Search Results

Creator:

Woman's Building (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Subject:

Chicago, Judy  Search this

De Bretteville, Sheila Levrant  Search this

Raven, Arlene  Search this

Feminist Studio Workshop  Search this

Women's Graphic Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Type:

Slides

Artists' books

Citation:

Woman's Building records, 1970-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Feminism and art  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

Art organizations  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6347

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215074

AAA_collcode_womabuil

Theme:

Women

Art organizations

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215074

Creator:

Woman's Building (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Names:

Feminist Studio Workshop  Search this

Women's Graphic Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Chicago, Judy, 1939-  Search this

De Bretteville, Sheila Levrant  Search this

Raven, Arlene  Search this

Extent:

32.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides

Artists' books

Date:

1970-1992

Summary:

The records of the Woman's Building feminist arts organization in Los Angeles measure 32.5 linear feet and date from 1970-1992. Originally founded by artist Judy Chicago, graphic designer Sheila Levant de Bretteville, and art historian Arlene Raven in 1973, the Woman's Building served as an education center and public gallery space for women artists in southern California. The records document both the educational and exhibition activities and consist of administrative records, financial and legal records, publications, curriculum files, exhibition files, grant funding records and artist's works of arts and prints. A significant portion of the collection documents the Women's Graphic Center, a typesetting, design, and printing service operated by The Woman's Building.

Scope and Content Note:

The records of the Woman's Building measure 32.5 linear feet and date from 1970 to 1992. The organization played a key role as an alternative space for women artists energized by the feminist movement in the 1970s. The records document the ways in which feminist theory shaped the Building's founding core mission and goals. During its eighteen year history, the Building served as an education center and a public gallery space for women artists in Los Angeles and southern California; the records reflect both functions of the Building's activities.

The Administrative Files series documents the daily operations of the Building, with particular emphasis on management policies, budget planning, history, cooperative relationships with outside art organizations and galleries, special building-wide programs, and relocation planning. Included in this series are the complete minutes from most Building committees from 1974 through closing, including the Board of Directors and the Advisory Council. The General Publicity and Outreach series is particularly complete, containing publicity notices from most events, exhibits, and programs held at the Woman's Building, including brochures, announcements, programs, invitations, press releases, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles.

The Woman's Building's educational programs centered on courses offered by the Feminist Studio Workshop and the Extension Program. While the Workshop provided a two-year program for women interested in fully developing their artistic talent, the Extension Program offered a broad range of classes, specifically oriented to working women interested in art and art vocations. The records fully document both programs, focusing on the course development and descriptions, teacher contracts, class evaluations, budget planning, and scholarship programs. Although the Archives does not have the entire slide library, there are files concerning the establishment and administration of the library, as well as a few folders of slides.

The Gallery Programs series houses the records of the visual, performing, literary and video arts events held at the Woman's Building. Administrative files detail the daily operation of the gallery spaces. The files in the remaining subseries are primarily arranged by event and contain proposals, announcements, publicity, and artist biographies.

The Women's Graphic Center became a profit-making arm of the Woman's Building in 1981 but the typesetting and design equipment had been used by staff and students since 1975. The records in this series focus on the work produced at the Center, including general projects and artist designs and art prints. Many of the design and printing examples were produced for Woman's Building events and programs.

The Artist's Works of Art series includes artist books, resumes, correspondence, postcards, and samples of art in the form of sketches, drawings, and prints. There is also material related to Woman's Building projects. Especially noteworthy is the "What is Feminist Art?" project where artists gave their responses in various formats and mediums from text to pieces of artwork.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 6 series.

Series 1: Administrative Files, circa 1970-1991 (Box 1-9, 32; 9 linear feet)

Series 2: Educational Programs, 1971-1991 (Box 10-14; 4.9 linear feet)

Series 3: Gallery Programs, 1973-1991 (Box 14-20, OV 54; 5.7 linear feet)

Series 4: Women's Graphic Center, circa 1976-1989 (Box 20-23, 32, OV 33-50; 5.6 linear feet)

Series 5: Artists' Works of Art, circa 1972-1990 (Box 24-25, OV 51-53; 1.7 linear feet)

Series 6: Grants, 1974-1992 (Box 25-30; 5.3 linear feet)

Historical Note:

In 1973, artist Judy Chicago, graphic designer Sheila Levant de Bretteville, and art historian Arlene Raven founded the Feminist Studio Workshop (FSW), one of the first independent schools for women artists. The founders established the workshop as a non-profit alternative education center committed to developing art based on women's experiences. The FSW focused not only on the development of art skills, but also on the development of women's experiences and the incorporation of those experiences into their artwork. Central to this vision was the idea that art should not be separated from other activities related to the developing women's movement. In November of 1973 the founders rented workshop space in a vacated building in downtown Los Angeles and called it The Woman's Building, taking the name from the structure created for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The FSW shared space with other organizations and enterprises including several performance groups, Womanspace Gallery, Sisterhood Bookstore, the National Organization of Women, and the Women's Liberation Union.

When the building they were renting was sold in 1975, the FSW and a few other tenants moved to a three-story brick structure, originally designed to be the administrative offices of the Standard Oil Company in the 1920s. In the 1940s, it had been converted into a warehouse and consisted of three floors of open space, conducive to publically available extension classes and exhibitions offered by the Woman's Building staff and students. By 1977, the majority of the outside tenants had left the Woman's Building, primarily because they were unable to sustain business in the new location. The new building was more expensive to maintain and the FSW staff decided to hire an administrator and to create a board structure to assume the financial, legal, and administrative responsibility for the Building. The funds to operate came from FSW tuition, memberships, fund-raising events, and grant monies.

In 1981, the Feminist Studio Workshop closed, as the demand for alternative education diminished. The education programs of the Building were restructured to better accommodate the needs of working women. The Woman's Building also began to generate its own artistic programming with outside artists, including visual arts exhibits, performance art, readings, and video productions. That same year, the Woman's Building founded the Women's Graphic Center Typesetting and Design, a profit-making enterprises designed to strengthen its financial base. Income generated from the phototypesetting, design, production, and printing services was used to support the educational and art making activities of the Building.

When the graphics business closed in 1988, the Woman's Building suffered a financial crisis from which it never fully recovered. The Building closed its gallery and performance space in 1991.

Related Material:

Among the other resources relating to the Woman's Building in the Archives of American Art is an oral history with Suzanne Lacy on March 16, 1990, March 24, 1990, and September 24, 1990. While not credited as a founding member, Lacy was among the first group of staff of the Woman's Building which she discusses in her interview.

The Getty Research Institute also holds a large collection on the Woman's Building which includes a wide range of material relating to its exhibitions, activities, and projects.

Separated Material:

The Archives of American Art donated 5 boxes of video tape from the collection to the Long Beach Museum of Art, Video Annex in 1994. According to documentation, this was the desire of Sandra Golvin and the Board of Directors of the Woman's Building. Printed material collected but not produced by the Woman's Building regarding feminism was transfered to Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

Provenance:

The Woman's Building records were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1991 by Sandra Golvin, President of the Board of Directors. An small addition of a set of "Cross Pollination" posters was donated in 2019 by by ONE Archives at University of Southern California Libraries via Loni Shibuyama, Archives Librarian.

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Feminism and art  Search this

Function:

Nonprofit organizations -- California

Arts organizations -- California

Genre/Form:

Slides

Artists' books

Citation:

Woman's Building records, 1970-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation. Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by The Walton Family Foundation and Joyce F. Menschel, Vital Projects Fund, Inc.

Identifier:

AAA.womabuil

See more items in:

Woman's Building records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw938796dfe-5dbf-49e9-96e7-5a8745391f13

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-womabuil

Creator:

National Museum of the American Indian  Search this

Type:

Symposia

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2018-02-21T21:34:25.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Native Americans;American Indians  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianNMAI

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianNMAI

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_7SfO8hZY9cY

Creator:

Wilbur H. Burnham Studios  Search this

Names:

American Art Expositions (Firm)  Search this

Joseph G. Reynolds Associates  Search this

Reynolds, Francis, and Rohnstock  Search this

Stained Glass Association of America  Search this

Burnham, Wilbur Herbert, 1887-1974  Search this

Burnham, Wilbur Herbert, Jr., 1913-1984  Search this

Connick, Charles J., 1875-1945  Search this

Portanova, Joseph Domenico, 1909-1979  Search this

Reynolds, Joseph G., 1886-1972  Search this

Extent:

40.3 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketches

Photographs

Watercolors

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Scrapbooks

Date:

circa 1901-1991

Summary:

The records of nationally renowned Boston, Massachussetts, stained glass design company, Wilbur H. Burnham Studios, measure 40.3 linear feet and date from circa 1901-1991. The majority of the collection consists of project files for the studio's stained glass window contracts throughout the United States from the 1920s-1980s. In addition to project files, records include biographical material for the owners, correspondence relating to personal and studio business, general business and financial records, writings such as published articles by Wilbur H. Burnham, scrapbooks and other printed material documenting the history of the company, artwork including extensive watercolor design studies for stained glass, and photographic material. There is a 3.4 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes sketches, awards, printed material, passports, biographical material, Christmas cards, photographs and negatives of Burnham and works of art, slides and postcards of stained glass windows, posthumous material, a bound ledger, legal papers, invoices and receipts, project files and glass plate negatives. Materials date from circa 1901-1991.

Scope and Content Note:

The records of nationally renowned Boston, Massachussetts, stained glass design company, Wilbur H. Burnham Studios, measure 40.3 linear feet and date from circa 1901-1991. The majority of the collection consists of project files for the studio's stained glass window contracts throughout the United States from the 1920s-1980s. In addition to project files, records include biographical material for the owners, correspondence relating to personal and studio business, general business and financial records, writings such as published articles by Wilbur H. Burnham, scrapbooks and other printed material documenting the history of the company, artwork including extensive watercolor design studies for stained glass, and photographic material. There is a 3.4 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes sketches, awards, printed material, passports, biographical material, Christmas cards, photographs and negatives of Burnham and works of art, slides and postcards of stained glass windows, posthumous material, a bound ledger, legal papers, invoices and receipts, project files and glass plate negatives. Materials date from circa 1901-1991.

Biographical material includes resume details and autobiographical notes for Burnham and Burnham, Jr., in addition to membership and fellow certificates.

Correspondence documents general studio business and includes correspondence with current and prospective clients, correspondence related to exhibitions, Burnham, Jr.'s activities on the Executive Committee of the America Arts Exposition, Inc., and the 1940 annual meeting of the Stained Glass Association of America and related business. Also found is some personal correpondence with friends and colleagues. Of note are 4 letters from stained glass artist Charles J. Connick giving his opinions on other stained glass artists, including Burnham, and a letter written by sculptor and designer, Joseph D. Portanova.

General business files include personnel records, records relating to a studio apprenticeship in stained glass design, a 1932 inventory of the studios, and leases and other legal documentation.

Writings include published articles by Burnham, in addition to draft typescripts for a book on stained glass which was never published, and research notes used as background material for stained glass studies. These notes include a number of pencil sketches.

19 diaries and journals consist of travel diaries and date books containing notes on daily appointments, financial notes, and addresses.

Project files form the bulk of the collection and document projects in circa 250 locations throughout the United States and Bellau, France, from the 1920s-1980s through correspondence with clients, architects and builders, contracts, purchase orders, building plans, sketches, scattered photographs and some printed material. Of particular note are extensive files on stained glass for New York's Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Saint Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, Illinois, Saint Martin's Church in Providence, Rhode Island, and the National Cathedral in Washington D. C. The series also includes a group of contract files for the company Reynolds, Francis & Rohnstock (later Joseph G. Reynolds), a contemporary of Wilbur H. Burnham Studios.

Financial records include payment and receipt journals, expense reports, bills, account books and general ledgers which provide finanical documentation from the 1930s to the 1980s.

Printed material includes news clippings about Burnham studios and stained glass in general, in addition to source material used in subject research.

Additional newsclippings about Burnham Studios can be found in three scrapbooks which also house announcements and invitations, and scattered photographs. One scrapbook contains photographs of windows designed by the studios for the Church of Saint Vincent De Paul in Los Angeles, California.

Artwork and sketchbooks include some artwork by Burnham, Jr., such as pencil and ink sketches, life drawings, and some watercolors. The bulk of the series consists of watercolor design studies on board for many of the studio's projects documented in the project files. Also found are some stained glass design sketches and cartoons, primarily in pencil and charcoal with scattered watercolors, as well as seven folders of material used in creating stained glass patterns and templates.

Photographic material includes photos of Burnham and Burnham, Jr., and of studio work in progress, as well as photographs of artwork, primarily of stained glass created for a significant number of the studio's contracts.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 12 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1930s-circa 1970s (Boxes 1, 27; 4 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1920s-1991 (Box 1; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 3: General Business Files, 1930s-1970 (Box 2; 0.38 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1920s-1950s (Box 2; 6 folders)

Series 5: Diaries and Journals, circa 1920s-circa 1960s (Box 2; 4 folders)

Series 6: Project Files, 1916-1980s (Boxes 2-12, 42; 10.6 linear feet)

Series 7: Financial Records, 1928-1982 (Boxes 13-14; 1.14 linear feet)

Series 8: Printed Material, circa 1920s-1980s (Boxes 14-15, 27-28; 1.89 linear feet)

Series 9: Scrapbooks, circa 1920s-circa 1970s (Boxes 15-16, 28, OVs 48-49, BV 84; 1.05 linear feet)

Series 10: Artwork and Sketchbooks, circa 1920s-circa 1980s (Boxes 16-23, 29-39, OVs 50-73, 85, RD 83; 13.15 linear feet)

Series 11: Photographic Materials, circa 1904-circa 1980s (Boxes 23-26, 29, 40-41, 43-47, OVs 74-82; 5.8 linear feet)

Series 12: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1901-1991 (Boxes 86-88, 91-93 OVs 89-90, 94; 3.4 linear feet)

Historical Note:

Boston, Massachussets stained glass design firm, Wilbur H. Burnham Studios, was founded by master stained glass craftsman Wilbur H. Burnham, in 1922. Together with Charles J. Connick and Joseph G. Reynolds, Burnham studios became recognized as one of the most prominent stained glass design companies in the United States. Burnham took early commissions from influential American architect Ralph Adams Cram, and believed strongly in the medieval stained glass tradition. In the late 1930s his son, Wilbur H. Burnham, Jr., who had received an informal education on tours of Europe with his family, and a BFA from Yale University, joined the firm.

Some of the studio's most notable commissions included seventeen windows for the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D. C., all the windows and murals for Saint Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, Illinois, ten windows for the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, and five for the Riverside Church, also in New York City.

Both Burnham and Burnham, Jr., served as presidents of the Stained Glass Association of American from 1938-1941 and 1956-1957 respectively. Burnham, Jr., took over the studio in 1968 when his father retired, and sold the studios in 1982.

Provenance:

The Wilbur H. Burnham Studios records were donated in 8 accessions by Wilbur H. Burnham, Jr., from 1977-1981 and by Wilbur C. Burnham, grandson of the founder, in 1990-1991 and 2021. Scott McDaniel, co-owner of the firm, contributed to the 1990 donation.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Stained glass artists -- Massachusetts  Search this

Topic:

Church architecture -- United States  Search this

Church decoration and ornament -- United States  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Glass art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketches

Photographs

Watercolors

Diaries

Sketchbooks

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Wilbur H. Burnham Studios records, circa 1901-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.wilbhbur

See more items in:

Wilbur H. Burnham Studios records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ad5178e0-def4-497b-855e-36fd04bf74ad

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-wilbhbur

Creator:

Wosk, Miriam, 1947-2010  Search this

Subject:

Gehry, Frank O.  Search this

Type:

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Drawings

Diaries

Citation:

Miriam Wosk papers, 1961-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Theme:

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)21658

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)397966

AAA_collcode_woskmiri

Theme:

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_397966

Creator:

Wosk, Miriam, 1947-2010  Search this

Names:

Gehry, Frank O., 1929-  Search this

Extent:

17 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Drawings

Diaries

Date:

1961-2013

Summary:

The papers of illustrator and artist Miriam Wosk measure 17 linear feet and date from 1961 to 2013. The collection includes biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, diaries, dream journals, writings, personal business records, scrapbooks, printed material, sketchbooks, sketches, photographic material, and photograph albums.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of illustrator and artist Miriam Wosk measure 17 linear feet and date from 1961 to 2013. The collection includes biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, diaries, dream journals, writings, personal business records, scrapbooks, printed material, sketchbooks, sketches, photographic material, and photograph albums.

Biographical material consists of an address book, interview transcript, driver's license, stationary, a short documentary about Miriam Wosk, two guest books for exhibitions, resumes, and other documents.

Correspondence includes personal and professional correspondence with friends, family, artists, galleries, and museums. There is a substantial amount of correspondence with Wosk's brothers and parents.

The bulk of the written material in this collection is comprised of diaries and journals. There are 25 diaries from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, one "dream workbook," and 26 "dreamwork journals" from the late 1980s to 2010. Aside from the diaries and journals, there are a few scattered writings such as artist statements, essays, loose journal entries, notebooks on Wosk's art practice, and also one folder of writings by others.

Personal business records mostly contain documents regarding the finances, management, and disposition of Miriam Wosks artwork in the form of sales records, registries, donations, price lists, and inventories. Other material in the series includes files on special design projects and studio practice files. There are also architectural plans and design plans for the remodeling of several of Wosk's residences.

There are 3 scrapbooks of printed material about Miriam Wosk and her art, and 12 scrapbooks of clippings of miscellaneous images, mostly art by other artists, that she found to be of interest.

Printed material includes exhibition announcements and catalogs, clippings, and magazines. Clippings make up the bulk of this series and they are divided into two categories: interviews and articles about Miriam Wosk, her art, and her residences; and illustrations created by Wosk for various magazines during the 1970s.

Artwork mostly consists of sketchbooks, loose sketches, and studies. The sketchbooks often include journal entries and notes.

Photographic material includes photographs, slides, transparencies, albums, and a few digital images. The vast majority of this series consists of images of Miriam Wosk's artwork from the late 1960s to 2009, with a few photographs of the artist and her houses. There are some snapshots of artwork by other artists which Wosk probably took for reference.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1968-2010 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1967-2009 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 14)

Series 3: Diaries, Journals, and Writings, 1961-2009 (4.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-7)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1969-2013 (1.7 linear feet; Box 7, OVs 21-29)

Series 5: Scrapbooks, circa 1970-2010 (2 linear feet; Boxes 8, 14-18, 20)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1968-2013 (1 linear feet; Boxes 8, 19-20)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1970-2010 (2 linear feet; Boxes 9, 19, OVs 30-37)

Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1970-circa 2009 (4 linear feet; Boxes 10-13, 20)

Biographical / Historical:

Miriam Wosk (1947-2010) was an illustrator and mixed media artist in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California. She was born in Vancouver, Canada to Morris and Dena Wosk. Wosk moved to New York City when she was 19 so she could attend the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she studied illustration.

She became a freelance illustrator and did work for many magazines, including Mademoiselle, The New York Times, and Vogue. Especially noteworthy is the cover that she designed of the first issue of Ms. Magazine in 1971. She continued her work as an illustrator through the 1970s and then moved to Los Angles, California, and transitioned to focus on her career as an artist.

In 1981, she commissioned architect Frank Gehry to redesign the apartment building she bought in Beverly Hills, with special focus on the penthouse where she would live. Wosk's creative vision transformed the remodeling project into a collaboration and she gave Gehry design plans for the tiles, stair railings, and other features of the residence. Wosk would hire architects for other properties she owned as well.

Once in California, Wosk immersed herself in her artistic career and went on to become a highly respected mixed media artist, frequently working with paint, pastel, and collage. Her artwork often incorporated a variety of materials such as crystals, wire, foil, clippings, glitter, postcards, and found objects. Her work is often described as Surrealist. Dreams and the natural world are often themes in her art. Wosk's artwork was featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions in California, New York, and across the country. In 2010, she died in Santa Monica, California.

Provenance:

The Miriam Wosk papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2013 and 2019 by the Miriam Wosk Family trust via Adam Gunther, Wosk's son and trustee of her estate.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Rights:

The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own.

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:

Illustrators -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Mixed-media artists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Drawings

Diaries

Citation:

Miriam Wosk papers, 1961-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by Adam Gunther and in part by the Walton Family Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.woskmiri

See more items in:

Miriam Wosk papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9cd274db2-de51-441e-b979-13a9c5b6a62a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-woskmiri

Creator:

Ireland, David Kenneth, 1930-2009  Search this

Subject:

Tingle, Alta  Search this

Marion, Paul  Search this

Lienhard, Marie-Louise  Search this

Lee, Margie  Search this

Grobart, Jeffrey  Search this

Coppola, Eleanor  Search this

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture  Search this

Mattress Factory  Search this

Washington State Arts Commission  Search this

Gallery Paule Anglim  Search this

Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens  Search this

California College of Arts and Crafts (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Arts Club of Chicago  Search this

American Academy in Rome  Search this

Stanford University  Search this

Walker Art Center  Search this

Helmhaus Zürich  Search this

San Francisco Art Institute  Search this

Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts  Search this

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art  Search this

Western Washington University  Search this

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

Type:

Video recordings

Sketches

Interviews

Prints

Sound recordings

Drawings

Photographs

Citation:

David Ireland Papers, circa 1910s-circa 2009, bulk 1960-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Installations (Art)  Search this

Public art  Search this

Theme:

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)15853

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)292739

AAA_collcode_ireldavi

Theme:

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_292739

Creator:

Treiman, Joyce  Search this

Extent:

4.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Date:

1942-1990

Scope and Contents:

Biographical material, undated and 1980; correspondence with galleries, museums, publishers, artists, and critics, 1951-1990, including Leonard Baskin, Richard Diebenkorn, Grant Holcomb, Bella Fishko, Theodore Wolff, Ernest Fiene, and others; business and financial records, 1955-1979; writings and notes, including personal journals and illustrated travel journals, undated and 1968-1989; artworks, including a pen and ink drawing and 3 sketchbooks, 1970-1977; five scrapbooks, 1942-1960, containing articles, bulletins, and clippings; exhibition catalogs and announcements, undated and 1940-1980s; clippings and articles undated and 1955-1986, photographs and slides of Treiman and her work, undated and 1960-1981;

2 U-matic video interviews of Treiman, including "Joyce Treiman: Painter," interview with Bob Pelfrey, Apr. 1978, 37 min., at Barnstall Municipal Gallery, L.A., and a Univ. of Minn. Media Resources production, "Undercurrents in American Art: Joyce Treiman," 1981, 7 min.; a motion picture film (silent, color, 22 min., also available on VHS videocassette), "Joyce Treiman, 1955-1958" shows Treiman at work and many close-up shots of paintings; a sound tape of Irving Block's senior seminar, UCLA, 1985; a 26 p. transcript of an interview conducted by Lucy Sargeant, 1980; and a file on the exhibition and symposium "Personal Realities in American Painting," Minneapolis, Minn, 1981.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, sculptor; Chicago, Ill. and Los Angeles, Calif.

Provenance:

Donated by Joyce Treiman, 1973-1990.

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:

Painters -- California  Search this

Sculptors -- California  Search this

Topic:

Painting, American -- California  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Sketchbooks

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Identifier:

AAA.treijoyc

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9aa0f92b8-cbb4-4ec0-bf65-7bc5d654e018

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-treijoyc

Creator:

Adelman, Lucy  Search this

Subject:

Walding, Clark  Search this

Chaffee, Marta  Search this

Hines, David  Search this

Starbuck, Marjorie  Search this

Tomlinson, Robert  Search this

18th Street Gallery  Search this

Works Gallery  Search this

Citation:

Art Space records, 1971-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Theme:

Art Gallery Records  Search this

Art Market  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6355

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215105

AAA_collcode_artspac

Theme:

Art Gallery Records

Art Market

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215105

Creator:

Hassinger, Maren, 1947-  Search this

Subject:

Nengudi, Senga  Search this

Maryland Institute, College of Art  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Diaries

Citation:

Maren Hassinger papers, 1955-2018. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

African American artists  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Women educators  Search this

African American art -- African influences  Search this

African American educators  Search this

African American sculptors  Search this

Theme:

African American  Search this

Women  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)17615

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)397361

AAA_collcode_hassmare

Theme:

African American

Women

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_397361

Creator:

Adelman, Lucy  Search this

Names:

18th Street Gallery  Search this

Works Gallery  Search this

Chaffee, Marta  Search this

Hines, David  Search this

Starbuck, Marjorie, 1921-  Search this

Tomlinson, Robert  Search this

Walding, Clark  Search this

Extent:

13 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1971-1992

Summary:

The records of Los Angeles Art Space gallery measure 13 linear feet and date from 1971 to 1992. The majority of the collection consists of the gallery's exhibition files which contain correspondence, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, slides, photos, invoices, price lists, loan records, and other materials. There is also correspondence with artists and organizations, financial and administrative records, and slides of artwork and exhibitions.

Scope and Contents:

The records of Los Angeles Art Space gallery measure 13 linear feet and date from 1971 to 1992. The majority of the collection consists of the gallery's exhibition files which contain correspondence, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, slides, photos, invoices, price lists, loan records, and other materials. There is also correspondence with artists and organizations, financial and administrative records, and slides of artwork and exhibitions.

Most of the correspondence in the collection is from artists regarding exhibition opportunities, with other galleries and organizations about sales and collaborative exhibits and event, including with the 18th Street Gallery, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Texas Commerce Bank, Venice Family Clinic regarding the Venice Art Walk, and The Works Gallery.

About two-thirds of the collection consists of extensive exhibition records for individual and group shows held at Art Space. Contents of files vary but may include correspondence, exhibition announcements and programs, price lists, sales records, loan agreements and other legal forms, artist resumes and statements, photographs and slides of artwork and exhibition installations, and other printed material. Particularly rich files exist for artists Marta Chaffee, David Hines, Walter Gabrielson, Janice Lowry, Lorraine Lubner, Robert Lubner, Kent Rush, Mary Schairer, Marg Starbuck, Robert Tomlinson, and Clark Walding.

Scattered financial and administrative files document the gallery's business dealings, and include price lists, a cost sharing agreement form, an inventory, business correspondence, invoices, and financial statements. Additionally, a substantial number of slides in this collection include images of artwork and of exhibitions held at Art Space. Artists Shigeo Miura and Tracy Colvill have particularly sizeable slide files. Most of the artists with slides are also represented in the exhibition files.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 4 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1977-1991 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1972-1992 (Boxes 1-11; 9.45 linear feet)

Series 3: Financial and Administrative Records, circa 1977-1991 (Box 11; 0.35 linear feet)

Series 4: Slides, 1971-1992 (Boxes 11-13; 2.4 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

The Art Space gallery operated in Los Angeles from 1977 to 1991 and was owned by artist, philanthropist, and activist Lucy Adelman (1909-2007). Settling in Los Angeles in 1938, Adelman was also one of the founders of the Womanspace Gallery, a cooperative gallery for feminist activities established in 1972 in Los Angeles.

Located at 10550 Santa Monica Boulevard, Art Space's first show honored the work of women artists. Specializing in contemporary art, the gallery, according to Adelman, had two purposes: "[Art Space] is for artists, creative people who communicate through many different fields of expression...It will also be a meeting place for people who wish to acquaint themselves with different concepts and directions." The gallery held 118 exhibitions before closing its doors in 1991.

Adelman and her husband, Isadore, were involved in other activities and gave generously to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Venice Family Clinic, which honored them at its annual fund-raising Art Walk Festival in 1988. Lucy Adelman died in 1997.

Provenance:

The records were donated in 1992 by Lucy Adelman, the director of Art Space.

Restrictions:

This collection is temporarily closed to researchers due to archival processing and digitization. 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.

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Function:

Art galleries, Commercial -- California -- Los Angeles

Citation:

Art Space records, 1971-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.

Identifier:

AAA.artspac

See more items in:

Art Space records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw994f751a1-be7a-4f94-9a4e-f7092feccdb3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-artspac

Creator:

Hassinger, Maren, 1947-  Search this

Type:

Videorecording

Date:

1992 and 1984

Citation:

Maren Hassinger. Cloud Room and Voices, 1992 and 1984. Maren Hassinger papers, 1955-2018. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Record number:

(DSI-AAA)25687

See more items in:

Maren Hassinger papers, 1955-2018

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_item_25687

Creator:

Frank Perls Gallery  Search this

Names:

Curt Valentin Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Amato, Sam, 1924-  Search this

Brice, William, 1921-  Search this

Chuey, Robert  Search this

Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this

Lipchitz, Jacques, 1891-1973  Search this

Matisse, Henri, 1869-1954  Search this

McGarrell, James, 1930-  Search this

Peake, Channing, 1910-  Search this

Perls, Frank, 1910-1975  Search this

Perls, Klaus  Search this

Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this

Ray, Man, 1890-1976  Search this

Strombotne, James  Search this

Warsaw, Howard  Search this

Extent:

23.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Short stories

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Sales records

Gallery records

Date:

circa 1920-1983

bulk 1949-1975

Summary:

The Frank Perls papers and Frank Perls Gallery records measure 23.8 linear feet and date from 1920-1983, with the bulk dating from 1949-1975. Personal papers include writings, military records, appointment calendars, and photographs. Gallery records date from its opening in 1939 until its closure in 1981 and consist of financial, sales, and legal records; exhibition files; exhibition catalogs and announcements; subject files that contain a variety of correspondence with artists, dealers, galleries, museums, and friends and family, as well as reference materials and photographs; and scrapbooks.

Scope and Content Note:

The Frank Perls papers and Frank Perls Gallery records measure 23.8 linear feet and date from 1920-1983, with the bulk dating from 1949-1975. Personal papers include writings, military records, appointment calendars, and photographs. Gallery records date from its opening in 1939 until its closure in 1981 and consist of financial, sales, and legal records; exhibition files; exhibition catalogs and announcements; subject files that contain a variety of correspondence with artists, dealers, galleries, museums, and friends and family, as well as reference materials and photographs; and scrapbooks.

Personal papers contain biographical materials, including military records from Perls' service in the army during World War II, personal photographs, documentation on his estate settlement, and numerous short stories. Of particular interest are Perl's stories about his interactions with Pablo Picasso and his work to uncover fraud, fakes, and corruption in the art world. There are also many photographs of Picasso, photographs of family, the war, and Perls, including two original photographs of Perls by Man Ray.

Gallery sales, purchases, consignments, insurance appraisals, loans, provenance research, and general business expenses are well documented in the General Business and Financial Records. Perls jointly owned artwork with several galleries in New York, including the Curt Valentine Gallery and M. Knoedler Gallery, and these consignment and joint sales are documented in the invoices. A complete accounting of the Gallery's income and expense reports from 1950-1971 is also be found in this series. Artists extensively documented through financial transactions are William Brice, James Strombotne, and Howard Warsaw.

Extensive exhibition files document the gallery's exhibitions and Perl's curatorial work. Files contain varied documentation, such as photographs, catalogs, announcements, and publicity for Frank Perls Gallery shows from 1939 through 1971. Artists represented in this series include Sam Amato, Robert Chuey, Jaques Lipchitz, Pablo Picasso, James McGarrell, and James Strombotne. Files are also found for the two major retrospective exhibitions Perls organized and curated, Matisse Retrospective at University of California, Los Angeles and Sixty Years of Picasso Prints at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, both in 1966. Additional information about these exhibitions is also found in the Subject Files.

Subject Files are extensive and varied in name, content, and topic. They consist mostly of correspondence with friends, family, colleagues, artists, critics, galleries and dealers, clients, arts organizations and associations, publications, and others. There are also reference files and exhibition files for exhibitions held at other galleries and museums in which Perls was interested, guest curated, or loaned artwork. The contents of each file unit varies, but many include correspondence, photographs, appraisal records, sales records, invoices, reports, and membership records. The files highlight his close personal relationship with many artists, including William Brice, Rico Lebrun, James McGarrell, Channing Peake, Pablo Picasso, and James Strombotne. Subject Files also contain abundant correspondence with colleagues and family members, including his brother Klaus, who owned and operated the Perls Gallery in New York. Many of the files concern Perl's work with art documentation and authentication. Subject Files have been arranged according to Frank Perls original order.

Finally, scrapbooks contain newspaper articles, catalogs, and announcements about exhibitions at the Perls Gallery in New York during the late 1930s and the Frank Perls Gallery in Los Angeles during the 1950s.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 5 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Frank Perls papers, circa 1920-1981 (Box 1-2, 28; 1.1 linear feet)

Series 2: General Financial and Business Records, 1949-1975 (Box 2-4, 23-27; 3.4 linear feet)

Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1937-1975 (Box 5-6; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Subject Files, circa 1939-1983 (Box 6-22; 16.5 linear feet)

Series 5. Scrapbooks, 1937-1957 (Box 28; 0.3 linear feet)

Historical Note:

Frank Perls (1910-1975) was founder and sole owner of the Frank Perls Gallery in Beverly Hills, California.

Frank Perls was born in Germany on October 23, 1910. His parents, Hugo and Kaethe Perls, owned one of the leading art galleries in Berlin, and sold the work of many well-known artists. Artists works included in the gallery inventory were pieces by Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Cézanne, among others. His parents enjoyed a close friendship with Picasso, a relationship Perls maintained until Picasso's death in 1973. After his parents divorce in 1931, his mother left Germany and eventually opened the Galerie Kaethe in Paris.Frank Perls studied art history at the Universities of Munich, Berlin, and Frankfurt and joined his mother at the Galerie Kaethe in 1932.

Frank Perls immigrated to the United States in 1937 and partnered with his brother, Klaus Perls, to open the Perls Galleries in New York. Two years later he moved to California and opened the Frank Perls Gallery on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. During those first years, the Gallery hosted exhibitions by Man Ray, Eugene Berman, and John Decker.

Perls closed his gallery in 1942 when he enlisted in the United States Army. Because he was fluent in both French and German, Perls served as an interpreter at the Military Intelligence Service, European Theater of Operations. He landed in Normandy with the 30th Infantry Division and was awarded the Bronze Star in 1944. In 1945, Perls was assigned to the Arts and Monuments Section of Allied Military Government in Germany. He was honorably discharged in September, 1945.

After the war, Perls returned to Los Angeles and managed the recently opened Associated American Artists Gallery in Beverly Hills. The gallery was organized in 1934 and marketed art to the middle classes with the opportunity to purchase prints at affordable prices. Perls made significant contacts during his tenure at the gallery and eventually opened his own Beverly Hills gallery in 1950.

The Frank Perls Gallery on Camden Drive was closely associated with the Pierre Matisse Gallery and the Curt Valentin Gallery in New York, both major sources of exhibition materials for the early years. Perls introduced southern California to artists he believed represented the best modern art of America and Europe - Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Ben Shahn, Georgia O'Keeffe, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, and Jean Dubuffet. Between 1950 to 1954, Frank Perls Gallery organized the first West coast exhibitions of Joan Miro, Marino Marini, and Alberto Giacometti. Perls also gave exhibitions to newly emerging artists of Southern California artists, including William Brice, Robert Chuey, Rico Lebrun, James McGarrell, Channing Peake, and Howard Warsaw.

Perls moved his gallery to Wilshire Boulevard in 1965 and stopped representing California artists at that time to focus primarily on major exhibitions of Henri Matisse and Picasso. In 1966, he helped organize an extensive traveling Henri Matisse exhibition at UCLA called Matisse Retrospective. Perls worked with Matisse's children, Pierre, Jean, and Marguerite Duthuit, to identify 345 prints and sculptures and attach family inventory numbers to them.

Frank Perls also organized several large Picasso exhibitions, including the Bonne Fete Monsieur Picasso exhibit at UCLA in 1961 and the 45 Selected Picasso Graphics exhibition at Frank Perls Gallery in 1971. For his work in preparing these major exhibitions in California of Matisse and Picasso, Perls was made a life fellow of the Los Angeles County Museum.

Perls was a member of the Art Dealers of America, serving for several years on the Board of Directors and as director. He was also dedicated to exposing art fakes and forgeries, earning a reputation for discovering, exposing, and pursuing disreputable art appraisers and dealers. Perls wrote extensively about modern art and artists, as well as his experiences in short stories that often appeared in print.

Frank Perls died on February 8, 1975 from complications following open-heart surgery. The Gallery remained open until 1981 while his executor and family distributed the gallery inventory.

Provenance:

The Frank Perls papers and Frank Perls Gallery records were donated by Joan Hazlitt, one of the executors of the Perls' estate, from 1976-1988.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers 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.

Occupation:

Gallery owners -- California  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- California -- Beverly Hills  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Curators -- California  Search this

Art -- Forgeries  Search this

Function:

Art galleries, Commercial -- California

Genre/Form:

Short stories

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Sales records

Gallery records

Citation:

Frank Perls papers and Frank Perls Gallery records, circa 1920-1983, bulk 1949-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.perlfran

See more items in:

Frank Perls papers and Frank Perls Gallery records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9163380a7-6151-44d0-b553-a17e8aae42a0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-perlfran

Creator:

Andreson, Laura F., 1902-1999  Search this

Subject:

Black, Harding  Search this

Cunningham, Imogen  Search this

Heino, Otto  Search this

Heino, Vivika  Search this

King, Albert Henry  Search this

Maloof, Sam  Search this

Natzler, Gail  Search this

Wood, Beatrice  Search this

University of California, Los Angeles  Search this

Type:

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Sketches

Citation:

Laura Andreson papers, 1932-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Women  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)5576

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214324

AAA_collcode_andrlaur

Theme:

Craft

Women

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_214324

Creator:

Sheets, Millard Owen, 1907-1989  Search this

Subject:

Millard Sheets & Associates Designs  Search this

Sheets, Mary Baskerville  Search this

Dalzell Hatfield Galleries  Search this

Type:

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Citation:

Millard Sheets papers, circa 1907-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- California  Search this

Art and society  Search this

Horses -- Breeding  Search this

Watercolorists -- California  Search this

Muralists -- California  Search this

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Designers -- California  Search this

Theme:

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)10956

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214738

AAA_collcode_sheemill

Theme:

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_214738

Creator:

Sheets, Millard, 1907-1989  Search this

Names:

Dalzell Hatfield Galleries  Search this

Millard Sheets & Associates Designs  Search this

Sheets, Mary Baskerville  Search this

Extent:

27.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Date:

circa 1907-2000

Summary:

The Millard Sheets papers comprise 27.6 linear feet of material dating from circa 1907 to 2000 with bulk dates spanning 1956 to 1981. The collection documents Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, and his personal and professional interests through correspondence, writings, lectures, printed material, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera. A small addition donated 2018 by Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter. There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others including family; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.

Scope and Content Note:

The personal papers of Millard Sheets (1907-1990) measure 27.6 linear feet and date from circa 1907-2000, with bulk dates of 1956-1981. The collection reflects Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, as well as his other personal and professional interests, through correspondence, writings, lectures, clippings, blueprints, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera.

The Project Files comprise the largest group of materials in the collection and document design work undertaken by Sheets through his company Millard Sheets & Associates Designs. Sheets and his associates produced concept drawings and blueprints and supervised the construction for a wide range of design projects that ranged in scale from architectural plans for private residences to bid proposals for shopping malls and financial institutions located in California and the Southwest.

Sheets designed interior and exterior plans for over forty Home Savings and Loan bank branches in California. The distinctive modular design which Sheets created and then customized by integrating interior and exterior art elements that highlighted local historical events or natural features became synonymous with the image of Home Savings and Loan. Sheets also teamed up with the architect Edward Durrell Stone to produce a proposal for the Capitol Mall Project, an urban renewal project for the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento. Researchers will find correspondence, job costs and billing statements, and notes that trace the development of these and other building construction projects. In some instances the documents are supplemented by blueprints, photographs, and/or drawings of the project, but in many cases, visual documentation is missing.

The Project Files also document work done by Millard Sheets on public projects such as the Family of Man mural in the Los Angeles City Hall Annex, a mosaic dome in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., and the Word of Life mural at the University of Notre Dame, Ind., along with numerous other murals and mosaics created for private individuals and corporations.

The Correspondence Series primarily reflects the interaction between Sheets and his clients, colleagues, and personal acquaintances. These files will prove valuable to researchers who are interested in the way that Sheets's beliefs about the role of art in everyday life impacted the way he conducted business and managed both large and small design projects. The correspondence also reflects Sheets's interest in popular American culture, travel, political issues of the day, and art collecting.

The Membership Files document the wide variety of interests that Sheets maintained through active membership in associations and organizations. The material in this series consists primarily of correspondence, minutes of meetings, and notes which Sheets created or used as he served as a board member or trustee on a number of organizational boards, such as the California Institute of the Arts, the Claremont Colleges, Virginia Steele Scott Foundation, Webb School of California, and Goodwill Industries of Southern California.

Also found in this series is material that documents his interest and participation in various recreational and professional organizations. Sheets maintained a long association with the Economic Roundtable, a group of businessmen who met regularly to give presentations and share discussion on contemporary political and social issues. Sheets was a frequent speaker and his talks given at the Economic Roundtables can be found in Lectures and Speeches, a subseries of the Writings Series.

Included in the Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, Inc. series are records that reflect the day-to-day operations of Sheets's design firm. Found here are chronological copies of correspondence that were sent out, files Sheets maintained on various independent contractors that the design firm frequently used, resumes and letters of recommendation that Sheets received regarding potential employees, as well as records relating to the cost and maintenance of Sheets's office building.

The Teaching and Workshop Files document the instructional activities undertaken by Sheets throughout his career in the arts. Although Sheets became pivotal in establishing a regionally recognized art department at Scripps College in Claremont, California, the files that reflect his academic position there are limited in scope and depth. Researchers will find more substantive the files that he maintained on the numerous art demonstrations and paintings workshops that he conducted privately throughout his career. Sheets traveled extensively around the world through his teaching activities and the files in this series track his path.

Closely related to the Teaching and Workshop Files is the Painting Trips series. The material in these files document Sheets's service as an American Specialist in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the USIS, Department of State. Sheets served two times as a cultural arts representative in Turkey in 1960 and in the former USSR in 1961. Sheets also made numerous trips to South East Asia, which had proved an area of fascination for him since his experiences as a war correspondent in Burma and India in World War II. The files in this series document his painting trips to Tahiti, the Pacific Ocean Rim, and Hawaii. Also found are files that detail his painting activities in Mexico.

The Exhibition Files reflect the records that Sheets maintained regarding his participation in art exhibitions, as well as his files on art shows that he personally directed or organized for public or private groups or organizations. Although Sheets exhibited his work predominantly in the West and Southwest, the files in this series demonstrate that he exhibited both nationally and internationally as well.

Also found within the records for this series are files relating to Sheets's representation of his artwork through established galleries and art agents. The Dalziel Hatfield Galleries of Los Angeles, California, served as his primary agent for most of his painting career. Correspondence between Sheets and the Hatfields provide insight into Sheets's development into a regionally and nationally significant watercolorist and painter. The files relating to the Kennedy Galleries in New York and the Circle Gallery in Chicago reflect Sheets's efforts to maintain a national presence in the arts community.

The Jury Files document Sheets's involvement as a juror in regional, as well, as national shows. The files reveal the great variety of professional watercolor and painting exhibitions in which Sheets participated as either a jury panelist or solo judge.

The Writings Files provide an excellent source for researchers interested in Sheets's philosophical beliefs about the relationship between art and everyday life. His articles, lectures, and speeches predominantly address the role of the artist, the relationships that exist between artists and the community, and the role that art can play in making a fuller, more productive life. Also found in the files of this series are articles written by others about Sheets.

The Biographical Material series provides a short introduction to Millard Sheets. The files consist of the calendars maintained by Sheets and his wife and staff, which were used to coordinate his many commitments and appointments. Also found in the files of this series are family chronologies that were created by Mary Baskerville Sheets. Medical records and resumes provide personal information about Sheets's background and health. A small file of military memorabilia provides information about Sheets's contributions to the war effort in World War II.

The Printed Matter series documents family activities and personalities through publicity clippings. Also found are exhibition catalogs and announcements that Sheets saved regarding other artists. Miscellaneous interests and activities of Sheets are found through magazine articles, brochures, and flyers.

The Photographs series includes photographic documentation for Sheets's artwork, horses, and major projects. A small group of photographs of Sheets are also in this series.

The files in the Artwork series include original drawings by Mary Baskerville Sheets and Millard Sheets.

There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others including family; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into fifteen series. Small series, such as Biographical Material are generally based on type of document. Larger series, such as Correspondence or Project Files, are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent or project. General correspondence has been made into its own series, but other series or subseries may also contain some correspondence. Within particular series, materials have been further divided into subseries which represent particular aspects of the project or event. For example, the Writings Series is further divided into subseries of books and articles, eulogies, and lectures and speeches. An outline listing series and subseries titles and dates follows.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1907-1982, undated (boxes 1-2; 1.25 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1929-1990, undated (boxes 2-4; 2.75 linear ft.)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1933-1980, undated (boxes 5-6; 1.25 linear ft.)

Series 4: Membership Files, 1946-1982, undated (boxes 6-8; 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 5: Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, 1934-1982, undated (boxes 8-9; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 6: Project Files, 1956-1981, undated (boxes 9-18; 8.25 linear ft.)

Series 7: Teaching and Workshop Files, 1932-1982 (box 18; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 8: Painting Trips, 1959-1980, undated (box 18; 16 folders)

Series 9: Exhibition Files, 1932-1937, 1951-1988, undated (box 19; 0.75 linear ft.)

Series 10: Jury Files, 1941-1982 (boxes 19-20; 42 folders)

Series 11: Writings, 1936-1988, undated (boxes 20-22; 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 12: Printed Matter, 1936-1922, undated (boxes 22-23; 20 folders)

Series 13: Photographs, 1934-1983, undated (box 23; 17 folders)

Series 14: Artwork, circa 1929, undated (box 23; 2 folders)

Series 15: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1930-2000 (boxes 24, 26-30, OV25: 4.6 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

"Your painting is a measure of your mind"-Millard Sheets

Millard Sheets, as one of the founding members of the "California Scene Painters," exerted a lasting influence upon subsequent generations of Western painters. He and the small group of painters who worked in California during the 1930s and 1940s, developed a new style of watercolor painting that was at the forefront of the American watercolor movement of the time, and that later gave rise to a subsequent generation of painters who became known as the California Regionalist school.

Sheets was born in Pomona, California on June 24, 1907. His mother died in childbirth, and his father, John Sheets, unprepared to raise a baby alone, sent Millard to Pomona, California to be raised by his maternal grandparents, Lewis and Emma Owen. Sheets's grandfather proved to be a guiding force in his life, and when Sheets's father remarried and offered Millard the opportunity to return to the Sheets household, Millard chose instead to remain with his grandparents.

Sheets's love of horses can be directly traced back to his childhood years spent living at his grandfather's horse ranch. Millard rode his first horse when he was three years old. Throughout his life, Sheets returned to the theme of horses in his paintings, as well as maintaining a private stable of horses, and raising and breeding racehorses.

His interest in art also began in childhood. When he was still a young boy, his two maternal aunts encouraged him to play with crayons and pencils. Sheets took his first painting lesson from a neighbor at the age of seven, and by 1919 he had already submitted artwork to the copy division of the Los Angeles County Fair fine arts show competition. He submitted a drawing he had copied of a tinted photograph of Lake KIlarney, California. Sheets won first prize in his division.

It was through this competition that Millard met Theodore B. Modra, a Polish artist who had retired to the Pomona area. After giving Sheets a lecture on the evils of copying art, Modra offered to give him art lessons.

Sheets continued to pursue his interest in art and enrolled in the Choinard School of Art in Los Angeles, California. By the time that he graduated in 1929, Sheets had also managed to come to the attention of Dalzell and Ruth Hatfield of the Dalzell Hatfield Galleries in Los Angeles, California. The Hatfields were one of the most influential art dealers in Southern California, and that same year, they sponsored Sheets in his first one-man exhibition in 1929. The exhibition brought Sheets to the attention of Western Coast art critics and launched Sheets on his painting career.

In 1929 Sheets also learned that he had won second place in the annual Edgar B. Davis art competition held in San Antonio, Texas. The award came with a cash prize and Sheets made plans to travel to Europe to study and paint. Shortly before his departure, however, he met an art student, Mary Baskerville, and they began a whirlwind romance. With Baskerville's enthusiastic support for European plans, and with her promise that she would wait for him, Sheets departed for New York and then Europe.

While overseas during 1929 and 1930, Sheets studied under Dorfinant, a master printer in Paris. Through his work at this studio workshop, he met Henri Matisse.

Five months after Millard returned to the California in 1930, Sheets and Mary Baskerville married. Sheets worked as the director of the Fine Arts Exhibition of the Los Angeles County Fair. In 1932 Sheets returned to school to study art and humanities at Scripps College in Claremont, California. After graduating from Scripps, school officials approached Sheets with an offer to set up a separate fine arts program and asked him to chair the new department. This was the beginning of a twenty year association with the school. In 1938, he also became the Director of Art at Claremont Graduate School.

Sheets left the school during the years of World War II to serve as a war-time artist and journalist for Life magazine, and from 1943-1944 was stationed on the Burma-India Front. His experiences in Asia appeared to affect him deeply. In contrast to his earlier works which featured backgrounds with neutral tones and brilliant shades that highlighted and punctuated the compositions, the paintings from the wartime featured somber tones. Sheets remarked of this time:

During the fighting and the time I spent in the C-B-1 theater, I was too shaken and intellectually stunned to do any complete paintings. I made many, many sketches, though, as well as a real effort to remember each scene that particularly affected me. Then, once I returned to America, I painted frantically, for months, exorcising demons. [Lovoos, Janice and Edmund F. Penney, Millard Sheets: One-Man Renaissance, Northland Press, Flagstaff, AZ, 1984]

Sheets returned from the war in 1944 and resumed his position at Scripps College until 1955 when he was approached by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and asked to overhaul the fledgling Los Angeles County Art Institute. Sheets accepted the position and spent the next five years reshaping the mission and format of the school, renaming it the Otis Art Institute. In the years after Sheets left the directorship, the school eventually became part of the Parson's School of Design on the West Coast.

In 1953 Sheets founded the Millard Sheets Designs company. He hired between twenty-five and thirty artisans for large projects, with Susan Hertel, a former student of his, serving as his assistant in all the operations of the design studio. The working staff included engineers, registered architects, draftsmen, and artists, and the projects that the firm produced included murals, mosaics, stained glass, and sculpture for private homes and public and commercial businesses.

The design studio completed several major architectural projects throughout the late 1950s through the mid 1970s, including the design and construction of Cal Aero, a flight training school for the US Air Force, the National American Insurance Company offices for the California financier, Howard Ahmanson, Ahmanson Bank and Trust Company in Beverly Hills, many Home Savings and Loan Association Buildings, private residences, and the Scottish Rite Memorial Temples in Los Angeles and San Francisco, among many other projects.

Sheets also designed and completed mural and mosiac work for numerous public buildings in the Los Angeles area, as well as across the nation. Many of the murals and mosiacs were for those buildings designed by his firm while others were done as independent commissions.

In 1968 Sheets first proposed the murals he designed for the Los Angeles City Hall. His design was approved and he was awarded a commission to complete The Family of Man murals over the two main entrances to the Los Angeles City Hall. The murals were completed in 1971 and installed in 1972. Sheets also designed mosiacs and murals for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the Library at Notre Dame University, the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Los Angeles, several Home Savings and Loan Association buildings in the Los Angeles area, the Detroit Public Library, and the Dome of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

During the early 1960s Sheets participated in the American Specialist Program of the US Department of State. His first assignment was to Turkey in 1960, where he served as a visiting artist. The following year he went to the USSR in the same capacity.

During the early to mid 1950s Sheets became involved with Columbia Pictures and was technical advisor and production designer for a few years.

Millard Sheets was a member of the National Watercolor Society, the American Watercolor Society, the National Academy of Design, the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors, and the Century Association. Sheets actively promoted his own work and was a businessman, an active and prolific artist, instructor, and designer. Millard Sheets died on March 31, 1989 in Gualala, California.

Separated Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reels LA 10) including a biographical sketch, career resume, and a list of sheets' work prepared in 1964. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

Millard Sheets lent material for microfilming in 1965. Mary B. Sheets, Millard's widow, donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1992. Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter, gave a small addition of material in 2018.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- California  Search this

Art and society  Search this

Horses -- Breeding  Search this

Watercolorists -- California  Search this

Muralists -- California  Search this

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Designers -- California  Search this

Genre/Form:

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Citation:

Millard Sheets papers, circa 1907-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.sheemill

See more items in:

Millard Sheets papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw978141c20-c1e5-41ff-aa5d-6603f62f526f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-sheemill

Creator:

Andreson, Laura  Search this

Names:

University of California, Los Angeles  Search this

Black, Harding, 1912-  Search this

Cunningham, Imogen, 1883-1976  Search this

Heino, Otto, 1915-2009  Search this

Heino, Vivika, 1910-1995  Search this

King, Albert Henry, 1900-1982  Search this

Maloof, Sam  Search this

Natzler, Gail  Search this

Wood, Beatrice  Search this

Extent:

1.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Sketches

Date:

1932-1991

Summary:

The papers of ceramicist and educator Laura Andreson measure 1.9 linear feet and date from 1932 to 1991. The collection is comprised of correspondence, professional files, gallery records, writings and notes, artwork, and photographic materials that document her pioneering work in ceramics.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of ceramicist and educator Laura Andreson measure 1.9 linear feet and date from 1932 to 1991. The collection is comprised of correspondence, professional files, gallery records, writings and notes, artwork, and photographic materials that document her pioneering work in ceramics.

Correspondence is with clients, colleagues, artists Vivika and Otto Heino, Gail Natzler, Harding Black, Albert Henry King, Beatrice Wood, Imogen Cunningham, Sam Maloof, and others.

Professional files include curriculum vitae, employment records, a portfolio, publicity files, material from UCLA, and scrapbook. Gallery records document Andreson's personal business with galleries and museums. Andreson's writings consist of artist's statements, notes on ceramic history, nine glaze formula notebooks, and a sabbatical report.

Artwork includes sketches of pottery and case diagrams for an unidentified exhibition. Photographic materials consist of photographs and negatives of Andreson, family and colleagues, exhibitions, and works of art by Andreson's students.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as six series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1935-1988 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 2: Professional Files, 1932-1989 (Box 1, OV 4; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Gallery Records, 1940-1991 (Box 1-2; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1940-1986 (Box 2-3; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Artwork, circa 1960-1970s (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 6: Photographic Materials, circa 1940-1986 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Laura Andreson (1902-1999) was a ceramicist and educator in Los Angeles, California. She received a bachelor's degree in education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1932 and a master's degree in painting from Columbia University in 1937. She began her career in ceramics studying under the influential ceramicist Glen Lukens. In 1933 she founded the ceramics department at UCLA where she taught from 1933 to 1970.

Andreson was a pioneer in ceramics, experimenting and developing glaze and clay techniques during a time when equipment was limited and only a few books were available on ceramics. Her work has been widely exhibited, primarily after her retirement from UCLA in 1970. Andreson died in Los Angeles, C.A. in 1999.

Related Materials:

Also found in the Archives of American Art is an interview of Laura Andreson conducted May 20, 1981 by Ruth Bowman, for the Archives of American Art.

Provenance:

The papers were donated by Laura Andreson and her companion Pauline Blank in 1991 and 1996.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

Occupation:

Ceramicists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Educators -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Sketches

Citation:

Laura Andreson Papers, 1932-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.andrlaur

See more items in:

Laura Andreson papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f359f0a5-0579-421a-aae7-c1defa45ed35

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-andrlaur

Collection Creator:

Andreson, Laura  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 20

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1981-1988

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

Collection Citation:

Laura Andreson Papers, 1932-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Laura Andreson papers

Laura Andreson papers / Series 2: Professional Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f1c6234d-f2dc-4385-8bb5-c66bb28fc746

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-andrlaur-ref19

Creator:

Ankrum Gallery  Search this

Names:

Art Dealers Association of America  Search this

Black Arts Council (Washington, D.C.)  Search this

California Arts Council  Search this

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Krannert Art Museum  Search this

Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach, Calif.)  Search this

Paramount Pictures  Search this

San Diego Museum of Art  Search this

Staempfli Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Storm King Art Center  Search this

Almaraz, Carlos  Search this

Andrews, Benny, 1930-2006  Search this

Ankrum, Joan  Search this

Bauer, Richard, 1944-  Search this

Block, Irving  Search this

Broderson, Morris, 1928-2011  Search this

Caryl, Naomi  Search this

Casey, Bernie  Search this

Duveneck, Frank, 1848-1919  Search this

Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this

Groth, Bruno  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Herschler, David  Search this

Hirsch, Joseph, 1910-1981  Search this

Hirshhorn, Olga  Search this

Homer, Jessie  Search this

Jackson, Suzanne, 1944-  Search this

Johnson, Buffie  Search this

Lundeberg, Helen, 1908-1999  Search this

Mesches, Arnold, 1923-  Search this

Miller, Henry, 1891-  Search this

Palm Springs Desert Museum  Search this

Schuler, Melvin  Search this

Secunda, Arthur  Search this

Shores, Kenneth, 1928-  Search this

Varda, Jean  Search this

Zev  Search this

Extent:

41.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Date:

circa 1900-circa 1990s

bulk 1960-1990

Summary:

The Ankrum Gallery records measure 41.5 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to circa 1990s, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1990. The papers include over 395 artists files, general gallery correspondence, project files, administrative records, exhibition files, collector and client files, financial material, printed material, 1 unbound scrapbook, and photographs. Also included are personal papers of gallery founder Joan Ankrum and her nephew, artist Morris Broderson.

Scope and Contents:

The Ankrum Gallery records measure 41.5 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to circa 1990s, with the bulk of the records dating from 1960 to 1990. The papers include over 395 artists files, general gallery correspondence, project files, administrative records, exhibition files, collector and client files, financial material, printed material, 1 unbound scrapbook, and photographs. Also included are personal papers of gallery founder Joan Ankrum and her nephew, artist Morris Broderson.

General correspondence is with artists, museums, collectors, and clients, and generally concerns sales, exhibitions, and consignments. Correspondents include Irving Block, Morris Broderson, Naomi Caryl, Suzanne Jackson, Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn, among many others. Correspondence is also found in the artists files and the collector/client files.

Project files document various events, benefits, and projects undertaken by the gallery, including a UNICEF benefit, "Up Against Hunger," the Exceptional Children's foundation, and the Young Art Patrons.

Administrative files document many activities of the gallery, such as the gallery's and Joan Ankrum's membership in the Black Arts Council, the California Arts Council, and the Art Dealers Association of California of which Joan Ankrum was a primary organizer. Also found are publicity files, a file on the history of the gallery, leases, floor plans, insurance documents, lists of graphics for sale, and other miscellany.

Exhbition files appear to be incomplete, but do include files for Huichol Indian's art, "The Art of African Peoples" (1973), "Five Contemporary Mexican Painters" (1977), Ethiopian Folk Painting (1978), San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild All Media Exhibition (1982), "25th Anniversary Exhibition" (1985), among several others.

Extensive artists' files include correspondence, price lists, photographs and slides,resumes and biographical material, and sales invoices. Files are found for Benny Andrews, Carlos Almaraz, Richard Bauer, Irving Block, Naomi Caryl, Bernie Casey, Frank Duveneck, Lorser Feitelson, Bruno Groth, David Herschler, Jessie Homer, Suzanne Jackson, Buffie Johnson, Samella Lewis, Helen Lundeberg, Arnold Mesches, Henry Miller, Melvin Schuler, Arthur Secunda, Ken Shores, Jean Varda, and Zev, among many others. The Pat Alexander and Andy Nelson files also contain motion picture film.

Collector and client files document the gallery's relationship with over 115 collectors, museums, and art centers. Files may include correspondence and sales records and are found for Edith Halpert, Olga and Joseph Hirshhorn and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Krannert Art Museum, Laguna Art Museum, Palm Spring Desert Museum, Paramount Pictures, San Diego Museum of Art, Staempfli Gallery, and Storm King Art Center, among many others.

Financial material documents sales through numbered invoices, consignments, loans, and insurance valuations. Printed material consists of exhibition catalogs and announcements, bulletins, periodicals, and newspaper clippings. One unbound scrapbook contains clippings and exhibition materials.

Photographs are of artwork, artists, and gallery openings. Additional photographs are found in the artists' files.

Joan Wheeler Ankrum personal papers document her personal and professional relationship with family, artists, and collectors. They include correspondence, personal writings, personal financial materials, printed material and loose scrapbook materials, family photographs and photographs of her as an actress, and artwork from various artists.

The papers of artist Morris Broderson, nephew of Joan Ankrum, document his professional relationship with the gallery as his primary dealer. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, publicity files, travel files, projects, exhibitions, collector/client files, financial material, printed material, photographs, and artwork.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged as 12 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Correspondence, 1961-1994 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Project Files, 1965-1987 (0.25 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Administrative Records, 1961- circa 1990s (1 linear foot; Boxes 1-2)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1961-1991 (1 linear foot; Boxes 2-3)

Series 5: Artists' Files, 1957-1994 (22.5 linear feet; Boxes 3-25, 41-42, FC 43-45)

Series 6: Collector and Client Files, 1960-1994 (3.2 linear feet; Boxes 25-28)

Series 7: Financial Material, 1962-1990 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 28-30)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1957-1994 (2 linear feet; Boxes 30-32, 41)

Series 9: Scrapbook, 1960-1988 (3 folders; Box 32)

Series 10: Photographs, circa 1960s-circa 1990s (0.35 linear feet; Boxes 32, 42)

Series 11: Joan Ankrum Personal Papers, circa 1900-1993 (2 linear feet; Boxes 32-34, 41)

Series 12: Morris Broderson Papers, 1941-1989 (7.2 linear feet; Boxes 34-42)

Biographical / Historical:

The Ankrum Gallery was established 1960 in Los Angeles by American film actress Joan Wheeler Ankrum and William Chalee. The gallery closed in 1989.

Joan Wheeler Ankrum and William Challee opened Ankrum Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1960 with a one-man show of Ankrum's nephew Morris Broderson. With a focus on contemporary California artists, Ankrum Gallery represented over 395 artists during its 30 years in operation, including Benny Andrews, Carlos Almaraz, Richard Bauer, Irving Block, Naomi Caryl, Bernie Casey, Frank Duveneck, Lorser Feitelson, Bruno Groth, David Herschler, Jessie Homer, Suzanne Jackson, Buffie Johnson, Samella Lewis, Helen Lundeberg, Arnold Mesches, Henry Miller, Melvin Schuler, Arthur Secunda, Ken Shores, Jean Varda, and Zev. In addition, the gallery was among the earliest to exhibit the work of black artists. The gallery also held exhibitions of world artists, which included "Art of African Peoples" (1973), "Yarn Paintings of the Huichol Indians" (1973), "Five Contemporary Mexican Painters" (1977), and "Ethiopian Folk Painting" (1978). Ankrum Gallery closed in 1989.

Art dealer and gallery owner, Joan Wheeler Ankrum was an actress before establishing the Ankrum Gallery primarily to showcase the work of her deaf nephew, Morris Broderson. Born in 1913 in Palo Alto, California, she began acting at the Pasadena Playhouse where she met her first husband Morris Ankrum with whom she had two sons, David and Cary Ankrum. She married gallery co-owner and partner William Challee in 1984. She helped organize the Los Angeles Art Dealers Association and the Monday Night Art Walks on La Cienega Boulevard. She was a member of the relatively short-lived Black Arts Council. Joan Wheeler Ankrum died in 2001 at the age of 88.

Morris Broderson (1928-2011) was a deaf painter. His first one-man show was at the Stanford Museum in 1957, followed by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. By 1959 he'd won two awards from the Los Angeles County Museum, and appeared in the Whitney Museum's "Young America" show in 1960. His travels influenced his work, including the hand gestures of Kabuki art in Japan. His work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, among others. Following Joan Ankrum's death in 2001, Broderson was represented by her son David Ankrum.

Related Materials:

Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Joan Ankrum, one conducted by Betty Hoag, April 28, 1964, and a second by Paul Karlstrom, November 5, 1997-February 4, 1998. Additionally, there is an oral history interview with Morris Broderson conducted by Paul Karlstrom, March 11-13, 1998.

Provenance:

The Ankrum Gallery records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Joan Ankrum in 1995.

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:

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:

Artists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Function:

Art galleries, Commercial -- California

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Citation:

Ankrum Gallery records, circa 1900-circa 1990s, bulk 1960-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund

Identifier:

AAA.ankrgall

See more items in:

Ankrum Gallery records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d89bb020-f420-4b01-9a0f-f1d5132866c4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-ankrgall

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 28.7 x 13 x 10.3 cm (11 5/16 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/16 in)

Type:

Musical Instrument

Origin:

China

Date:

ca. 525-475 BCE

Period:

Eastern Zhou dynasty, late Spring and Autumn period

Topic:

casting  Search this

metal  Search this

bronze  Search this

Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE)  Search this

Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BCE)  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Accession Number:

S1987.4

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Related Online Resources:

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye368ef4af7-afd5-4db1-b996-432f46394dbb

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S1987.4