Search Results

Interviewee:

Villa, Carlos, 1936-2013  Search this

Interviewer:

Roth, Moira  Search this

Extent:

6 Items (5 videocassettes (U-matic); 1 VHS)

5 Items (video files (1 hrs., 38 min.), digital, mov)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1989 July 11

Scope and Contents:

An interview with Carlos Villa conducted 1989 July 11, by Moira Roth, for the Archives of American Art, at Villa's studio in Oakland, California.

Biographical / Historical:

Carlos Villa (1936- 2013) was a Filipino American painter, curator, and educator based in San Francisco, California. Moira Roth (1933- ) is an art historian and writer in Berkeley, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 5 U-matic videocasettes.

Related Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds an oral history interview with Carlos Villa, 1995 June 20-July 10.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

This interview is not transcribed. The video recording is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Art teachers -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Filipino American art  Search this

Filipino American artists  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American curators  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.villa89

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-villa89

Creator:

Yoshida, Ray  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago. School -- Faculty  Search this

Phyllis Kind Gallery  Search this

Berdich, Vera, 1915-2003  Search this

Blackshear, Kathleen, 1897-1988  Search this

Brown, Roger, 1941-1997  Search this

Ito, Miyoko, 1918-1983  Search this

Kapsalis, Thomas Harry, 1925-  Search this

Kim, Jin Soo, 1950-  Search this

Nilsson, Gladys, 1940-  Search this

Nutt, Jim, 1938-  Search this

Ramberg, Christina  Search this

Rossi, Barbara, 1940-  Search this

Spears, Ethel, 1903-1974  Search this

Wirsum, Karl, 1939-  Search this

Extent:

10 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Sketchbooks

Scrapbooks

Collages

Drawings

Interviews

Prints

Sketches

Transcripts

Video recordings

Date:

circa 1895-2010

bulk 1950-2005

Summary:

The papers of Chicago artist and educator Ray Yoshida measure 10 linear feet and date from circa 1895 to 2010, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 2005. Yoshida's career as a painter and collagist as well as his long tenure as a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are documented through biographical material, personal correspondence, notebooks and writings, teaching records, personal business records, printed material, source material, photographs, sketchbooks, artwork by Yoshida and others, and scrapbooks. Items within the collection also document Yoshida's personal interest in collecting folk art and artifacts.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Chicago artist and educator Ray Yoshida measure 10 linear feet and date from circa 1895 to 2010, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 2005. Yoshida's career as a painter and collagist as well as his long tenure as a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are documented through biographical material, personal correspondence, notebooks and writings, teaching records, personal business records, printed material, source material, photographs, sketchbooks, artwork by Yoshida and others, and scrapbooks. Items within the collection also document Yoshida's personal interest in collecting folk art and artifacts.

Biographical material about Ray Yoshida includes award certificates, identification records, student records, and interview transcripts. Also found is one video recording of a documentary short about Yoshida's art and object collection at his Chicago home.

Correspondence includes letters, postcards, and greeting cards from friends, colleagues, and artists, including Roger Brown, Jim Nutt, Gladys Nilsson, Christina Ramberg, Karl Wirsum, Miyoko Ito, Jin Soo Kim, Barbara Rossi, Vera Berdich, and Tom Kapsalis.

Notebooks contain notes on art history, art technique, Japanese language, travel, and other subjects. Many of the notebooks include sketches and contain loose items.

Writings by Yoshida consist of college papers, fragments of writings on art and other subjects, and notes. Writings by others include essays by Yoshida's students, exhibition essay drafts, and poetry.

Teaching records primarily document Yoshida's tenure as a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, though a few records of guest professorships at other schools are included. These records include course evaluations, employment records, teaching notes, and letters of recommendation for students. Miscellaneous teaching records include department memos, course summaries, correspondence, and notes.

Personal business records consists of documentation regarding the sale, exhibition, and loan of artwork by Ray Yoshida, including his business dealings with the Phyllis Kind Gallery. Additionally there are several files regarding the estate of artist Roger Brown.

Printed material includes exhibition catalogs, announcements, news clippings, newsletters and press releases documenting Yoshida's career and other subjects.

Source material consists of material that Yoshida gathered and intended to use for his art. Collected printed material includes postcards, comics and comic books, mail order catalogs, magazines, product labels, and advertisements. Also found are many small clippings from comics collected for collages.

Photographs depict Ray Yoshida, friends, students, travel, and artwork. Also found are a few photographs of Karl Wirsum's studio, as well as photographs of various subjects collected by Yoshida. Additionally, there is one photograph album from the early 1910s of an unidentified family.

Sketchbooks include pencil and ink sketches of various subjects.

Artwork by Ray Yoshida includes collages on paper, pencil sketches, and ink drawings. Artworks by others include numerous prints by Kathleen Blackshear, Ethel Spears, and Vivian Mayers, and collages, drawings, and prints given to Yoshida by students and friends. Some work by unidentified artists is included as well. Other artwork, such as handmade picture and alphabet books, appears to have been created by children and collected by Yoshida.

Scrapbooks include volumes that were created by Yoshida as well as books created by others. Three of the scrapbooks containing source images, clippings, and comics appear to have been created by Yoshida. Additional scrapbooks were created by others and collected by Yoshida.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 12 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1950-2005 (0.5 Linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1952-2009 (2 Linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 11, 15)

Series 3: Notebooks, circa 1956-circa 2000 (0.3 Linear feet; Box 3)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1950-2003 (0.3 Linear feet; Box 3)

Series 5: Teaching Records, circa 1960-2003 (0.6 Linear feet; Boxes 3-4)

Series 6: Personal Business Records, circa 1960-2010 (0.4 Linear feet; Box 4)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1906-2010 (1.8 Linear feet; Boxes 4-6, 11, OV 14)

Series 8: Source Material, circa 1940-circa 2005 (0.7 Linear Feet; Boxes 6-7, 11)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1910-circa 2005 (0.5 Linear feet; Box 7)

Series 10: Sketchbooks, circa 1960-circa 2000 (1.1 Linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 11-13)

Series 11: Artwork, 1903-2009 (0.7 Linear feet; Boxes 8, 13)

Series 12: Scrapbooks, circa 1895-circa 2005 (1 Linear feet; Boxes 8-10, 13)

Biographical / Historical:

Ray Yoshida (1930-2009) was a Japanese American painter, collagist, and educator based in Chicago, Illinois.

Raymond Kakuo Yoshida was born in Kapaa, Hawaii, in 1930. He attended the University of Hawaii for two years and completed a B.A. in Arts Education at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1953. He also served in the U.S. Army for two years during the Korean War. In 1957 he recieved his M.F.A from Syracuse University and became a faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1959. He was named Frank Harold Sellers Professor in the Department of Painting and Drawing in 1971, retired as professor emeritus in 1998, and continued to teach until 2003.

Yoshida was a member of the Chicago Imagists, a loose and informal group of representational artists from the late 1960s to early 1970s who were influenced by Surrealism and connected to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Yoshida's friends and contemporaries among this group include but are not limited to Roger Brown, Ed Paschke, Christina Ramberg, and Barbara Rossi. Yoshida was an inspiring teacher and he mentored many of the later Chicago Imagists such as Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, and Karl Wirsum.

Yoshida's paintings and collages were strongly influenced by comics as well as his own collection of folk and outsider art. He regularly exhibited at Phyllis Kind Gallery in Chicago from 1975 to 1996, and a major retrospective of his work was organized by the Contemporary Museum of Honolulu in 1998. He retired to Hawaii in 2005 where he lived until his death in 2009 due to cancer. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Sullivan Galleries held a posthumous retrospective exhibition of Yoshida's work from 2010-2011 and the John Michael Kohler Art Center had an exhibition of Yoshida's personal collection of art and artifacts in 2013.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 2012 by Ray Yoshida via Terri Yoho of the Kohler Foundation, representing Yoshida's estate, and in 2013 and 2015-2016 by Jennifer Sabas and Shayle Miller, estate executors.

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. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate copy requires advance notice. One box of letters from Jim Nutt are ACCESS RESTRICTED; use requires written permission.

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:

Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Collagists -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Topic:

Folk art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- History  Search this

Art -- Technique  Search this

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Sketchbooks

Scrapbooks

Collages

Drawings

Interviews

Prints

Sketches

Transcripts

Video recordings

Citation:

Ray Yoshida papers, circa 1895-2010, bulk 1950-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The processing and digitization of the Ray Yoshida papers received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

Identifier:

AAA.yoshray

See more items in:

Ray Yoshida papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-yoshray

Interviewer:

Yonemoto, Bruce  Search this

Creator:

Gillespie, Benjamin, 1988-  Search this

Names:

Pandemic Oral History Project  Search this

Extent:

1 Item ((23 min.), digital, mp4)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Video recordings

Date:

2020 August 19

Scope and Contents:

An interview with Bruce Yonemoto conducted 2020 August 19, by Benjamin Gillespie, for the Archives of American Art's Pandemic Oral History Project at Yonemoto's home in Crestline, California.

Biographical / Historical:

Bruce Yonemoto (1949- ) is a Japanese American video and installation artist in Los Angeles, California. Yonemoto teaches at the University of California, Irvine.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

This interview is open for research.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Installation artists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Video artists -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Topic:

Pandemics  Search this

COVID-19 (Disease)  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Video recordings

Identifier:

AAA.yonemo20

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-yonemo20

Creator:

Yang, Chao-Chen, 1910-1969  Search this

Extent:

0.2 Linear feet ((on partial microfilm reel))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

1945-1967

Scope and Contents:

A resume, 1955; award certificates and letters of commendation, 1961-1967; 2 audio cassettes with corresponding transcript of Yang's autobiography, 1965; 4 sketches; miscellaneous writings; clippings; reproductions of art work; photographs of Yang, and copy prints of Yang's photographic works document his career as a professional photographer.

Biographical / Historical:

Chao-Chen Yang (1910-1969) was a Chinese American photographer based in Seattle, Washington. Born Hangchow, China, Yang received degrees in foreign relations and art education from the University of Hwin-Hwa, Shanghai, and became the director of the Department of Art at the Government Institute in Nanking. Coming to the United States in 1934 to work at the Chinese Consulate in Chicago, he took night courses in art at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1935 to 1939. He was transferred to Seattle as Deputy Consul and founded the Seattle Photographic Society in 1941. He was director of the Northwest Institute of Photography and was interested specifically in color printing processes.

Provenance:

Donated by Jean Yang, widow of Chao-Chen Yang, 1991.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

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

Topic:

Photography, Artistic  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Chinese American art  Search this

Chinese American artists  Search this

Asian American photographers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Interviews

Sound recordings

Identifier:

AAA.yangchao

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-yangchao

Interviewee:

Yamasaki, Minoru, 1912-  Search this

Interviewer:

Harriman, Virginia  Search this

Names:

Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this

Oberlin College. Conservatory of Music  Search this

Extent:

2 Items (Sound recording, duplicate: 2 compact discs, 4 3/4 in.)

1 Sound tape reel (Sound recording, master, 7 in.)

33 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound tape reels

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

[ca. 1959 Aug.]

Scope and Contents:

An interview with Minoru Yamasaki conducted by Virginia Harriman.

Yamasaki discusses his philosophy of architecture; his belief that architecture should be based on human experience; and his design of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Using architectural models present at the interview, Yamasaki discusses several of his architectural projects, including the Conservatory of Music for Oberlin College; the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company, it being the first high building built in Detroit in some years, building to convey a sense of upwardness; World Agricultural Fair for India (temporary) opening December 11, 1959, participating with other countries, Trade Fair Building, exhibit entitled "Mala U.S.A." [Mala means fair in Indian], showing a series of different experiences at a country fair; St. Louis Air Terminal; Benjamin Franklin Junior High School; Wayne Education Building; McGregor Building; Daran Air Terminal (Arabia); trying to be consistent in buildings; Gothic arch; learning from the past about qualities one seeks in architecture; being true to technology; Japanese architecture; serene buildings; machine-made buildings; and limiting himself to public buildings.

Biographical / Historical:

Minoru Yamasaki (1912-1986) was a Japanese American architect based in Detroit, Michigan.

Provenance:

Donor unspecified.

Occupation:

Architects -- Michigan  Search this

Topic:

Architecture  Search this

Architecture, Japanese  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Asian American architects  Search this

Architects -- Michigan -- Troy -- Interviews  Search this

Function:

Public buildings

School buildings

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.yamamino2

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-yamamino2

Interviewee:

Wong, Tyrus  Search this

Interviewer:

McGlynn, Betty Hoag  Search this

Creator:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this

Buck, Frank E. (Frank Eugene), 1889 or 90-1959  Search this

Jeakins, Dorothy  Search this

Jones, Joe, 1909-1963  Search this

Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this

Murry, Jerre, 1904-1973  Search this

Newell, Gordon  Search this

O'Hara, Eliot, 1890-1969  Search this

Stanley, George M., 1903-  Search this

Winter, Carl, 1906 Jan. 10-  Search this

Extent:

28 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1965 January 30

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Tyrus Wong conducted 1965 January 30, by Betty Hoag, for the Archives of American Art.

Wong discusses making a film for grade schools and UCLA, which was produced by Eliot O'Hara, where he demonstrated Oriental painting techniques and Joe Jones demonstrated American techniques; working as an illustrator for Republic Studio; designing pottery plates for Greenfield Pottery, Gabriel Pottery in Pasadena; illustrations for the Western Art Review magazine; covers for the Los Angeles Times Home Section 1954 & 1955; text and illustrations for Watercolor Portraits, 1949; designing ads for various magazines; and doing watercolors, lithographs, and murals for the WPA, including the Santa Monica Library. Wong recalls Surasawa, Dorothy Jeakins, Nick Berganti, Hideo Dati, Benjy Ocobo, Carl Winter, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Jerre Murry, Steven LaVerne Dunwell, George Stanley, Gordon Newell, and Frank Buck.

Biographical / Historical:

Tyrus Wong (1910-2016) was a Chinese American painter, designer, illustrator, and printmaker based in California.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 48 min.

Only the second half of this interview was successfully recorded.

Provenance:

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:

Sculptors -- California  Search this

Painters -- California  Search this

Designers -- California  Search this

Printmakers -- California  Search this

Topic:

Federal aid to the arts  Search this

Painting, Asian  Search this

Chinese American art  Search this

Chinese American artists  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American illustrators  Search this

Asian American printmakers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.wong65

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-wong65

Interviewee:

Warashina, Patti, 1940-  Search this

Interviewer:

Jeck, Doug, 1963-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Extent:

42 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2005 September 8

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Patti Warashina conducted 2005 September 8, by Doug Jeck, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home and studio, in Seattle, Washington.

Warashina discusses her childhood in Spokane, Washington, as the youngest of three children of Japanese immigrants; her first experience with art, which was working on murals in elementary school; getting through school by doing visual art projects, including one on fashion design for a French class; her great-grandmother who sold pottery and rice off a cart in her native Japan; her working processes and moving from high-fire to low-fire glazes, as well as dealing with color and decoration in her work; making increasingly larger pieces and thus discovering more surfaces on which to paint; learning how to make hand-built pieces, and in general learning how to control her material; spending her early years working in a vacuum because she was busy raising a family during the day and working in the studio all night; the influence of Surrealism, the Funk movement, and the Chicago Hairy Who on her work; her love of clay as a medium because it presents challenges and technical variables that keep the work interesting; the status of clay as a valid artistic material, and how that has changed over the course of art history; her own personal definition of art as something that "raises your blood pressure," and what makes a "a good pot into a work of art instead of just a pot"; the difference between her early and later work, which she calls cumulative process; her move to the figure, which came naturally out of her earlier work and was in keeping with the Surrealist images to which she was so attracted; recent series of her work, including Mile Post Queens, and Sake Sets: The Drunken Power Series; the role of the figure in her work and the unique challenges they present; being a self-proclaimed "news junkie" and listening to jazz while she works; spending 30 years teaching and the influence it had on her career; her mother as a strong influence and role model in her life, as well as her mother's interest in crafts and gardening; and the influence of artists such as Hieronymous Bosch, René Magritte and Joan Miró on her work. Warashina recalls Robert Sperry, Fred Bauer, Peter Voulkos, Robert Arneson, Toshiko Takaezu, Henry Takemoto, Garth Clark, Howard Cotler, Matthew Kangas, Warren McKenzie, Nan McKinnell, Bernard Leach, Shoji Hamada, Soetsu Yanagi, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Patti Warashina is a Japanese American ceramicist and sculptor. She was born in 1940 as Masae Patricia Warashina in Spokane, Washington to third generation Japanese emigrants. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, Seattle, where she studied with sculptors Robert Sperry, Harold Myers, Rudy Autio, Shoji Hamada, Shinsaku Hamada, and Ruth Penington. She received her first solo exhibition in 1962 at the Phoenix Art Gallery in Seattle the same year she graduated with an M.F.A. from the University of Washington. Warashina later married fellow student Fred Bauer and from 1964 to 1970 exhibited as Patti Bauer.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 54 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Occupation:

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

Topic:

Pottery -- Technique  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Asian American women artists  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Japanese American women artists  Search this

Asian American sculptors  Search this

Asian American ceramicists  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.warash05

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-warash05

Interviewee:

Villa, Carlos, 1936-2013  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Names:

Park Place Gallery Art Research, Inc.  Search this

University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this

Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this

Bischoff, Elmer, 1916-1991  Search this

Brown, Joan, 1938-1990  Search this

Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993  Search this

Garcia, Rupert, 1941-  Search this

Hudson, Robert, 1938-  Search this

Neri, Manuel, 1930-  Search this

Valledor, Leo, 1936-1989  Search this

Wiley, William T., 1937-  Search this

Extent:

134 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

1995 June 20-July 10

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Carlos Villa conducted 1995 June 20-July 10, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.

Villa discusses his "progress" from Filipino background to his art world identity; the phenomena and individuals who contributed to the new awareness in the mid-1970s: "El Movimiento," Chicano "Rasquache," Rupert Garcia, Amalia Mesa-Baines; the idea of "recuperation," and the sense of Asian-American identity and community as a basis for his art. Villa recalls growing up in San Francisco; his early life; living in the Tenderloin district and his exposure to racism; the influence of his cousin, artist Leo Valledor; growing up Filipino in California and the difficulties that accompanied it. Villa discusses popular (black) culture, jazz "guapo," zoot-suit style as role models and basis for aesthetic/art; his admiration for black self-esteem; his aesthetics; viewing art as a way out of the ghetto and an escape from racism.

Villa discusses his introduction to the California School of Fine Arts (soon thereafter the San Francisco Art Institute); his need to be part of the artist community; CSFA and other students and teachers; and his self-conception as a modernist. He discusses the technical aspects of his art; the influence of various Bay Area artists on his work; his investigation of Filipino art history and his role models; the role of the women at the CSFA and women as role models. Villa recalls his first show at Pointdexter in New York; his associations with minimalists and the Park Place Gallery group; his New York minimalist phase and his need to escape the New York environment after six years. He discusses his return to the Bay Area and his use of identity/politics as subjects for his art.

Villa recalls or mentions Rupert Garcia, Leo Valledor, Manuel Neri, Joan Brown, Bill Morehouse, David Stone Martin, Wallace Berman, William Wiley, Bob and Dona Hudson, Bill Allen, Elmer Bischoff, Richard Diebenkorn, Ralph DuCass, Walter Kuhlman, Wally Hedrick, Bruce Conner, Alvin Light, Claire Falkenstein, Bob McFarlane, Hayter, Tapies, Fred Martin, Nathan Oliveira, Jennifer Bartlett, Dick Maclean, Elizabeth Murray, Alfred Neumeyer, Mark Rothko, Kenneth Noland, Sol Lewitt, Mark di Suvero, Robert Grovesnor, Tom Seligman, Kurt Schwitters, Robert Rauschenberg, Angela Davis, and Moira Roth.

Biographical / Historical:

Carlos Villa (1936-2013) was a Filipino American painter, curator, and educator in San Francisco, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 8 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 15 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 40 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

Modernism (Art)  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Filipino American art  Search this

Filipino American artists  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American curators  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

The digital preservation of this interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Identifier:

AAA.villa95

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-villa95

Creator:

Tsutakawa, George  Search this

Names:

University of Washington  Search this

Extent:

1 Linear foot

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1963-1991

Summary:

The papers of Washington-based sculptor and educator George Tsutakawa measure 1 linear feet and date from 1963 to 1991. The papers document his career as a painter, sculptor, and teacher and include biographical material, correspondence, exhibition files, membership records, project files, and printed material.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Washington-based sculptor and educator George Tsutakawa measure 1 linear feet and date from 1963 to 1991. The papers document his career as a painter, sculptor, and teacher and include biographical material, correspondence, exhibition files, membership records, project files, and printed material.

Arrangement:

Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical:

George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was a Japanese American sculptor, painter, and teacher who primarily worked in Seattle, Washington. Tsutakawa was born in Seattle, but he was educated and raised in Japan from 1917 to 1927. Upon his return to Seattle, he enrolled in high school and later attended the University of Washington School of Art (1932-1937), where he majored in sculpture.

During World War II, his family was sent to the Japanese American incarceration camps, while Tsutakawa served in the U.S. Army from 1941-1945. After the war, he returned to Seattle and in 1947 he married his wife Ayame, whom he had met at one of the Japanese incarceration camps he visited in order to see and help family members during the war. That same year, Tsutakawa also started teaching at the University of Washington, where he resumed his studies and got his M.F.A. in 1950.

From the late 1950s through 1970s, Tsutakawa rose to prominence for his designs of fountains, usually made from bronze or welded steel. Over the course of his career, he designed fountains for roughly 80 commissions across the United States and Japan. During this time, he continued to teach at the University of Washington until his retirement in 1976. He died in Seattle in 1997.

Related Materials:

Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with George Tsutakawa conducted 1983 September 8-19, by Martha Kingsbury; an oral history interview with George Tsutakawa conducted 1987 June 26-27, by his daughter Mayumi Tsutakawa; and the George Tsutakawa in Japan video project recordings.

Provenance:

The George Tsutakawa papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by George Tsutakawa in 1991.

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:

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

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

Topic:

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Asian American sculptors  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Citation:

George Tsutakawa papers, 1963-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.tsutgeor2

See more items in:

George Tsutakawa papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-tsutgeor2

Creator:

Tsutakawa, George  Search this

Names:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Gadd, Dan  Search this

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Levine, Ken M.  Search this

Extent:

4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Video recordings

Interviews

Date:

1988-1990

Summary:

The George Tsutakawa in Japan video project measures 4 linear feet and contains unedited video recordings of Tsutakawa's return trip to his childhood home in central Japan. The recordings, made by the West Coast Regional Center of the Archives of American Art in 1988, were subsequently edited into the 23-minute documentary George Tsutakawa: An Artist's Pilgrimage, also included in this collection.

Scope and Contents:

The George Tsutakawa in Japan video project measures 4 linear feet and contains unedited video recordings of Tsutakawa's return trip to his childhood home in central Japan. The recordings, made by the West Coast Regional Center of the Archives of American Art in 1988, were subsequently edited into the 23-minute documentary George Tsutakawa: An Artist's Pilgrimage, also included in this collection.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 2 series.

Series 1: Unedited Video for Documentary, 1988 (3.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-4)

Series 2: George Tsutakawa: An Artist's Pilgrimage, 1990 (3 folders; Box 4)

Biographical / Historical:

George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was a Japanese American painter and sculptor based in Seattle, Washington. Born in Seattle in 1910, he moved with his mother to Fukuyama, Japan, at the age of seven. While there, he took an interest in art, and was influenced by traditional Japanese practices. Returning to Seattle at age 16, he continued his education in art at the University of Washington. His interest in sculpture led to numerous commissions for fountians worldwide, a form that combined his experiences in both the Pacific Northwest and Japan. During his career, Tsutakawa designed, built, and installed over 70 fountains.

Following a 1987 interview with Tsutakawa conducted by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, the Archives' West Coast Regional Center took the opportunity to further document Tsutakawa's experience as a Japanese-American artist. Fourteen hours of video were recorded over a three-week period in the fall of 1988, centered around the Fountain of Lotus, a sculpture Tsutakawa was commissioned to design for a new art museum in his childhood home of Fukuyama, Japan. Tsutakawa is accompanied by members of his family, including his wife Ayame, his daughter Mayumi, and his son Gerard.

The video crew for this project included Paul Karlstrom (Archives of American Art West Coast regional director), Ken Levine (director and videographer), and Dan Gadd (videographer). The project was made possible by a Smithsonian Research Opportunities Grant and additional private donations, as well as an equipment loan from Sony.

Related Materials:

Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview recorded on video June 26-27, 1987 by his daughter Mayumi Tsutakawa, as well as the George Tsutakawa papers, 1953-1991.

Restrictions:

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

Rights:

Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from the Archives of American Art. Contact Reference Services for more information.

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

Occupation:

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

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

Topic:

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Asian American sculptors  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Interviews

Citation:

George Tsutakawa in Japan video project, 1988-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.tsutgeor

See more items in:

George Tsutakawa in Japan video project

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-tsutgeor

Interviewee:

Herms, George, 1935-  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Names:

Ferus Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Alexander, Robert  Search this

Asher, Betty  Search this

Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this

Di Prima, Diane  Search this

Dwan, Virginia  Search this

Hopps, Walter  Search this

Kienholz, Edward, 1927-  Search this

Lamantia, Philip, 1927-  Search this

McClure, Michael  Search this

Parker, Charlie, 1920-1955  Search this

Extent:

8 Sound cassettes (Sound recording (60 min.), analog)

162 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound cassettes

Pages

Date:

1993 Dec. 8-1994 Mar 10

Scope and Contents:

An interview of George Herms conducted 1993 Dec. 8-1994 Mar. 10, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.

Herms discusses the development of his ideas and art. He recalls individuals and events associated with avant-garde art activity in California from the 1950s to present (1990s). He recalls Philip Lamantia, Charlie Parker, Wallace Berman, Robert Alexander, Ferus Gallery, Walter Hopps, Edward Kienholz, Virginia Dwan, Betty Asher, Michael McClure, and Diane di Prima, among others.

Biographical / Historical:

George Herms (1935- ) is an assemblage and collage artist of Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif. Central participant in the West Coast Beat culture.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1959 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Beat generation  Search this

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.herms93

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-herms93

Creator:

Tran, Tam Van, 1966-  Search this

Interviewer:

Gillespie, Benjamin, 1988-  Search this

Names:

Pandemic Oral History Project  Search this

Extent:

1 Item ((20 min.), digital, mp4)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Video recordings

Date:

2020 August 8

Scope and Contents:

An interview with Tam Van Tran conducted 2020 August 8, by Benjamin Gillespie, for the Archives of American Art's Pandemic Oral History Project, at Van Tran's home in Los Angeles, California.

Biographical / Historical:

Tam Van Tran (1966 -) is a Vietnamese American mixed media artist in Los Angeles, California. Born in Vietnam, Van Tran's work explores refugee displacement and artistic heritage through the synthesis of biological and geometric forms.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

This interview is open for research.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

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

Topic:

COVID-19 (Disease)  Search this

Pandemics  Search this

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Vietnamese American art  Search this

Vietnamese American artists  Search this

Asian American mixed media artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Video recordings

Identifier:

AAA.vantra20

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-vantra20

Interviewee:

Conner, Bruce, 1933-2008  Search this

Interviewer:

Guilbaut, Serge  Search this

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Names:

Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this

DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989  Search this

Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997  Search this

Hedrick, Wally, 1928-2003  Search this

Kienholz, Edward, 1927-  Search this

McClure, Michael  Search this

Extent:

37 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

1974 March 29

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Bruce Conner conducted 1974 March 29, by Paul Karlstrom and Serge Guilbaut, for the Archives of American Art, in San Francisco, California.

Interview of Bruce Conner, conducted by Paul Karlstrom and Serge Guilbaut for the Archives of American Art, in San Francisco, on March 29, 1974. Conner speaks of his education and move to San Francisco; the art scene in California in the 1960s; the development and theory behind much of his work; his early paintings and collages; his assemblages; the sculpture A Child [1959] and its showing at the de Young Museum in 1959-60; his interaction with Beat writers; about the coining of the words "beatnik" and "hippie" and subsequent commercial exploitation of the Beat generation; and his attitude towards political protest. He also recalls Michael McClure, Wallace Berman, Ed Kienholz, Jay DeFeo, Wally Hedrick, Allen Ginsberg and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Bruce Conner (1933-2008) was a painter and filmmaker from San Francisco, California.

General:

Poor sound quality due to loud background noise.

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 26 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Art -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Beat generation  Search this

Bohemianism -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Experimental films  Search this

Filmmakers -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this

Painters -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.conner74mar

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-conner74mar

Interviewee:

Tsutakawa, George  Search this

Interviewer:

Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this

Names:

Archipenko, Alexander, 1887-1964  Search this

Extent:

119 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1983 September 8-19

Scope and Contents:

An interview of George Tsutakawa conducted 1983 September 8-19, by Martha Kingsbury, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project, in Seattle, Washington.

Tsutakawa speaks of his youth in Japan and Seattle, and the importance of a bicultural family and education on his development; the influence of European art magazines and American movies in Japan; family members who were influential; his early sculpture; Alexander Archipenko; the Asian art community in Seattle; teaching at the University of Washington School of Architecture; Bauhaus philosophy; the Seattle Public Library fountain; his World War II experiences; art and World's Fairs; fountains he has sculpted and his feelings about them; and permanency in art.

Biographical / Historical:

George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was a Japanese American painter and sculptor based in Seattle, Washington. Born in Seattle in 1910, he moved with his mother to Fukuyama, Japan, at the age of seven. While there, he took an interest in art, and was influenced by traditional Japanese practices. Returning to Seattle at age 16, he continued his education in art at the University of Washington. His interest in sculpture led to numerous commissions for fountians worldwide, a form that combined his experiences in both the Pacific Northwest and Japan. During his career, Tsutakawa designed, built, and installed over 70 fountains.

General:

Originally recorded on 7 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 14 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 43 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

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

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

Topic:

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

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

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Asian American sculptors  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.tsutak83

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-tsutak83

Creator:

Tsutakawa, George  Search this

Interviewer:

Tsutakawa, Mayumi  Search this

Extent:

12 Items (Master: 12 videocassettes (Beta) (circa 20 min. each), sd., col., 1/2 in.)

4 Videocassettes (U-matic) (Duplicate (3 sets, 12 total videocassettes), sd., col., 3/4 in.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videocassettes (u-matic)

Video recordings

Interviews

Date:

1987 June 26-27

Scope and Contents:

An interview of George Tsutakawa conducted 1987 June 26-27, by his daughter Mayumi Tsutakawa, for the Archives of American Art at Tsutakawa's home and studio in Seattle, Washington and at three of his fountain sculpture sites.

He discusses his youth and early education in Japan, demonstrates Sumi painting, and describes early Seattle art communities and University of Washington classes. He recalls his WWII experiences and his friendship with Mark Tobey and others, and explains the origins and evolution of fountain sculpture. Paul J. Karlstrom of the Archives of American Art introduces and concludes the interview.

Biographical / Historical:

George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was a Japanese American painter and sculptor based in Seattle, Washington. Born in Seattle in 1910, he moved with his mother to Fukuyama, Japan, at the age of seven. While there, he took an interest in art, and was influenced by traditional Japanese practices. Returning to Seattle at age 16, he continued his education in art at the University of Washington. His interest in sculpture led to numerous commissions for fountians worldwide, a form that combined his experiences in both the Pacific Northwest and Japan. During his career, Tsutakawa designed, built, and installed over 70 fountains.

General:

Originally recorded on 12 videocassettes. Duration is 4 hr.

Related Materials:

This interview was followed up in 1988 by documenting Tsutakawa's return to Fukuyama, Japan to dedicate a major work for the city's new museum of contemporary art (cataloged separately under George Tsutakawa in Japan video project). Footage from this interview was used, along with footage from the 1988 Fukuyama footage, in the documentary "George Tsutakawa: An Artists' Pilgrimage" c1990 by the Archives of American Art.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

For information on how to access this interview contact Reference Services.

Occupation:

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

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

Topic:

Asian American art  Search this

Asian American artists  Search this

Japanese American art  Search this

Japanese American artists  Search this

Asian American sculptors  Search this

Asian American painters  Search this

Asian American educators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by Warner Communications.

Identifier:

AAA.tsutak87

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-tsutak87

Creator:

Nagle, Ron  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Interviewer:

Berkson, Bill  Search this

Names:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

San Francisco State University -- Students  Search this

Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this

Extent:

84 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2003 July 8-9

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Ron Nagle conducted 2003 July 8-9, by Bill Berkson, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in San Francisco, California.

Nagle speaks of his childhood in San Francisco and growing up in the "Outer Mission"; his early creative influences, including his father who "could build anything," his mother, who ran a ceramics club in their basement, and his high school friend Steve Archer, who customized cars; making and selling jewelry while in high school; the Beat scene in San Francisco; teaching his high school friend Rick Gomez about jewelry in exchange for lessons in throwing clay on the wheel; attending San Francisco State University, initially as an English major then switching to art; learning about Peter Voulkos from Gomez; taking a summer course with Henry Takemoto at the Art Institute [now the California School of Fine Arts]; his "manic" interest in art magazines; studying with Charles McKee at San Francisco State; working as a studio assistant for Peter Voulkos at the University of California at Berkeley, after his graduate school application was rejected; making connections in the Los Angeles art scene through friend and sculptor Ed Bereal; the influence of Kenneth Price, James Melchert, Peter Voulkos, 16th and 17th century Japanese ceramics, popular culture, and painters such as Giorgio Morandi, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Josef Albers, Philip Guston, Billy Al Bengston, and others; his first show at the Dilexi Gallery, "Works in Clay by Six Artists," 1968; teaching for 42 years; the relation between music and "studio art"; playing the piano and his broad interest in music; his band Mystery Trend; creating sound effects for the film, "The Exorcist;" his use of color; exhibitions at Garth Clark Gallery and showing internationally; his use of porcelain in the early 1990s; the idea of craft vs. art; the meditative and playful qualities of working with clay; his references to male and female physiology in his work; and his process.

Biographical / Historical:

Ron Nagle (1939- ) is a cermacist of San Francisco, California. Bill Berkson (1939- ) is a poet.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 11 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 27 min.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Musicians -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

Ceramics -- Study and teaching  Search this

Ceramics -- Technique  Search this

Ceramicists -- California -- San Francisco -- Interviews  Search this

Jewelry making  Search this

Beat generation  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.nagle03

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-nagle03

Interviewee:

Jordan, Larry, 1934-  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Names:

Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this

Brackage, Stan  Search this

Conner, Bruce, 1933-2008  Search this

Cornell, Joseph  Search this

DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989  Search this

Deren, Maya  Search this

Duncan, Robert Edward, 1919-  Search this

Ernst, Max, 1891-1976  Search this

Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997  Search this

Hedrick, Wally, 1928-2003  Search this

Herms, George, 1935-  Search this

Jess, 1923-  Search this

Jordan, Patricia M., 1937-1989  Search this

McClure, Michael  Search this

Nauman, Bruce, 1941-  Search this

Rexroth, Kenneth, 1905-1982  Search this

Extent:

6 Sound cassettes (Sound recording, analog)

100 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound cassettes

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1995 Dec. 19 - 1996 July 30

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Larry Jordan conducted 1995 Dec. 19-1996 July 30, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at the artist's home, in Petaluma, Calif.

Jordan discusses his family background in Denver; his attraction to contemporary avant-garde; his brief time at Harvard, and his mental breakdown and return to Denver; his move to San Francisco in 1954 because of the artistic and literary atmosphere there; meeting Kenneth Rexroth, Robert Duncan and other poets and his initial introduction to the creative community in San Francisco; his friendships with Jordan Belsen, Michael McClure, Wally Hedrick and Jay DeFeo; the San Francisco Renaissance, the beat era, and what it means to be "beat;" the distinction in intensity between bohemianism and the resurrection of the self during the beat era, the social impact of the anti-establishment movement; and the difference between artists and political activists.

Jordan discusses his influences and important moments in his experimental film career; the surrealist methods for social changes as seen in film; the west coast filmmakers focus on the interior and mystical; the rivalry in the film world; his association with Bruce Conner and their founding a film society together in 1956 and establishing an experimental theater; meeting Joseph Cornell and his invitation to assist him with films, their time spent together, Cornell as a filmmaker, preparing Cornell boxes, and the influence of Cornell on is own art. He discusses his own art; his role as an artist in society; the religious aspect in his art; his place in the avant-garde film world; the major influences in his art; and the concept of death and the celebration of the mind as a major theme in his film and artwork.

He recalls Wallace Berman, Stan Brackage, Bruce Conner, Jay DeFeo, Maya Deren, Robert Duncan, Max Ernst, Allen Ginsberg, Wally Hedrick, George Herms, Jess, Patricia Jordan, Michael McClure, Bruce Nauman, and Kenneth Rexroth.

Biographical / Historical:

Larry Jordan (1934- ) is a filmmaker and collagist from Petaluma, Calif.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by the Pasadena Art Alliance.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Filmmakers -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Collagists -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Beat generation  Search this

Art -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.jordan95

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-jordan95

Creator:

Berman, Wallace, 1926-1976  Search this

Names:

Bengston, Billy Al  Search this

DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989  Search this

Di Prima, Diane  Search this

Duncan, Robert Edward, 1919-  Search this

Fonda, Peter, 1940-  Search this

Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-  Search this

Heinecken, Robert, 1931-  Search this

Herms, George, 1935-  Search this

Hirschman, Jack, 1933-  Search this

Hopper, Dennis, 1936-  Search this

Jess, 1923-  Search this

Johnson, Ray, 1927-  Search this

Jordan, Patricia M., 1937-1989  Search this

Lamantia, Philip, 1927-  Search this

McClure, Michael  Search this

Meltzer, David  Search this

Miller, Henry, 1891-  Search this

Patchen, Kenneth, 1911-1972  Search this

Perkoff, Stuart Z.  Search this

Ruscha, Edward  Search this

Sherman, Donald  Search this

Wieners, John, 1934-  Search this

Extent:

5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Sound recordings

Photographs

Date:

1907-1979

bulk 1955-1979

Summary:

The Wallace Berman papers date from 1907 to 1979 (bulk 1955-1979). The collection measures 5 linear feet and presents a cursory overview of Berman's career as an assemblage artist and poet. The collection contains business correspondence, letters from other artists and writers of the Beat movement, writings by others, scattered artwork by Berman, photographs by Robert F. Heinecken, and sound recordings of poetry readings.

Scope and Content Note:

The Wallace Berman papers, 1907-1979 (bulk 1955-1979), measure 5 linear feet and present a cursory overview of Berman's career as an assemblage artist and poet. The collection is valuable not only for its documentation of the work of Wallace Berman, but for its documentation of the California beat movement of the late 1950s through the early 1970s.

Found are numerous letters, writings, poems, and other published material which portray the thoughts, attitudes, and trends popular in a prominent underground culture which eventually led to radical changes in America and American art. The collection contains business correspondence, letters from other artists and writers of the beat movement, writings by others, scattered artwork by Berman, and photographs by Robert F. Heinecken. In addition, the collection contains files for Berman's mail art publications Semina and S.M.S. Also of note is the large volume of printed material (2.7 feet), much of it in the form of books and other published material. Sound recordings include poets Michael McClure, Kenneth Patchen, David Melzer, and another unidentified writer performing their work.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into nine series which generally reflect material type.

With the exception of the letters in Series 1, each series is arranged chronologically. The original arrangement of the letters has been maintained, with a chronological arrangement of miscellaneous business letters and an alphabetical arrangement of the letters from Berman's more prominent colleagues.

Series 1: Letters, 1957-1979, undated (box 1, 0.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Notes from Interview, 1967 (box 1, 1 folder)

Series 3: Writings by Others, 1972, undated (box 1, 6 folders)

Series 4: Artwork, 1956-1976 (box 1, 4 folders)

Series 5: Semina, 1955-1967 (boxes 1-2, 26 folders)

Series 6: S. M. S., 1968 (box 2, 1 folders)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1907-1976 (boxes 2-5, 2.7 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1956-1976 (box 5, 6 folders)

Series 9: Sound Recordings, 1962-1965 (box 5, 6 folders)

Biographical Note:

Wallace Berman was born in 1926 in Staten Island, New York. In the 1930s, his family moved to the Jewish district in Los Angeles. After being expelled from high school for gambling in the early 1940s, Berman immersed himself in the growing West Coast jazz scene. During this period, he briefly attended the Jepson Art School and Chouinard Art School, but departed when he found the training too academic for his needs.

In 1949, while working in a factory finishing antique furniture, he began to make sculptures from unused scraps and reject materials. By the early 1950s, Berman had become a full-time artist and an active figure in the beat community in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Many art historians consider him to be the "father" of the California assemblage movement. Moving between the two cities, Berman devoted himself to his mail art publication Semina, which contained a sampling of beat poetry and images selected by Berman.

In 1963, permanently settled in Topanga Canyon in the Los Angeles area, Berman began work on verifax collages (printed images, often from magazines and newspapers, mounted in collage fashion onto a flat surface, sometimes with solid bright areas of acrylic paint). He continued creating these works, as well as rock assemblages, until his death in 1976.

Provenance:

The Wallace Berman papers were donated by Tosh Berman, Wallace Berman's son, in 1992.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy. Use of audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

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:

Assemblage artists  Search this

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Poets  Search this

Collage  Search this

Art -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area  Search this

Assemblage (Art)  Search this

Beat generation  Search this

Photography, Artistic  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Sound recordings

Photographs

Citation:

Wallace Berman papers, 1907-1979 (bulk 1955-1979). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.bermwall

See more items in:

Wallace Berman papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bermwall

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:

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2018-12-05T20:06:30.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Arctic Studies;Alaska;Alaska Natives;Native Art;Indigenous Art  Search this

See more by:

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska channel

Data Source:

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska

YouTube Channel:

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska channel

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_-gX4Cf6kurs