm in upstate New York.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Italian-American painter, engraver, and printmaker Letterio Calapai measure 3.4 linear feet and date from 1858 through 1993 (bulk 1920s-1993). Found are correspondence, teaching and project files, writings and notes, printed materials, photographs, and sketchbooks, including one with scenes of Rockwell Kent's dairy farm in upstate New York. Calapai's teaching career is documented through correspondence, writings and notes, as well as files concerning his position at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Projects files are found for Calapai's reprint of an 1845 engraving of The Capture of Major Andre by Asher B. Durand for the Historical Society of the Tarrytowns, New York, reprints of print originals by Thomas Bewick, the Look Homeward Angel engravings, and a possible exhibition and book about British engraver William Hogarth.

Arrangement:

The Letterio Calapai papers are arranged into eleven series based primarily on type of material. Documents within individual folders are arranged chronologically by year.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1928, 1948-1993, undated (Box 1; 6 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1858, 1870, 1934-1992, undated (Boxes 1-2; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 3: Printed Material, 1925-1991, undated (Box 2; 12 folders)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1921, 1941-1992, undated (Boxes 2-3; 6 folders)

Series 5: The Historical Society of the Tarrytowns, New York, Project File, 1966, 1970-1980, undated

Series 6: Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine, Teaching Files, 1965-1981, undated (Box 3; 5 folders)

Series 7: Thomas Bewick Project Files, 1938-1988, undated (Box 3; 4 folders)

Series 8: Thomas Wolfe, -- Look Homeward Angel -- Portfolio Project Files, 1929-1990, undated (Box 3; 7 folders)

Series 9: William Hogarth Engravings Project Files, undated

Series 10: Photographs, 1900-1990, undated

Series 11: Artwork and Sketchbooks, 1960-1988, undated

Biographical Note:

Italian-American painter, engraver, and printmaker Letterio Calapai was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1903. His parents emigrated from Sicily and encouraged his participation in the arts at an early age. Calapai studied at the Massachusetts School of Art, the Beaux Arts Institute of Design, under artist Robert Laurent at the Art Students League, and at the American Artists School under Ben Shahn.

While in New York, Calalpai worked as a lithographer in a commercial printing shop but eventually abandoned this to pursue his own printmaking and painting full time, an endeavor made possible with the financial help of his former professor, Charles Hopkins. In 1933, Calalpai received his first exhibition, a one man show of his oil paintings, at the Art Center in New York City.

In the 1940s, Calapai became William Hayter's personal assistant at the Atelier 17 printmaking workshop and began to focus much of his work on this medium. He created a hugely successful portfolio of wood engravings inspired by the Thomas Wolfe play Look Homeward Angel. New York's George Binet Gallery hosted an exhibition of these prints the same year, a show that resulted in purchases of the portfolio by the libraries of Harvard University, Princeton, and the Boston and New York Public Libraries. Calapai also created book illustrations for a number of manuscript projects including 45 wood engravings for How God Fixed Jonah (1946), a West African adaptation of Old and New Testaments accounts in the Bible.

Calapai founded and chaired the Graphic Arts Department of the Albright Art School in Buffalo from 1949-1955 and taught at various universities and colleges, including the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, the New School for Social Research, and New York University. He also established the Intaglio Workshop for Advanced Printmaking in Greenwich Village. He later left New York to teach at the University of Illinois, where he established a training studio and gallery.

Letterio Calalapi died in Glencoe, Illinois in 1993.

Provenance:

The Letterio Calalapi papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by the artist in 1992.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. research facility.

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.

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Prints -- 20th century  Search this

Printmakers -- Illinois  Search this

Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketches

Photographs

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Letterio Calapai papers, 1858, 1870, 1900-1993 (bulk 1920s-1993). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.calalett

See more items in:

Letterio Calapai papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw981d54ed3-7a94-4fe1-8f7b-dde3c0e05694

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-calalett