Search Results

Collection Creator:

Hassinger, Maren  Search this

Container:

Box 8, Folder 9

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1985-1986

Collection 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 or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

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

Sponsor:

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

See more items in:

Maren Hassinger papers

Maren Hassinger papers / Series 7: Printed Material

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-hassmare-ref211

Collection Creator:

Ybarra-Frausto, Tomás, 1938-  Search this

Extent:

(see also: OV 32)

Container:

Box 1, Folder 62

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1975-1976

Scope and Contents note:

(clippings; oversize poster/entry form; exhibition announcement; photocopy of the calendar of events, with note to TYF from T[ino] V[illanueva], 1/27/76)

Collection Restrictions:

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

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material, 1965-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material / Series 1: Subject Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-ybartoma-ref104

Collection Creator:

Ybarra-Frausto, Tomás, 1938-  Search this

Extent:

(7 folders; see also: Box 30)

Container:

Box 17, Folder 8-14

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1985-2005

Scope and Contents note:

(catalogs; exhibition and event announcements; invitations; information about the organization, including history of the center and the museum, mission statement; clippings; letters to TYF re. his loan of art to the museum, 1987; letter to TYF from Rene Arceo Frutos, 08/10/1990, re TYF's consent to write an essay for the 1990 Dia De Los Muertos catalog; coloring book; Del Corazon Mexican Performing Arts Festival information packet including calendar of events, stickers, booklet, performer/artist cards, clippings; Sor Juana Festival information packets, with announcements, calendars of events, clippings, booklets; press releases; gala invitations; Mexicanidad information packet with clippings, postcard, invitation)

Collection Restrictions:

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

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material, 1965-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material / Series 1: Subject Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-ybartoma-ref1102

Collection Creator:

Ybarra-Frausto, Tomás, 1938-  Search this

Extent:

(catalog)

Container:

Box 23, Folder 23

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1982

Collection Restrictions:

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

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material, 1965-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material / Series 1: Subject Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-ybartoma-ref1399

Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Names:

Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this

Bess, Forrest, 1911-1977  Search this

Congdon, William, 1912-1998  Search this

Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Extent:

61.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sketchbooks

Interviews

Video recordings

Drawings

Date:

1916-1991

bulk 1946-1983

Summary:

The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection.

Scope and Content Note:

The Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers measure 61.1 linear feet and date from 1916 to 1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1946-1983. Records provide extensive documentation of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1946 to its closing in 1983 and of the activities of Betty Parsons as one the leading art dealers of contemporary American Art in the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists. Over one third of the of the collection is comprised of artists files containing correspondence, price lists, and printed materials. Additional correspondence is with galleries, dealers, art institutions, private collectors, and the media. Also found are exhibition files, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales records, stock inventories, personal financial records, and photographs. Betty Parsons's personal papers consist of early curatorial files, pocket diaries, personal correspondence, and evidence of her own artwork, including sketchbooks, and files documenting her personal art collection. Personal papers also include personal photographs.

Artists files, the largest and most extensive series, consist of a wide variety of documents, including biographical materials, correspondence with or related to the artist, exhibition catalogs and announcements, sales and expense invoices, clippings, price lists, and photographs of the artist, exhibitions, and artwork. The files reflect Parsons's close personal relationships with certain artists, particularly Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and Barnett Newman. Extensive documentation is also found for Forrest Bess, William Congdon, Paul Feeley, Thomas George, Alexander Liberman, Seymour Lipton, Richard Pousette-Dart, Jesse Reichek, and Jack Youngerman. Historians and researchers will find these files to be an invaluable resource both in tracing Betty Parsons's role in promoting Abstract Expressionism and researching individual artists.

Exhibition files primarily document the gallery's infrequent group or themed exhibitions. Of particular note are the files on The Ideographic Picture, which was organized by Barnett Newman and included his work, as well as that of Pietro Lazzari, Boris Margo, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Theodoros Stamos, and Clyfford Still. Price lists, artist biographies and exhibition schedules are housed in the general exhibition files. Loan exhibition files provide documentation of artwork borrowed by other galleries or institutions for exhibitions, as well as shows outside of the gallery that were organized by Betty Parsons. Also found are gallery exhibition guest books, and announcements and catalogs.

Gallery correspondence is primarily with galleries and dealers, museums, arts organizations, and collectors. Scattered letters from artists are also found, although the bulk of the artists' correspondence is filed in the Artists Files. Also found here are memoranda and letters between Betty Parsons and her staff that contain detailed information concerning Parsons's schedule and gallery activities. Similar correspondence is found amongst the correspondence files within the series Betty Parsons papers.

Appraisal and conservation files include correspondence, appraisal invoices, forms, and appraisal requests and other information from the Art Dealers Association of America, and conservation invoices and reports. The majority of the appraisal records contain information about the specific works of art, including artist, title, date, current owner and the estimated value at the time of the request. Conservation records document conservation treatments undertaken by outside conservators to gallery stock.

Sales, purchases, stock and inventory are well documented in the sales and inventory records. The records provide detailed information about individual sales, prices of individual pieces of artwork, consignments, and loans. Most sales records also include detailed information about the buyer and are a valuable resource for provenance research. Files documenting the general administration, routine business operations, and financial transactions (not individual sales) of the gallery are housed in the general business and financial records. These records include ledgers, receipts, tax records, and banking records. There is some limited information about works of art scattered amongst the receipts and in the "in/out slips" files. Legal records house general legal documents and those concerning specific lawsuits. Of particular note is the file detailing the lawsuit between Betty Parsons and Sidney Janis over the fifth floor of 24 West 57th Street.

The remainder of the collection consists of Betty Parsons's personal papers which document her career prior to opening her own gallery, her work as an artist, and her personal art collection.

Some information about Parsons's work prior to opening her own gallery is found in the early curatorial files she retained from her curatorial and administrative work at the Wakefield Gallery and the Mortimer Brandt Gallery. Clippings, correspondence, announcements, exhibition lists and exhibition files are found. For both positions, she kept only the exhibition files for a small group of exhibitions organized around a specific theme, the most notable being the exhibition of Pre-Columbian Sculpture at the Wakefield Gallery.

Biographical materials include copies of her biography, family genealogies, photographs of Parsons, interviews with Colette Roberts and WYNC radio, memberships, photographs, and ephemera, including a collection of programs and invitations from events that she attended. Throughout her life Parsons gave generously of her time to various cultural and charitable institutions and was awarded for her contributions. There are also a number of files that document her speaking engagements, her participation as a juror in numerous juried exhibitions, charitable work, and awards that she received.

Parsons's personal correspondence files reflect how deeply Parsons's life was intertwined with the gallery. There are letters from museum directors, dealers, artists seeking representation, and personal letters from artists with whom she had close personal relationships, most notably Larry Bigelow, Alexander Calder, William Condon, and Ad Reinhardt. There are also letters from the English artist Adge Baker, with whom Parsons was romantically involved. Correspondence also includes several files of postcards and Christmas cards.

Pocket diaries and engagement calendars, spanning from 1933-1981, record social engagements, meetings, vacations, and telephone numbers. Also found are circa two linear feet of notebooks and sketchbooks, many of which are annotated with addresses, poetry, journal entries, and other observations of people, places, and travels. Writings by others include writings about Betty Parsons or the Betty Parsons Gallery, such as Lawrence Alloway's unpublished typescript titled "An American Gallery" and other topics.

Printed material consists of exhibition announcements and catalogs, art magazines, and newspaper and magazine clippings about Betty Parsons, her family and acquaintances, artists, and other art related topics, coupled with a miscellaneous selection of clippings, and a video recording, on topics that presumably captured Parsons's attention.

Personal art work records document Betty Parsons's career as an artist through inventories, group and solo exhibitions files, price lists, appraisals, sales and consignment invoices. Photographs are primarily reproductions of her works of art, although there are scattered photographs of exhibition installations.

Betty Parsons's private art collection files document her extensive personal collection of art that included works by Jackson Pollock, Agnes Martin, Romare Bearden, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, in addition to Amlash sculpture from ancient Persia and primitive sculpture from New Hebrides. These files include inventories, lists, exhibition records, sales and purchase invoices, and photographs. There are also files for donations and loans from Parsons's personal collection to museums and fund raising auctions for several non-profit institutions.

Finally, the personal financial records provide information about the Parsons's family finances and her personal financial success as an art dealer. In addition to her own investments, Parsons inherited shares in family investments through the estates of her parents, J. Fred Pierson, Jr. and Suzanne Miles Pierson, and younger sister, Emily Rayner. Real estate files include correspondence, utility bills, receipts, area maps, and land plots for houses in Sheepscot, Maine and St. Maartens, Netherlands Antilles. Tax returns, ledger worksheets, receipts, banking statements, deposit slips, and cancelled checks are among the other financial records.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as seven series. Many of the series are further divided into subseries.

Series 1: Artists Files, 1935-1983 (19.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-18, 51, 55-56, OVs 53, 65)

Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1941-1983 (2.9 linear feet; Boxes 18-21, 51, 55, OVs 54, 66)

Series 3: Correspondence Files, 1941-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 21-24, 52, 56)

Series 4: Appraisal Files, 1954-1983 (0.7 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 5: Sales and Inventory Records, 1946-1983 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 25-28, 51)

Series 6: General Business and Financial Records, 1946-1983 (9.3 linear feet; Boxes 28-38, 51, 56)

Series 7: Betty Parsons Personal Papers, 1916-1991 (21 linear feet; Boxes 38-51, 55-64, OVs 65-67)

Historical Note:

Betty Parsons (1900-1982) was one of the leading art dealers in New York City specializing in modern art, particularly the work of the Abstract Expressionists, and an abstract painter and sculptor in her own right. She opened Betty Parsons Gallery in 1946 at 15 E. 57th St., later moving to 24 W. 57th St.

The history of the Betty Parsons Gallery is inextricably bound to the life and experiences of its founder. Betty Parsons was born Betty Bierne Pierson on January 31, 1900 in New York City. She enjoyed a privileged childhood, which included vacation homes in Newport and Palm Beach. Her only formal education was a five-year stint at the prestigious Chapin School from 1910-1915, where she met many of the women who would become life-long friends and supporters. In the spring of 1920, she married Schuyler Livingston Parsons from one of New York's oldest families. The marriage ended after only three years and the couple traveled to Paris where they could obtain a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility. She retained her married surname and purchased a house on the rue Boulard in Paris, where she remained for ten years, pursuing studies in painting and sculpture.

Financial constraints forced Parsons to return to the United States in 1933. She first traveled west to California, but it was her return to New York in 1935 that marked the start of her career as an art dealer. Her first opportunity to connect with the New York art world came after a successful exhibition of her watercolors at the Midtown Galleries where the owner, Alan Gruskin, noted Parson's faithful and wealthy group of supporters and offered her work installing exhibitions and selling paintings on commission. Her work for the Midtown Galleries led to a second position in the Park Avenue gallery of Mary Sullivan, one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art. Here, Parsons learned the business of running a gallery. By 1940 Parsons was ready to take on more independent responsibility and agreed to manage a gallery within the Wakefield Bookshop. In this job, she exercised full curatorial control by selecting artists and organizing exhibitions. She championed then unknown contemporary American artists and the gallery's roster soon included Saul Steinberg, Hedda Sterne, Alfonso Ossorio, Joseph Cornell, Walter Murch, and Theodore Stamos. Although the majority of the exhibitions were solo shows, there were a few group shows and themed exhibitions, such as Love in Art (1941) and Ballet in Art (1942). Under Parson's direction, the gallery hosted an important exhibition of Pre-Columbian sculpture, curated by Barnett Newman.

When the owners of the Wakefield Bookshop decided to close the gallery late in 1944, Mortimer Brandt, a dealer who specialized in Old Master paintings and drawings, offered her a position as head of the newly created contemporary section of his gallery. Many of the artists who had shown with Parsons at the Wakefield Gallery followed her to her new gallery, where they were joined by Ad Reinhardt, Boris Mango, and Hans Hofmann. While the exhibitions garnered attention from the press and the interest of contemporary artists, the contemporary section was not a financial success and Brandt opted to close his gallery in 1946.

Using $1000 of her own money and an additional borrowed $4000, Parsons sublet the space that previously housed Mortimer Brandt's contemporary section, on the fifth floor of 15 East 57th Street, and opened the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In many respects the early years of the Betty Parsons Gallery were the most vital, as it was during the period of 1947-1951 that the gallery became linked with the Abstract Expressionists and the history of post-WWII American Art. In an unpublished history of the gallery, noted art critic Lawrence Alloway stated that the significance of the gallery's early exhibitions ranks with Durand-Ruel's Impressionists exhibitions or Kahnweiler's shows of the Cubists. Betty Parsons Gallery quickly became one of the most prestigious galleries in New York City associated with new American Art of all styles. Her close friend Barnett Newman organized the gallery's inaugural exhibition of Northwest Coast Indian Art and he soon began to exhibit his own work at the gallery. When Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery closed, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, and Mark Rothko joined Parsons' growing stable of artists. Although Parsons continued to promote and exhibit many of the artists whom she had previously discovered, these four artists dominated this period. Newman, Pollock, Still, and Rothko worked closely together, holding themselves apart from the other artists somewhat. They were actively involved in the curatorial process and often hung their own shows. For these artists, the exhibition itself was an artistic act of creation.

Parsons provided a supportive environment and allowed her artists enormous freedom in planning and designing their exhibitions. She was not, however, an aggressive salesperson. During this early period the gallery ledgers document sales to an impressive array of museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as important collectors such as Edward Root and Duncan Phillips. Nevertheless, the art that the gallery promoted was not yet widely accepted. Sales were few, prices were low and the business would not turn a profit for several years. Meanwhile, there was mounting pressure from Pollock, Newman, Still, and Rothko to drop some of the other artists from Parsons' stable and focus all resources on them. They wanted to be promoted to a larger audience and have their work sold at higher prices, but Parsons enjoyed discovering new artists and did not want to be restricted in this endeavor. The year 1951 marks the last time that Pollock's drip paintings or the monumental works of Newman, Rothko or Still were shown at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

In the following years the Betty Parsons Gallery continued to attract a diverse group of talented artists. Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Tuttle, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jack Youngerman had their first New York exhibitions at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Parsons opened Section Eleven in 1958, a short-lived annex to the main gallery, so that she could promote younger, less well-known artists. It closed in 1960 due to the administrative difficulties in running two essentially separate galleries.

In 1962, Sidney Janis, another prominent art dealer, started proceedings to evict Parsons from the floor that they shared on 15 East 57th Street. The Betty Parsons Gallery moved to 24 West 57th Street in 1963, where it remained until it closed in 1983, following Parsons' death the preceding year. Throughout the gallery's history, Parsons continued to promote faithful artists such as Hedda Sterne and Saul Steinberg, who had been with her from the beginning and to seek out new talent, both for her main gallery and for other venues, such as the short-lived Parsons-Truman Gallery, which she opened in 1974 with former Parsons Gallery director Jock Truman to show works on paper by emerging artists.

In addition to being an art dealer, Betty Parsons was a respected artist and collector. With her connoisseur's eye and connections, Parsons amassed an impressive private collection of art. She bought her first piece while an art student in Paris in the 1920s, a small gouache by Zadkine, but did not begin acquiring works in earnest until she was established as an art dealer. Partial inventories of her personal collection show that the majority of her collection contained works by artists associated with the gallery. Mark Rothko, Hans Hofmann, Ad Reinhardt, Agnes Martin, and Kenzo Okada were among the artists represented. Many were gifts from the artists, such as an ink drawing by Jackson Pollock, inscribed "For Betty." Selections from her collection appeared in small museums across the United States, including a traveling exhibition organized by Fitch College, New York, in 1968. In her role as a promoter of contemporary American art, Parsons lent generously from her collection, particularly to the federal Art in the Embassies Program. Throughout her life she also donated works to a variety of museums, most notably, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark.

Parsons frequently claimed that her desire to pursue a career as an artist stemmed from a visit to the Armory Show when she was thirteen. In her late teens, after pressuring her father for art lessons, she studied with the sculptor Gutzon Burglum of Mount Rushmore fame. In Paris, she continued her studies first with Antoine Bourdelle, whose sculptures she had admired at the Armory Show, and later with Ossip Zadkine. The first exhibition of her work, figurative watercolors and sculptures, took place in Paris in 1927. As she matured as an artist, her art became more abstract. Her late works were painted wood sculptures that she pieced together from wood that she found near her studio in Long Island. Parsons's work was exhibited in more than thirty solo exhibitions, including, Betty Parsons; Paintings, Gouaches and Sculpture, 1955-1968, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. During her lifetime, she would not allow her works to be shown in her own gallery. Shortly after she died of a stroke in 1982, In Memoriam, Betty Parsons: Late Sculptures, opened at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

Related Material:

Also found in the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Betty Parsons, June 4-9, 1969, by Paul Cummings, and June 11, 1981 by Gerald Silk.

Separated Material:

Some of the material originally loaned for microfilming in 1968 and 1969 was not included in later donations and can be viewed on microfilm reels N68/62-N68/74 and N69/105-N69/106. Loaned materials are not described in the container listing in this finding aid.

Provenance:

The gallery donated some records in 1974, many of which had been loaned earlier for microfilming. The bulk of the collection was donated in 1984 and 1986 by William Rayner and Christopher Schwabacher, executors of the Estate of Betty Parsons. Additional material was donated by William Rayner in 1998 and Christopher Schwabacher in 2017. Additional material was donated in 2018 by the Lee Hall estate via Carolyn Crozier and Deborah Jacobson, co-executors. Hall was Parsons's biographer and had the material in her possession at the time of Parsons's death. An additional photograph of Parons and Marie Carr Taylor by Henri Cartier-Bresson was donated in 2021 by Mary Carpenter, who inherited the photograph from her mother, Nan Thorton Jones, who received it as a gift from Taylor.

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 audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

Gallery owners -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

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

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

Topic:

Women art dealers  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Abstract expressionist  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketchbooks

Interviews

Video recordings

Drawings

Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.parsbett

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-parsbett

Collection Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Container:

Box 39, Folder 7

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1951, October 16

Series Restrictions:

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 7: Betty Parsons Personal Papers / 7.2: Biographical Material

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref1482

Collection Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1922-1981

Scope and Contents note:

According to biographical accounts, Betty Parsons was an avid sketcher, having acquired the habit dating from her studies with the English artist Arthur Lindsay in the 1930s. This subseries includes forty-eight of her sketchbooks of varying sizes, many of which are annotated with diary entries and other notes, such as 1951 notes for her WNYC Radio Arts Festival Interview, a transcript of which can be found in 7.2: Biographical Materials, as well as records of trips with Aline Porter and family, Agnes Martin, and others. The sketchbooks contain abstract, landscape, and figurative drawings and paintings in ink, felt tip marker, gouache, pencil, and other media.

Also found are two notebooks containing dress patterns by Parsons, and some loose sketches and other artwork by unidentified artists. Some of the sketches may be by Parsons.

Series Restrictions:

Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.parsbett, Subseries 7.5

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 7: Betty Parsons Personal Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref1636

Collection Creator:

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Extent:

(2 folders)

Container:

Box 21, Folder 20-21

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1948-1981

Scope and Contents note:

B.R. Kornblatt Gallery

Baldwin Kingrey

Ball State Teachers College

Barnard College

Bayonne Jewish Community Center

Behr Corporation

Belvedere Gallery

Betty Mclean Gallery

Bianchini Gallery

Bineth Gallery of Fine Arts

Birmingham Museum of Art

Blond Fine Art Limited

Boston Arts Festival

Botolph Group, Inc.

Busch-Reisinger Museum

Butler Art Museum

The Byron Gallery

Collection 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 audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

See more items in:

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers

Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers / Series 3: Correspondence Files / 3.1: Institutions and Dealers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-parsbett-ref782

Collection Collector:

National Museum of American History. Division of Musical History.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Container:

Box 7 (Subseries 6.2), Item ELL-363

Type:

Archival materials

Audio

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the original and master audiovisual materials are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Copyright restrictions. Consult the Archives Center at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Paul Ellington, executor, is represented by:

Richard J.J. Scarola, Scarola Ellis LLP, 888 Seventh Avenue, 45th Floor, New York, New York 10106. Telephone (212) 757-0007 x 235; Fax (212) 757-0469; email: rjjs@selaw.com; www.selaw.com; www.ourlawfirm.com.

Collection Citation:

Duke Ellington Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding partially funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

See more items in:

Duke Ellington Collection

Duke Ellington Collection / Series 6: Sound Recordings / 6.2: Original Discs (10" and 12")

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0301-ref53853

Collection Collector:

National Museum of American History. Division of Musical History.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Container:

Box 7 (Subseries 6.2), Item ELL-367

Type:

Archival materials

Audio

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the original and master audiovisual materials are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Copyright restrictions. Consult the Archives Center at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Paul Ellington, executor, is represented by:

Richard J.J. Scarola, Scarola Ellis LLP, 888 Seventh Avenue, 45th Floor, New York, New York 10106. Telephone (212) 757-0007 x 235; Fax (212) 757-0469; email: rjjs@selaw.com; www.selaw.com; www.ourlawfirm.com.

Collection Citation:

Duke Ellington Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding partially funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

See more items in:

Duke Ellington Collection

Duke Ellington Collection / Series 6: Sound Recordings / 6.2: Original Discs (10" and 12")

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0301-ref53857

Collection Collector:

National Museum of American History. Division of Musical History.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Container:

Box 14 (Series 2), Folder 9

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the original and master audiovisual materials are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Copyright restrictions. Consult the Archives Center at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Paul Ellington, executor, is represented by:

Richard J.J. Scarola, Scarola Ellis LLP, 888 Seventh Avenue, 45th Floor, New York, New York 10106. Telephone (212) 757-0007 x 235; Fax (212) 757-0469; email: rjjs@selaw.com; www.selaw.com; www.ourlawfirm.com.

Collection Citation:

Duke Ellington Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding partially funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

See more items in:

Duke Ellington Collection

Duke Ellington Collection / Series 2: Performances and Programs / 2.2: Domestic Tours

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0301-ref14672

Source:

Musical Instruments, Division of (NMAH, SI)  Search this

Community Life, Div. of (NMAH, SI)  Search this

Creator:

Alderman, Alonzo (Tony) Elvis, 1900-1983 (musician)  Search this

Former owner:

Community Life, Div. of (NMAH, SI)  Search this

Musical Instruments, Division of (NMAH, SI)  Search this

Names:

Hill Billies (Musical group)  Search this

Old Fiddler's Convention  Search this

Stoneman, Ernest V.  Search this

Extent:

4 Cubic feet (5 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Audiotapes

Clippings

Papers

Sheet music

Date:

1927-1983

Summary:

Alonzo Elvis "Tony" Alderman played country music with the Galax Dixie Concert Band and The Hill Billies. During the 1950s through 1970s he recorded old-time and early country music, primarily at festivals and conventions. Alderman recorded many of the open-reel audiotapes in the collection at the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia.

Scope and Contents:

The collection is divided into two series. Series one contains 98 1/4" open reel audiotapes primarily of the Galax Fiddler's Convention (1959-1963) made by Tony Alderman and three audio disc recordings. Series two contains manuscript materials including bills and receipts, correspondence, sheet music, newspaper clippings, performance announcements, and publications.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into two series.

Series 1, Audiovisual, 1950-circa 1970

Series 2, Manuscript Materials, 1927-1976

Biographical / Historical:

Alonzo Elvis "Tony" Alderman, (1900-1983) was introduced to old-time music at an early age by his relatives in Galax, Virginia. Alderman learned to play trumpet, French horn, and, inspired by Earnest "Pop" Stoneman, the country fiddle. He first performed publicly with the Galax Dixie Concert (brass)Band.

In the late spring of 1924, he formed a group with John Rector, Al Hopkins, and Joe Hopkins. Rector convinced the band to record a record. Unfortunately, due to technical problems the recording session was unsuccessful.

Undaunted, the quartet travelled to OKeh Studios in January of 1925 where they recorded six songs under the supervision of Ralph Peer. When Peer asked the band's name Al Hopkins replied, "We're nothing but a bunch of hill billies from North Carolina and Virginia. Call us anything." Reportedly Inspired by his reply, Peer named the group "The Hill Billies."

"The Hill Billies" released their first record in February 1925. In May of that year while performing at a fiddler's convention sponsored by the Ku Klux Klan in Montana, Tennesee, they recruited Charlie Bowman from Gray Station, Tennessee to join them. Later that year 'The Hill Billies' left OKeh and joined the Combined Vocalion Brunswick Company to work with artist and repertoire man Jim O'Keefe. On the Vocalion label the band's name remained the same, but on the Brunswick label it changed to "Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters."

For the next several years, the "Pine Hill Billies" performed across the country, made several more records, and broadcast on WRC radio in Washington, D.C. After the group disbanded in 1932,Tony Alderman moved to Washington, D.C. to work as an x-ray technician, as well as an investor, and he experimented with aerial photography.

In 1970, Alderman retired to Golden Beach in St. Mary's County, Maryland. He joined the "Over the Hill Gang" and played at local celebrations, including solos for the National Council for Traditional Arts festivals, the Smithsonian Institution's Festival of American Folklife, and various holiday celebrations held by the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History.

Related Materials:

University of North Carolina. Southern Folklife Collection

Letter. Tony Alderman to Archie Green, 1961. Archie Green Collection (#20002).

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Only reference copies of the audiotapes and audio discs may be used.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Country music  Search this

Music -- Performance  Search this

Musical saw music  Search this

Musicians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence -- 1930-1950

Audiotapes

Clippings

Papers

Sheet music

Citation:

Tony Alderman Country Music Collection, 1927-1976, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0211

See more items in:

Tony Alderman Country Music Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0211

Collection Creator:

Leo Castelli Gallery  Search this

Container:

Box 16, Folder 44

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1963

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Leo Castelli Gallery records, circa 1880-2000, bulk 1957-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the partial digitization of this collection was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.

See more items in:

Leo Castelli Gallery records

Leo Castelli Gallery records / Series 1: Correspondence

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-leocast-ref8905

Creator:

Green, Mark L., 1932-2004  Search this

Names:

Nanny Goat Hill Gallery (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Albright, Thomas  Search this

Berman, Shirley  Search this

Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this

Coppola, Francis Ford, 1939-  Search this

DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989  Search this

Eisenlord, William J., 1926-1997  Search this

Ferlinghetti, Lawrence  Search this

Frankenstein, Alfred V. (Alfred Victor), 1906-1981  Search this

Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-  Search this

Hull, Leonard  Search this

Johnson, Robert E. (Robert Emory), 1932-  Search this

Kauffman, Bob  Search this

Kerouac, Jack, 1922-1969  Search this

Kessler, Chester  Search this

Mitchell, J. Oliver  Search this

Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008 -- Photographs  Search this

Rennie, Helen J., 1906-1989  Search this

Rigney, Francis J. (Francis Joseph), 1923-  Search this

Stauber, Jerome  Search this

Taylor, Edward Silverstone  Search this

Whalen, Philip  Search this

Extent:

1.1 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Writings

Photographs

Date:

1954-1991

bulk 1954-1978

Summary:

The papers of San Francisco Beat era photographer, journalist, and poet Mark Green consist of correspondence, biographical information, photographs, Nanny Goat Hill Gallery exhibition announcements, printed materials, and exhibition files for "Rolling Renaissance" (1968) and "A Kind of Beatness: Photographs of a North Beach Era, 1950-1965" (1975) exhibitions that Green helped to organize. Photographs by Mark Green are of notable figures and places in the Beat movement, including Allen Ginsberg, Robert Rauschenberg, and Clyfford Still, as well as photographs by others of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Mark Green, and Jack Kerouac among others.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of San Francisco Beat photographer, journalist, and poet Mark Green consist of biographical information, correspondence, exhibition files, printed materials, scattered writings, and photographs. Photographs by Mark Green are of notable figures and places in the Beat movement, including Allen Ginsberg, Robert Rauschenberg, and Clyfford Still, as well as photographs by others of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Mark Green, and Jack Kerouac among others.

One folder of correspondence includes letters from Jay DeFeo, Wallace and Shirley Berman, and Robert Emory Johnson. Exhibition files are found for two Beat exhibitions that Mark Green assisted in organizing: "Rolling Renaissance", 1968 and "A Kind of Beatness: Photographs of a North Beach Era, 1950-1965", 1975. Exhibition files contain correspondence, photographs of work exhibited and installation views, clippings, announcements and catalogs. Photographs are of Thomas Albright, Francis Ford Coppola, Allen Ginsberg, Leonard Hull, Robert Emory Johnson, Bob Kauffman, J. Oliver Mitchell, Francis Rigney, Jerome Stauber, and Edward Silverstone Taylor. Correspondents include include Thomas Albright, Wallace Berman, Bill Eisenlord, Alfred Frankensten, Allen Ginsberg, Helen Johnson of the Focus Gallery, Robert Emory Johnson, Chester Kessler, and Philip Whalen.

Mark Green's writings include a history of the Nanny Goat Hill Gallery, a statement about his photography, and various notes.

Printed materials consist of clippings, exhibition announcements for the San Francisco area and Nanny Goat Hill Gallery, and comic books.

The series of photographs is particularly rich due to Green's thoughtful and informative reflections written on the back of many of the photographs. The majority of the photographs identify the photographer, sitter, date, and place. Many times, Green included his own recollections of the particular sitter or photographer as well. In addition to photographs of Mark Green, there are photographs taken by Green and others of important Beat Movement figures. There are also photographs of beatnick "hot-spots" including the Co-Existence Bagel Shop, The Cellar, and The Place.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 6 series:

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1967-1970s (Box 1; 1 folder)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1959-1976 (Box 1, 3; 1 folder)

Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1954-1975 (Box 1, 3; 13 folders)

Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1974-1978 (Box 1; 3 folders)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1959-1978 (Box 1-3; 8 folders)

Series 6: Photographs, 1950s-1970s (Box 2-3; 0.3 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Mark Green (1932-) moved to San Francisco and became active in the "Beat Movement" as a photographer, writer, and arts advocate. He helped organize two major group exhibitions of beat-era arts and also founded the Nanny Goat Hill Gallery in San Francisco.

Green was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in 1932, and attended the University of Miami, Florida from 1950-1952. After taking classes in journalism and philosophy, Green began a career in media and worked as a copy-boy, reporter, and correspondent at various newspapers throughout the United States until 1956.

In 1957, Green moved to San Francisco and worked as a bartender at the Co-Existence Bagel Shop, a local spot for Beat gatherings. It was during this time that Green became involved with the Beat Movement and the San Francisco Renaissance. Green became friends with "Beatnick" figures including Edward Silverstone Taylor and Patricia Marx who encouraged him to take up photography. Green's poems were published in Beatitude and The Real Bohemia.

A more prolific photographer than poet, Mark Green exhibited his photographs at Seven Arts Gallery, the Critic's Choice San Francisco Art Festival (1964), the Focus Gallery, and the "San Francisco Renaissance" at the Gotham Book Mart and Gallery (1975). He was active in organizing group exhibitions including the "Rolling Renaissance" (1968) and "A Kind of Beatness: Photographs of a North Beach Era, 1950-1965" (1975). Additionally, Green founded the Nanny Goat Hill Gallery (1972-1974) to give little-known artists an outlet to exhibit their works.

Related Material:

The Archives of American Art holds an oral history interview with Robert Emory Johnson by Paul Karlstrom on March 14, 1975 that details the history of the Rolling Renaissance exhibition organized in part by Mark Green.

Provenance:

Mark Green donated his papers in 1974, 1976, 1979, and 1991.

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.

Topic:

Poets -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Beat generation  Search this

Bohemianism -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Photography -- Exhibitions -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Photographers -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Journalists -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Photography -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Genre/Form:

Writings

Photographs

Citation:

Mark Green papers, 1954-1991, bulk 1954-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.greemark

See more items in:

Mark Green papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-greemark

Creator:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2021-03-26T00:56:26.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, Asian  Search this

See more by:

FreerSackler

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

YouTube Channel:

FreerSackler

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_zWZ3CPYZBs4

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2011-02-25T20:29:32.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianVideos

Data Source:

Smithsonian Institution

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianVideos

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_hWJ3g-igHTw

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2011-02-28T23:06:05.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianVideos

Data Source:

Smithsonian Institution

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianVideos

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_wz8qAo8N4SY

Collection Creator:

Teraoka, Masami, 1936-  Search this

Container:

Box 4, Folder 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1998

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of audiovisual recordings and electronic records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.

Collection Citation:

Masami Teraoka papers, 1966-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Gerald and Bente Buck.

See more items in:

Masami Teraoka papers

Masami Teraoka papers / Series 5: Project and Exhibition Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-teramasa-ref94

Creator:

Sato, Norie, 1949-  Search this

Names:

Center for Contemporary Art (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this

Seattle Arts Commission  Search this

Soho Television  Search this

Dolan, Margo  Search this

Extent:

0.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1974-1991

Scope and Contents:

Project files, exhibition files, teaching/workshop files, correspondence, and printed material relating to Sato's career as a video artist and printmaker and her involvement in professional video and artist organizations mainly in the Seattle, Washington area.

Project files contain letters, reports, notes and printed material concerning Sato's Comprehensive Employment Training Act award, a National Endowment for the Arts media grant, the Seattle Art Commission, Soho Television, the Center for Contemporary Art Talk, the Seattle Bumbershoot Arts Festival, the King County Arts Commission, the U.S. Film and Video Festival, the Focal Point Media Center, and others. Exhibition files contain printed material, notes and letters regarding Sato's exhibitions at various institutions, among them the Philadelphia Print Club, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum; a file of catalogs and announcements, 1974-1990; and a file of exhibition entries with acceptance/rejection cards.

Lecture/workshop files relate to Sato's position as a lecturer for the Seattle Printmakers Services Association and the Centrum Foundation. Correspondence, 1975-1980, 1990-1991 (20 items) is mainly regarding sales and exhibitions of work, and includes a group of letters from Margo Dolan, director of the Associated American Artists. The collection also includes a few writings by Sato, printed material, and Sato's annotated resume.

Biographical / Historical:

Norie Sato (1949- ) is a Japanese American video artist and printmaker in Seattle, Washington. Sato was born in Japan, and is the founder of the Center for Contemporary Art (COCA) in Seattle and member of the Seattle Arts Commission.

Provenance:

Donated 1991 by Norie Sato.

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:

Video artists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Printmakers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Topic:

Video art  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Asian American women artists  Search this

Prints -- 20th century  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Japanese American women artists  Search this

Asian American printmakers  Search this

Asian American video artists  Search this

Function:

Film festivals

Identifier:

AAA.satonori

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-satonori

Creator:

Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art  Search this

Names:

Marks, Ben  Search this

Plagens, Peter  Search this

Smith, Robert Lewis  Search this

Spence, Judy  Search this

Extent:

18.9 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Date:

1973-1988

Summary:

The records of the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art measure 18.9 linear feet, date from 1973 to 1988, and document the brief thirteen-year history of LAICA's activities as a Southern California visual arts organization and exhibition space for contemporary art. Records detail the founding of the organization, operations and administration, exhibitions, events, and publications. More than half of the collection is comprised of exhibition, program, and event files that include correspondence with artists, curators, and others; printed materials; and photographs, negatives, and slides. There is a 0.9 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes slides; performance and exhibition notes and supplements; newsletters and other printed material; a chronology of exhibitions, projects, publications and activities. Materials date from 1974- 1987.

Scope and Content Note:

The Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records measure 18.9 linear feet, date from 1973 to 1988, and document the founding of the organization, board activities, general operations and administration, exhibitions, programs, events, and publications. There is a 0.9 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 that includes slides; performance and exhibition notes and supplements; newsletters and other printed material; a chronology of exhibitions, projects, publications and activities. Materials date from 1974- 1987.

Founding documents and Board of Director's files contained in the collection include the articles of confederation, by-laws, constitution, director's reports, board meeting minutes, and scattered correspondence of Peter Plagens and Judy Spence, both of whom served as Chair of the Board. These records detail the mission, organization, objectives, and goals of LAICA.

More than half of the records are comprised of exhibition, program, and event files covering LAICA's entire history of operation. Included are exhibition announcements and catalogs; correspondence with artists, curators, and organizers; press releases and other publicity; grant applications and proposals; and photographs, contact sheets, negatives, and slides which depict the exhibition's installation and works of art.

Two series of photographs and slides provide additional visual documentation of LAICA's exhibitions and events, including the installations and work of LAICA's Artists-in-Residence program. Slides depicting LAICA's buildings, offices, and staff activities are also found.

LAICA's production of its publications, including material related to their regular periodical, Journal, is well-documented through correspondence, manuscripts, and editorial files. Also found are unedited transcripts of interviews and material that was not used for publication. Meeting minutes and correspondence represent the activities of the publication committee from the mid 1970s to 1987.

The correspondence of LAICA directors Robert Smith (18 folders) and Ben Marks (one folder) contain information on almost all of the organization's activities, including exhibitions, events, funding, staffing, and general operations. General Operations files include Administrative Files and Financial Files that document members and donors, staff, financial activities, fundraising efforts, income, expenses, and grants.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 9 series.

Slides were separated from Series 1-6, and filed in Series 8 for better preservation housing.

Series 1: Board of Directors, 1973-1987 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet )

Series 2: Correspondence, early 1970s-1987 (Boxes 1-2; 0.75 linear feet )

Series 3: General Operations, 1974-1988, undated (Boxes 2-3; 1.25 linear feet)

Series 4: Publicity, 1974-1986 (Box 3; 15 folders)

Series 5: Exhibitions and Programs, 1974-1987 (Boxes 3-13; 9.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Publications, 1974-1987 (Boxes 13-15; 2.75 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographs, mid-1970s-1983 (Box 15; 11 folders)

Series 8: Slides, 1974-1987 (Boxes 16-18; 3.0 linear feet)

Series 9: Unprocessed Addition, 1974-1987 (Boxes 19-21, 0.9 linear feet)

Historical Note:

The Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art was formed between 1973-1974 to provide a permanent exhibition venue for the visual contemporary arts in the Los Angeles area. The founding principle was to establish an arts organization that operated democratically and spoke with a multiplicity of voices. In order to remain flexible and minimize operating expense, LAICA did not establish a permanent collection.

Members of the Board of Directors included Peter Alexander, John Baldessari, Rosamund Felsen, Peter Plagens, Judy Spence, and other artists, gallery owners, and members of the art community. Committees that supervised exhibition programming and LAICA's published Journal were elected by members, and the duties of exhibition curator and periodical editor rotated among members, rather than being the responsibility of permanent staff. A registry of slides and biographical materials, begun in 1971, was open to submission by any Southern California artist. LAICA's first exhibitions were held in the fall of 1974, under founding director Robert Smith, a former curator at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, California. The first issue of Journal was published in June of the same year.

LAICA's first exhibition space consisted of 4,200 square feet on the fifth floor of the Century City complex. During the mid-1970s, the organization hosted numerous exhibitions and events - all were were well attended, despite the lack of parking and restrooms. Exhibitions focused on a wide variety of contemporary painting, sculpture, decorative arts, fashion, performance art, video, music, architecture, social issues, and public art. Exhibitions were curated by both LAICA staff and guest curators, including Walter Hopps. Desiring to expand their space, LAICA had hopes of Frank Gehry redesigning the Century City space. The institute, however, was forced to relocate after losing their lease.

In March of 1977, LAICA reopened in an 8,000 square foot facility on 2020 South Robertson Boulevard. In addition to their public programming, the organization created an Artist-in-Residence program with funding made available by the Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA). By the end of the 1970s, LAICA was flourishing with increased budget and staff, and, by 1980, opened a second exhibition space at 815 Traction Avenue, referred to as the "Downtown Gallery." An additional storefront exhibition space in the Eastern Columbia building was donated by State Senator Alan Sieroty.

A decrease in public funding in the early 1980s forced LAICA to cut some of its public programs. The organization, however, still staged ambitious exhibitions, including one of contemporary Italian art that traveled to nine different venues, and a show of nine contemporary Australian artists in connection with the 1984 Olympics Art Festival.

Robert Smith resigned from his position as director in early 1985. Ben Marks, the former director of the Center of Contemporary Art in Seattle, was hired that summer. By March of 1986, however, Marks had resigned and the Board of Directors decided to sell LAICA's South Robertson location. Faced with financial burdens and the lack of a permanent exhibition space, LAICA staged exhibits at temporary spaces around Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art officially closed in 1987 after thirteen years of operation.

Related Material:

Found in the Archives of American Art are the Peter Plagens papers, 1941-1987, which include meeting minutes and correspondence relating to LAICA.

Provenance:

The bulk of the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records were donated by Judy Spence, the former Chair of the LAICA Board of Directors, in 1986. Additional material was donated in 1997 by her husband, Stuart Spence and in 2021 by Robert Smith, founding director of LAICA.

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:

Painters  Search this

Topic:

Sculptors  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century  Search this

Photographers  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California, Southern -- Exhibitions  Search this

Art centers -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Citation:

Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records, 1973-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.losangin

See more items in:

Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-losangin