An interview of Robert Blackburn conducted 1970 December 4, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Blackburn speaks of his early life in Jamaica and New York; the influences of his youth including school, gangs, religion, art, music, and culture; the Harlem Community Art Center; studying with Charles Alston; the difficulties suffered by Black artists trying to gain recognition in a white-dominated art world; attending the Art Students League and studying under Vaclav Vytlacil and Will Barnet; his work with children; his film work at the Harmon Foundation; financial problems; the Printmaking Workshop; attending New York University's School of Visual Arts and the Cooper Union School; blacks in the arts; and the influence of music on his paintings. He recalls Jacob Lawrence, Will Barnet, Vaclav Vytlacil, Wallace Harrison, Tatyana Grosman, Grace Hartigan, Sam Francis, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Blackburn (1920-) was a printmaker from New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 28 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Occupation:
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview of Emma Amos conducted 1968 October 3, by Al Murray, for the Archives of American Art.
Amos speaks of the development of her interest in art and her early influences, her education at Antioch, black politics and the problems facing black artists, image problems among blacks, her travels in Europe, her interests in different media, and the effect of marriage and motherhood on her work.
Biographical / Historical:
Emma Amos (1937-2020) was a painter and printmaker in New York, New York.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. Funding for this interview provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Restrictions:
This interview transcript is open for research. No audio exists. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview of Gordon Parks conducted 1964 Dec. 30, by Richard Doud, for the Archives of American Art, in New York, N.Y.
Parks speaks of his background; his early interest in photography; influences on him; his early career as a fashion photographer; joining the Farm Security Administration; his early impressions of the FSA; Roy Stryker's influence and guidance; how being Black and the experience of racism influenced his ability to relate to his subjects; memorable people he met during the FSA years; his post-FSA career, including his novels and his work for LIFE; and his opinions about the FSA's impact on people and on photography.
Biographical / Historical:
Gordon Parks (1912-2006) was a filmmaker, author, photographer, and composer from New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 1 min.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Filmmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Composers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Papers related to Piper's dual careers as conceptual artist and philosophy instructor. Personal letters and financial material are also included.
The Adrian Piper papers contain material related to Piper's art career includinc correspondence (1968-1988) with editors, curators, critics and others regarding museum and gallery exhibitions; lectures and panel discussions; and publications by and about Piper, mainly concerned with race and gender in art. Correspondents include Lawrence Alloway, Nancy Buchanan, Nina Felshin, Hans Haacke, Donald Kuspit, Sol Lewitt, Lucy Lippard, Rosemary Mayer, William Olander (The New York Museum), Philip Redican, Sam Samore, Terry Wolferton, and others. Subject files on the American Association of Museums, the National Endowment for the Arts panels and the New York State Council on the arts, and printed material including exhibition announcements and clippings are also included. Philosophy career related papers include correspondence (1974-1987) kept while teaching at the University of Michigan, Stanford University, and Georgetown University; and graduate school class notes, many with sketches. Personal papers include letters (1965-1990) from friends and family; and financial material such as tax returns and household expenses.
Arrangement:
I. Materials regarding Piper's art career, 1968-1988, boxes 1 to 3. II. materials regarding Pipers philosophy career, 1979-1987, boxes 4 to 7. III. personal papers, 1965-1990, boxes 8 to 10.
Biographical / Historical:
Adrian Piper (1948-) is a conceptual artist and philosopher. She taught philosophy at numerous institutions and was the first female African American philosophy professor to receive academic tenure in the United States. Piper moved to Berlin, Germany in 2005 where she now runs the Adrian Piper Research Archive (APRA). In 2012, Piper "publicly retired from being Black."
Provenance:
Donated 1990 by Adrian Piper.
Restrictions:
ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
United States. Farm Security Administration Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Gordon Parks, 1964 Dec. 30. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Emma Amos, 1968 October 3. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Langston Hughes. The Negro mother and other dramatic recitations, 1931. Prentiss Taylor papers, 1885-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
New York Artists Strike Against War, Racism, Repression, and War. New York Artists' Strike press release, ca. 1970. Michael Goldberg papers, 1942-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Robert Blackburn, 1970 December 4. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
