Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc
Date:
1994 September 1
Scope and Contents:
An interview with John Spencer conducted 1994 September 1, by Paul J. Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Spencer discusses his work assisting Dean Cornwell on the Los Angeles Central Library murals between 1927-1933; his subsequent relationship with Cornwell; and his experience as a young artist in Southern California in the 1930s.
Biographical / Historical:
John Spencer was a painter from Pasadena, California.
General:
Originally recorded 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 1 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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
An interview of Frank Romero conducted 1997 January 17-March 2, by Jeffrey Rangel, for the Archives of American Art, in Romero's studio, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Romero discusses his growing up in East Los Angeles and his large extended family; his earliest art studies in the public schools; attending the Otis Art Institute where he studied with Joe Mugnaini and had contact with Millard Sheets and Peter Voulkos; the "very polyglut culture" of East Los Angeles; the influences of television, western movies, rock-and-roll, and rhythm and blues on his early musical/artistic taste; time spent in New York; returning to Los Angeles in 1969; and his marriage and family.
He describes his move into Carlos Almaraz's house which became the informal meeting place of the artist group Los Four (Almaraz, Romero, Gilbert Sanchez Lujan, and Roberto "Beto" de la Rocha); the Los Four show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1974; and the stylistic aesthetics of Los Four.
Romero describes the "boys club" nature of Chicano art centers; his contributions to the Chicano art movement; his relationship to the Chicano/Mexican culture and mainstream U.S. culture; murals done by members of Los Four for the Inner City Mural Program; his work for the Metropolitan Transit Authority; the Murals of Aztlan exhibit in 1981 at the Craft and Folk Art Museum; and his shows at the ARCO Center for the Visual Arts. He concludes with his assessment of the Chicano arts movement, the relationship between economic and art cycles, and the role of the more established artists to those of a younger generation.
Biographical / Historical:
Frank Romero (1941- ) is a painter from Los Angeles, Calif.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 27 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:
Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
Topic:
Painters -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
This interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Ain't misbehavin' [videorecording] : the Coit Tower murals / New Pacific Productions ; producers, David Bolt, John Esterle, and Sue Ellen McCann ; director, David Bolt ; writer, John Esterle ; art director, Sue Ellen McCann ; narrator, Bruce Holbert
Reviews the history of the San Francisco Coit Tower from its building, the commissioning of the often controversial murals by the Public Works of Art Project in 1933, and their significance in both artistic and political terms, through to the more recent problems of restoration and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the murals in 1984. Appearing in the video are Coit Tower muralists, Ralph Chessé, John Langley Howard and Bernard Zakheim. Offering commentary and analysis are: Masha Zakheim Jewett, author of COIT TOWER, Michael Bell, Assistant Director, San Francisco Art Commission, and art historian Francis V. O'Connor.
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
San Francisco, Calif. : New Pacific Productions [production company], c1986.
Provenance:
Donated 1986 by David Bolt.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
To be used for research purposes only. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
Coit Memorial Tower (San Francisco, Calif.) Search this
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American -- California -- San Francisco Search this
An interview of Willie Herrón conducted 2000 Feb. 5-Mar. 17, by Jeffrey J. Rangel, for the Archives of American Art.
The interviews took place in a restaurant, City Terrace, East Los Angeles, Calif. Herrón describes his childhood growing up in East Los Angeles, culminating with an extensive discussion of the circumstances surrounding the painting of his most acclaimed mural, "The Wall that Cracked Open" in City Terrace; founding the avant-garde Chicano art group Asco along with Harry Gamboa, Jr., Patssi Valdez, and Gronk; his experience as leader of the band Los Illegals and as a cofounder of the alternative music space Club Vex with Self Help Graphics' Sister Karen Boccalero; the Chicano mural movement, particularly his undertakings in City Terrace, Boyle Heights, and at the Estrada Courts and Ramona Gardens housing projects in East Los Angeles; his commitment to working with at-risk youth and his strong desire to expand the stylistic and iconographic parameters of the medium through the incorporation of graffiti; and an assessment of Asco's role in expanding the continuum of Chicano art and identity.
Biographical / Historical:
Willie Herrón (1951-) is a painter, graphic artist, muralist, and musician from Los Angeles, Calif. Herrón is known as one of the premiere artists and musicians to emerge out of the Chicano arts movement during the 1970s.
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 this interview and transcription provided by the SI Latino Fund of 1997.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Gronk conducted by Jeffrey Rangel for the Archives of American Art.
Gronk discusses differences between two artists' group, Los Four and and Asco; the Chicano artists view of Asco; isolation from the Chicano arts movement as well as the mainstream avant-garde art scene; his relationship with Jerry Dreva and the development of mail art and the Dreva/Gronk Show: 1968-1978 at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions; and his 1983 NEA fellowship for performance/conceptual work.
Biographical / Historical:
Gronk (1954-) is an artist from California. Gronk, whose full name is Glugio Gronk Nicandro, was born in Los Angeles in 1954. As a member of the 1970s activist performance group, Asco (nausea), with Harry Gamboa, Jr., Patssi Valdez, and Willie Herron, Gronk arranged anti-war protests and painted graffiti murals.
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 interview provided by the Smithsonian Latino Fund.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of David Avalos conducted 1988 June 16-July 5, by Margarita Nieto, for the Archives of American Art. Avalos speaks of his childhood, education at the University of California at San Diego; his involvement with the Centro Cultural de la Raza; the socio-political environment that produced the San Diego Chicano Muralist movement (specifically Chicano Park); the formation of the Border art Workshop (BAW/TAF); the collaboration between the Centro and the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art (presently the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art); art activity in San Diego; Chicano activity distinct from Los Angeles; his philosophy on conceptual art; and his art career.
Biographical / Historical:
David Avalos (1947-) is a painter and administrator from San Diego, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 44 min.
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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Painters -- California -- San Diego -- Interviews Search this
Papers relate to Spencer's experiences as an assistant to muralist Dean Cornwell on the Los Angeles Central Library Mural project from 1927-1933 and to his subsequent relationship with Cornwell. Included are 13 letters from Cornwell to Spencer, 1933-1944, in which Cornwell offers criticism of Spencer's sketches and discusses related matters on composition and current art projects; a photo of a cartoon for a mural panel "The Discovery Era" by Cornwell ca. 1930-1931; drawings by Spencer from a lecture on the Los Angeles Central Library Mural by Cornwell; clipping on board of Cornwell and Spencer working on the Los Angeles Library Mural; and a photocopy of a clipping, 1994, regarding the murals.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; California.
Provenance:
Donated 1994 by John Spencer.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
A scrapbook that contains miscellaneous newpaper/magazine articles, a portrait of the artist, exhibition notices, letters, and articles on art activity in Los Angeles written by Shaffer for the Jewish Community Press between 1937-1938. Other items include a program for the play "We are Children of the People" for which Shaffer painted the scenery and a family portrait.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; Los Angeles, Calif.; b. 1912; d. 1973 Shaffer worked with the federal art projects of the 1930s. The destruction of his mural at the Mount Sinai home created controversy in 1938, as did the addition of a clenched fist (communist salute) above his mural at the L.A. Sanitorium (now City of Hope) in Duarte. As a student at the Chouinard School of Art, Shaffer assisted David Alfaro Siqueiros with his mural American Tropical (1933). Shaffer was also an art critic for the Jewish Community Press, 1937-1938.
Provenance:
Donated 1997 by Linda Shaffer, Myer Shaffer's daughter, via Orville Clark, an art historian who studies WPA murals and artists.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
United States -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1945 -- California -- San Francisco
United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945 -- California -- San Francisco
Date:
1938-1941
Scope and Contents:
Publicity, correspondence, clippings, photographs, travel receipts, and telegrams relating to the dedication of the Noah's Ark murals by Dorothy Puccinelli and Helen Forbes at Fleishacker Mother's House in San Francisco Zoo; and correspondence, field reports, committee lists, publicity, photographs relating to National Art Week in Northern California.
Biographical / Historical:
Director of Information, Federal Art Project; Northern California.
Provenance:
The materials microfilmed are from the files of Arthur Painter, but were loaned to AAA through Lewis Ferbrache who was a collector for AAA's "New Deal and the Arts" project.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
A scrapbook of newspaper and magazine articles, 1916-1934; professional and personal letters; and photographs and negatives of Lloyd's murals.
Biographical / Historical:
Mural painter, educator; Los Angeles, Calif. b. 1894; d. 1941. Lloyd painted several murals for the WPA, including Griffith Park Observatory, South Pasadena Junior High School, Queen of Angels Church, Hollywood, and decoration in the State Capitol in Sacramento. Lloyd also taught at the Stickney Memorial Art School, Pasadena 1912-1934, and was its director, 1921-1922.
Provenance:
Donated 1999 by the Norman Neuerberg Trust. Norman Neuerberg, an art historian and professor of art, specialized in the missions of North America and Southern California art, and received the papers from a friend of Lucile Lloyd.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American Search this
8.5 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 11 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1896-1987
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, photographs, exhibition materials, scrapbooks, journals, printed matter, essays, gallery records and other business records, and miscellaneous papers.
REELS 3799-3806: A resume; a travel journal; an address book; appointment books; passports for Marcelle Labaudt; correspondence, including 3 illustrated Christmas cards from Walt Kuhn and letters from Edward Rowan about Lucien Labaudt's murals for the Los Angeles post office for the Section of Fine Arts; notes on costume design, geometry, and metric color scales; writings by Lucien Labaudt, including "Color Constructions--Opticolormetry", 1940; 4 sketchbooks and 70 sketches by Labaudt; prints and drawings by others; scrapbook on history of costume design; announcements; programs; reproductions; printed material concerning Labaudt's California School of Design; records of the San Francisco Women Artists organization; minutes of the Artists' Council kept by Marcelle Labaudt; artist files; guest registers; ledgers 1929 and 1939-1949, and financial records, 1943-1980, for the Lucien Labaudt Art Gallery; clippings; photographs of Labaudt's family, 1911-1981; of works of art, 1913-1968; and stage and costume design.
REEL 1052: Correspondence relating to the Lucien Labaudt Art Gallery and to Lucien and Marcelle; photographs (many undated and unidentified) of a gallery opening, 1950 of Max Hages, two paintings by Fred Martin, and two by R. Kaess; manuscript material; biographical material on artists who exhibited at the gallery; catalogs and announcements; printed material; and clippings.
REEL 1854: Photographs, 1920-1940 of: Labaudt; Labauadt working on Beach Chalet Murals; at the Bohemian Club Grove with C. Ford, Arnautoff, Otis Oldfield, Moya del Pino, Sotomayer, Timothy Pflueger, William Gerstle, and Diego Rivera; with Adeline Kent; with Marcelle and André Ferier; costumes and sets designed by Labaudt; and paintings and murals by Labaudt. Also included are 173 personal and business letters, 1923-1975; sketches; manuscripts, including essays about Labaudt by Stanton Macdonald-Wright and Lorser Feitelson; a scrapbook; business records; catalogs and announcements; clippings and other printed matter. Correspondents include: Edward Biberman, Lorser Feitelson, Walt Kuhn, Fernand Leger, Charmain London (Mrs. Jack), Henri Matisse, Marthe and Amedee Ozenfant, Timothy L. Pflueger and Edward Rowan.
UNMICROFILMED: Biographical material regarding Marcelle Labaudt's education; correspondence, 1901-1979, with friends and associates, including Alvyne Maisonneuve, Yliane Remy, Henry and Ann Varnum Poor, Charmian London, Millard Sheets and Richard Diebenkorn (1 letter, 1950); Marcelle Labaudt's travel diary kept on a trip to France, undated; art works, undated, including a sketchbook and illustrated letter by Lucien and an unsigned print; exhibition catalogs and clippings regarding the Lucien Labaudt Art Gallery; photographs, slides and negatives, 1896-1976, of friends, family and art works, and an album of photographs of Lucien's works of art.
Biographical / Historical:
Lucien Labaudt was a painter, muralist, costume and set designer. He also ran a commercial art school called the California School of Design. After his death in 1943, on assignment as a war artist correspondent, his wife, Marcelle Labaudt, established the Lucien Labaudt Art Gallery in San Francisco, California. She specialized in giving younger or relatively unknown artists their first exhibitions and operated the gallery until 1980.
Provenance:
Donated by Marcelle Labaudt 1974-1976, and after her death by her estate through her step-sister and executor, Simone M. Berges, 1984. After Berges' death in 1988, an additional installment was received via Berges' sister-in-law, Jill Alexander.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
8 Items (photographic prints, b&w, 10 x 8 in. and smaller. (reel 5660))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1934-1965
Scope and Contents:
Included are: Kadish, Philip Guston, and Jules Langsner on mural scaffold, Mexico, 1934; Kadish, Guston, Mrs. Fletcher Martin, an unidentified woman and a dog, 1935; a portrait of Philip Guston; 3 of Kadish and Guston with their joint mural in the Library at the City of Hope, Duarte, California, ca. 1936; Ingre Guston and Daniel Kadish on their wedding day with Philip and Ken Guston, ca. 1962; and Kadish and Guston in front of a blank wall, ca. 1965.
Biographical / Historical:
Mural painter, painter, lithographer; New York, N.Y. Worked with Philip Guston on murals for the Treasury Department in the 1930's.
Provenance:
Donated 1984 by Reuben Kadish.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Photographs of Hayes and his murals for the Millbrae Elementary School done for the Federal Art Project.
Biographical / Historical:
Thomas Hayes (1910- ) is a painter and craftsman from San Francisco, Calif. Painted murals for the Federal Art Project.
Provenance:
The lender, Lewis Ferbrache, collected papers for AAA from artists and administrators of the various government funded art programs of the Depression. It was part of a larger nation-wide, collecting project, "New Deal and the Arts."
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
6 Reels (ca. 700 items (on 6 partial microfilm reels.))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Reels
Place:
United States -- Social conditions -- California
United States -- Economic conditions -- California
Date:
1935-1964
Scope and Contents:
Photographs, clippings, writings, and publications relating to the Federal Art Project in California, particularly San Francisco.
Reel NDA 1, frames 752-767: Correspondence and lists relating to exhibitions of works by San Francisco artists.
Reel NDA 2: Articles from the San Francisco Art Association BULLETIN, 1934-1940 and MAGAZINE OF ART, October 1937.
Reel NDA 3(frames 13-20): Exhibtion catalog of Federal Art Project work at the University of California, Berkeley, Art Gallery, 1936.[Microfilm title University of California Art Gallery]
Reel NDA 14: Clippings, photographs, and press releases relating to the decoration by the FAP of the Enlisted Men's Club at Fort Ord, California; and photographs and biographical information relating to about 20 artists employed by FAP in Northern California.[Microfilm title Fort Ord, California and WPA-FAP, San Francisco]
Reel NDA 17: Photographs of sculpture, murals, easel work, graphics, and other works of art by various artists working for the FAP in California; and a list of artists on the Graphic Arts Project, San Francisco.
Reel NDA 20: Photographs of artists and works of art for the FAP in San Francisco.
Reel NDA 27: One publication of the University of California's Medical School murals, 1939; one photograph of project personnel, San Francisco; one newspaper article: "Bernard Zakheim and the U.C. Medical School," December 6, 1964.
Biographical / Historical:
Federal aid art project during the Depression. The Federal Art Project (FAP) fell under the jurisdiction of Federal Project No. 1 of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Established in May 1935 specifically as a work relief program for unemployed artists. Each state and territory had its own programs and were administered aid from the federal government via a local agency.
Other Title:
Fort Ord, California [microfilm title, reel NDA 14]
WPA-FAP, San Francisco [microfilm title, reel NDA 14]
Provenance:
Material on reels NDA 1, NDA 3, NDA 14, NDA 17, NDA 20 and NDA 27 lent for microfilming 1964 by Lewis Ferbrache; and material on reel NDA 2 lent for microfilming 1964 by Marian Simpson.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Papers relating to the controversy surrounding Anton Refregier's mural commission for the San Francisco Rincon Annex Post Office. Included are 28 letters from Thomas S. Page (Page-Brotherton, public relations firm) to interested parties, among them being U.S. Congressmen James Coats Auchingloss, John S. Shelly and William S. Mailliard; Grace McCann Morley, director of the San Francisco Museum of Art; Alfred Frankfurter, publisher of Art News and Bay Area art critic; and Belle Krasne, editor, Art Digest; press releases and a history of the mural controversy.
Biographical / Historical:
Brotherton an actor and painter, San Francisco, Calif, born 1918 in Bozeman, Mont. He was involved in many cultural activities in San Francisco, as an art collector, artist and actor.
Provenance:
Donated 1999 by Joseph Brotherton.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Topic:
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Search this
The Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.
Scope and Contents:
The Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.
Arrangement:
Collection arranged as 5 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Exhibition and Production Notes, 1981 (8 folders; Box 1)
Series 2: Work Print and Soundtrack, 1981 (2.6 linear feet; Box 3, FC 1-30)
Series 3: Sound Recordings, 1981 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)
Series 4: Voiceover Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 31-39)
Series 5: Trims and Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 40-48)
Biographical / Historical:
Murals of Aztlán is a documentary film produced by actor and filmmaker James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles held at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, California in 1981. For the exhibition, artists Carlos Almaraz, Gronk, Judithe Hernandez, Willie Herron, Frank Romero, John Valadez and the East Los Streetscrapers (David Botello, Wayne Healy, George Yepes) painted portable murals in the gallery, which was open to the public during the installation of the work. The filmmaker and his crew interviewed the artists involved in the exhibition for the film, filmed the artists creating murals in the gallery, and also filmed the public viewing the artists working and the murals themselves.
James Tartan was born in 1931 and worked as a filmmaker, actor, and voiceover artist. In addition to Murals of Aztlán, Tartan created a documentary film about the 1974 Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibition Los Four, and has been credited with training many Chicano filmmakers in the 1970s.
Separated Materials:
Additional production material from the documentary Murals of Aztlán, including a final print, is found in the James Tartan Film Collection, 1960-1985, held at the UCLA Chicano Research Center.
Provenance:
Donated by James Tartan, the filmmaker, in 1988.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Occupation:
Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Search this
Merlino, Maxine Ollie Seelbinder, 1912- Search this
Names:
California State University, Long Beach -- Faculty Search this
Extent:
1.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Photographs
Date:
1928-2003
Summary:
The papers of illustrator, muralist, theatrical set designer, and professor Maxine Seelbinder Merlino papers measure 1.1 linear feet and date from 1928-2003. The collection includes correspondence; newspaper clippings and reviews of artist's work; sketches for stage and set designs and mural decorations; federal commission contracts; exhibition brochures; theater playbills and announcements; photographs; original art work, including drawings and sketches; original lithographs; and material on the dedication of the Merlino Gallery at California State University, Long Beach.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of illustrator, muralist, theatrical set designer, and professor, Maxine Seelbinder Merlino papers measures 1.1 linear feet and date from 1928-2003. The collection includes correspondence; newspaper clippings and reviews of artist's work; sketches for stage and set designs and mural decorations; federal commission contracts; exhibition brochures; theater playbills and announcements; photographs; original art work, including watercolor sketches; original lithographs; and material on the dedication of the Merlino Gallery at California State University, Long Beach.
Documenting Merlino's work on New Deal federal government programs are letters sent to her in the early 1940s from the Public Buildings Administration and the Section of Fine Arts of the Federal Works Agency in Washington, D.C. as well as three photographs of a mural executed by Merlino for the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C. that depicts Benjamin Banneker, a pioneering African-American surveyor, inventor, and astronomer.
Representing Merlino's early New York period are brochures of group exhibitions and her one-woman show in a theater gallery. Among the original works of art are two original lithographs: Franco's Destruction, which was reproduced in a 1938 issue of New Masses, and Hearst's Empire, which appeared in the April 1938 edition of The Fight magazine.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as five series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical, 1929-2003 (Box 1; 5 folders)
Series 2: Letters, 1936-2001 (Box 1; 6 folders)
Series 3: Projects, 1927-2002 (Box 1-2; 26 folders)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1939-1969 (Box 1-2; 13 folders)
Series 5: Works of Art, 1932-1957 (Box 1, 3, OV 4; 21 folders)
Biographical Note:
Maxine Ollie Seelbinder Merlino was born in Portland, Oregon in 1912. She trained at the Portland Art Museum School before venturing to New York City where she took classes at the Art Students' League with, among others, Will Barnet, Anton Refregier, Adolph Gottlieb, Hans Hofmann, and Harry Sternberg. Maxine Merlino worked in New York from 1936 to 1943 as a free-lance illustrator, muralist, and theatrical set designer.
In 1940 and 1942, Merlino won mural commissions for the United States Department of Interior Section of Fine Arts program. She designed and executed murals for the S.S. Garfield, and painted a mural that graced the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C., one of seven murals in the building celebrating the contributions of African Americans.
Relocating to Long Beach, California in 1943, she worked as a scientific illustrator for the Army Air Force during the Second World War and subsequently as a stage, set and costume designer for theater and film producer Preston Sturges. From the early 1950s until her retirement in 1976, she was affiliated with California State University, Long Beach where she served as a Professor of Art and Theater Design and then as Dean of the Art Department. In recognition of Dr. Merlino's contributions to the department, the university dedicated an art gallery in her name, in February 2003.
Provenance:
Dr. Merlino donated her papers in 2003.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
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:
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California Search this
![view Ain't misbehavin' [videorecording] : the Coit Tower murals / New Pacific Productions ; producers, David Bolt, John Esterle, and Sue Ellen McCann ; director, David Bolt ; writer, John Esterle ; art director, Sue Ellen McCann ; narrator, Bruce Holbert digital asset: Finding aid](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=170&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/findingaid.gif "Finding aid")