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Oral history interview with Sam Gilliam

Interviewee:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Interviewer:
Forgey, Benjamin  Search this
Names:
Coalition of Washington Artists  Search this
Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this
District of Columbia Arts Center, Inc.  Search this
Jefferson Place Gallery  Search this
Washington Gallery of Modern Art (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Washington Project for the Arts (D.C.)  Search this
Downing, Thomas, 1928-1985  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Krebs, Rockne, 1938-2011  Search this
Extent:
4 Items (Sound recording, sound cassettes)
54 Pages (Transcript)
4 Items (Sound recording, sound cassettes)
54 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1989 Nov. 4-11
1989 Nov. 4-11
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Sam Gilliam conducted 1989 Nov. 4-11, by Ben Forgey for the Archives of American Art. Gilliam speaks of his decision to come to Washington, D.C., from Louisville, Ky.; his shift from figurative painting to abstract painting; meeting Washington painters Robert Gates and Tom Downing; the "stature" of Tom Downing in the Washington art scene in the 1960s and Walter Hopps' role; influential exhibitions at the Jefferson Place Gallery and the Washington Gallery of Modern Art; being a Washington artist and a black artist; artist/teachers at American University; the Johnson Avenue Workshop grant; his relationship with Rockne Krebs; the history of the Washington Coalition of Artists; the Corcoran Gallery and the Washington Project for the Arts' relationship to Washington artists; his involvement with the District of Columbia Art Center; teaching; and his working methods. Gilliam also discusses various paintings, processes, materials, ideas and experiments at length. He recalls Gene Davis, Howard Mehring, Ken Noland, Morris Louis, Nesta Dorrance, Alma Thomas, Lou Stovall, Al Nodal, Jock Reynolds, Michael Botwinick, Willem de Looper, Paul Reed, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) was a painter in Washington, D.C.
Provenance:
These interviews are 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 others.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Art -- Technique  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.gillia89
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91401a0dd-4bc8-462b-b67b-53a0d0eb38cb
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-gillia89
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Sam Gilliam, 1989 Nov. 4-11

Interviewee:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Interviewer:
Forgey, Benjamin F., 1938-  Search this
Subject:
Downing, Thomas  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Krebs, Rockne  Search this
Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this
District of Columbia Arts Center, Inc.  Search this
Jefferson Place Gallery  Search this
Coalition of Washington Artists  Search this
Washington Gallery of Modern Art (Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Washington Project for the Arts (D.C.)  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Sam Gilliam, 1989 Nov. 4-11. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Art -- Technique  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11472
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213260
AAA_collcode_gillia89
Theme:
African American
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_213260
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Willem De Looper

Interviewee:
De Looper, Willem  Search this
Interviewer:
Forgey, Benjamin  Search this
Names:
American University (Washington, D.C.). Fine Arts Dept.  Search this
Phillips Collection  Search this
Extent:
134 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
1992 January 26-February 29
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Willem De Looper conducted 1992 January 26 and February 29, by Benjamin Forgey, for the Archives of American Art. De Looper discusses growing up in the Hague, in Holland, during WWII; his family and educational background; moving to the United States in 1950; his U.S. Army service; his studies at American University and his teachers including Robert Gates, Ben Summerford, William Calfee, and Sarah Baker; his early experiments with abstraction; his first studio in Washington, D.C.; exhibiting at the Jefferson Place Gallery in the 1960s and later at the B.R. Kornblatt Gallery; working at the Phillips Collection for twenty-five years; and materials, techniques, and influences in his painting. He recalls Tom Downing, the Institute of Contemporary Art (Washington, D.C.), John Gernand, Sam Gilliam, Michael Clark, Duncan and Marjorie Phillips, Harold Giese, William Woodward, Jim McLaughlin, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Willem De Looper (1932-2009) was a painter from Washington, D.C.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 5 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:
Painters -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art students -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Art -- Philosophy  Search this
Art criticism  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.deloop92
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c0956ba6-86a5-430e-b656-1d7e7405751e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-deloop92
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Willem De Looper, 1992 January 26-February 29

Interviewee:
De Looper, Willem, 1932-2009  Search this
Interviewer:
Forgey, Benjamin F., 1938-  Search this
Subject:
Phillips Collection  Search this
American University (Washington, D.C.). Fine Arts Dept.  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Willem De Looper, 1992 January 26-February 29. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art students -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Art -- Philosophy  Search this
Art criticism  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12592
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214744
AAA_collcode_deloop92
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_214744
Online Media:

Sam Gilliam papers

Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Names:
Carl Solway Gallery  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this
Studio Museum in Harlem  Search this
Andrews, Benny, 1930-2006  Search this
Driskell, David C.  Search this
Gilliam, Dorothy Butler, 1936-  Search this
Krebs, Rockne, 1938-2011  Search this
Mondale, Walter F., 1928-  Search this
Extent:
7.9 Linear feet
7.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Sound recordings
Date:
1957-1989
1957-1989
Summary:
The papers of contemporary Color Field painter and educator Sam Gilliam measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1957 to 1989. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, subject files, a scrapbook, artwork, and photographic material that document Gilliam's life beginning as a student, through to his teaching, professorial, and artistic career based in Washington D.C. The collection highlights Gilliam's close involvement with the art institutions, racial politics, and artistic innovation from the 1960s through the 1980s, and particularly showcases the planning and creation of Gilliam's large-scale three-dimensional paintings, often associated with the Washington Color School.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of contemporary Color Field painter and educator Sam Gilliam measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1957 to 1989. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, subject files, a scrapbook, artwork, and photographic material that document Gilliam's life beginning as a student, through to his teaching, professorial, and artistic career based in Washington D.C. The collection highlights Gilliam's close involvement with the art institutions, racial politics, and artistic innovation from the 1960s through the 1980s, and particularly showcases the planning and creation of Gilliam's large-scale three-dimensional paintings, often associated with the Washington Color School.

Biographical material includes résumés, passports, exhibition lists, artists' statements and essays, interview transcripts and recordings. Also included are audio recordings of conversations between Sam Gilliam and artist Benny Andrews, between Gilliam and artist Rockne Krebs, as well as recordings of a 1968 interview conducted by Dorothy Gilliam.

Correspondence spans over 20 years and includes letters to and from museums and galleries such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Carl Solway Gallery, collectors, artists including David Driskell, friends, family, students, and fans.

Writings include notes, statements, and essays by and about Gilliam, writings by university students of Gilliam, and writings related to Gilliam's artwork and public commissions including measurements for artworks, material research, and information regarding prints created for the private home of Walter Mondale.

Business records primarily include the daily records of activities kept by Sam and Dorothy Gilliam's secretary, Debby, from 1973 to 1978. Also present are resumes for a studio assistant for Gilliam, certificates of originality, legal documents, receipts and invoices, a record of donated paintings, financial records, ledgers, contracts, records and paperwork for the Gilliam's company Enterprise 101, and miscellany.

Printed materials include photocopies, exhibition announcements, magazines, and clippings regarding exhibitions, specific artworks, and commissions, and Gilliam and/or his then-wife, Dorothy Gilliam.

The subject file series contains letters, photographic material, business records, sketches, and printed materials concerning specific galleries, public art commissions, arts organizations, workshops, teaching positions, Gilliam's studio, art suppliers, and other topics.

A disbound scrapbook contains photographs, notes, and printed material related to Gilliam and his studio practice.

The artwork series includes sketches, personal notes, and small preparatory drawings by Gilliam.

Photographic material includes negatives, slides, and transparencies of artworks, Gilliam in his studio, and Gilliam and staff preparing museum and gallery exhibition spaces. Also included are records of student artwork, and photos and slides of artwork sent to Gilliam by students and aspiring artists.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1958-1988, (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1965-1989, (Boxes 1-2; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1962-1988, (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 4: Business Records, 1957-1986, (Boxes 2-3; 1.0 linear foot)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-1987, (Boxes 3-4; 1.0 linear foot)

Series 6: Subject Files, 1963-1988, (Boxes 4-7; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Scrapbook, 1958-1968, (Box 7; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork, 1970-1980, undated, (Boxes 7-9; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 9: Photographic Material, 1960-1985, (Boxes 8-9; 0.3 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) was an African American artist based in Washington, D.C. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where he began painting as a child, eventually attending the University of Louisville where he received his B.A. in Fine Art and M.A. in Painting. He went on to teach art to high school students in the Washington D.C. public school system, and university-level students at the Corcoran School of Art, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the University of Maryland, and Carnegie Mellon University. His numerous grants and awards include the 1971 Solomon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and multiple Honorary Doctoral degrees.

As an artist, Gilliam is best known for his three-dimensional draped and suspended paintings, covered with large fields of poured paint, pigment, and colorful staining influenced by the movement and colors of Abstract Expressionist painters. He created many public works that incorporated new materials such as custom designed metal forms, quilted canvas, and textiles; his works often included subtle social commentaries through their titling. His suspended paintings cemented Gilliam as an innovative and influential presence in 20th century American art.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Sam Gilliam, one conducted by Kenneth Young, September 18, 1984, and the other by Ben Forgey, November 4-11, 1989.
Provenance:
The Sam Gilliam papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Sam Gilliam in 1989.
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:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
Occupation:
Educators -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Painters -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Color-field painting  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Washington Color School (Group of artists)  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Sound recordings
Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.gillsam
See more items in:
Sam Gilliam papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90b5177ef-7a80-48b3-bcdb-3f1f74d21b5c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-gillsam

Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989

Creator:
Gilliam, Sam, 1933-2022  Search this
Subject:
Andrews, Benny  Search this
Driskell, David C.  Search this
Gilliam, Dorothy Butler  Search this
Krebs, Rockne  Search this
Mondale, Walter F.  Search this
Carl Solway Gallery  Search this
Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this
Studio Museum in Harlem  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Sound recordings
Citation:
Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Color-field painting  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Washington Color School (Group of artists)  Search this
African American artists  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
African American  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9584
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211785
AAA_collcode_gillsam
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
African American
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211785
Online Media:

[Television interviews of Marcella Brenner and Sybil and Robert Meyersburg] [videorecordings] /WETA ; producers and interviewers, Jeffrey Bieber and Jackson Frost

Creator:
Meyersburg, Sybil  Search this
Names:
WETA-TV (Television station : Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Brenner, Marcella, 1912-2007  Search this
Louis, Morris, 1912-1962  Search this
Meyersburg, Robert  Search this
Interviewer:
Bieber, Jeffrey  Search this
Frost, Jackson  Search this
Extent:
8 Videocassettes (U-matic) ((ca. 15 min. each), sd., col., 3/4 in.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Videocassettes (u-matic)
Date:
1987
Scope and Contents:
Unedited interviews produced for a WETA public television program "Washington Colorists," including one of Marcella Brenner (4 videocassettes) concerning her husband, painter Morris Louis, conducted by Jackson Frost, and one of artists Sybil and Robert Meyersburg conducted by Jeffrey Bieber. The program aired April 15, 1987.
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Washington, D.C. : WETA, 1987.
Provenance:
Donated 1989 by Sybil Meyersburg.
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:
Authorization to quote, publish, or reproduce requires written permission from GWETA (Greater Washington Educational Television Association). 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:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Color in art  Search this
Color-field painting  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.biebjeff
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9225fca53-afa6-4210-b46e-8ab41495fee3
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-biebjeff

[Television interviews of Marcella Brenner and Sybil and Robert Meyersburg] [videorecordings] /WETA ; producers and interviewers, Jeffrey Bieber and Jackson Frost, 1987

Creator:
Meyersburg, Sybil  Search this
Subject:
Louis, Morris  Search this
Bieber, Jeffrey  Search this
Brenner, Marcella  Search this
Frost, Jackson  Search this
Meyersburg, Robert  Search this
WETA-TV (Television station : Washington, D.C.)  Search this
Citation:
[Television interviews of Marcella Brenner and Sybil and Robert Meyersburg] [videorecordings] /WETA ; producers and interviewers, Jeffrey Bieber and Jackson Frost, 1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Color in art  Search this
Color-field painting  Search this
Theme:
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6227
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216535
AAA_collcode_biebjeff
Theme:
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_216535

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