An interview of Clinton Adams conducted 1995 August 2-3, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at his home, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Adams discusses his family background; involvement in Hollywood "industry"; teaching at University of California, Los Angeles; service during WWII; first contact with New York's Museum of Modern Art; his decision to return to California; teaching painting at UCLA from 1946-1954, and friends and colleagues at that time including Lorser Feitelson, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Lynton R. Kistler and Annita Delano; the difficult political situation at UCLA and the "modernist" conflicts; his views on modernist and conservative groups; Stanton Macdonald-Wright; Adams' own work; his relationship to the ideas and nature of modernism; the Sanity in Art group and other art groups in Los Angeles; his opinion on which artists should have been included in the exhibition/catalogue "Turning the Tide: Early Los Angeles Modernists"; his observations on art historical constructs; the history of New Mexican art; the idea of regionalism; the mythology of Santa Fe, New Mexico.; Southwestern art; the Tamarind Lithography Workshop during its New Mexico phase, its background and changes after the move from Los Angeles to the University of New Mexico, his fifteen years as director, major artists involved, and his desire to publish overlooked artists. Adams recalls Fritz Scholder, John Altoon, Leonard Edmondson, Ynez Johnston, Vincent Price, Jules Langsner, and Rico Lebrun.
Biographical / Historical:
Clinton Adams (1918-2002) was a printmaker, painter, and art administrator of Los Angeles, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 16 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 28 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. Funding for the transcription provided by the Pasadena Art Alliance.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Joy Yeck Finke conducted by Sylvia Loomis on 1964 Jan. 9 for the Archives of American Art.
Fincke speaks of her background in Washington state and Oregon; going to work for the Federal Emergency Releif Administration (later the Works Progress Administration); meeting Vernon Hunter and becoming his secretary; how artists were selected for the project and how work was assigned; the work that was done by the Index of American Design in the Southwest; how Vernon Hunter supervised the project; art centers that were run by the project; community and public perception of the project; and the project's effect on artists' careers; She recalls Patrocino Barela.
Biographical / Historical:
Secretary to director of Index of American Design; Albuquerque, N.M. Index of American Design director in New Mexico was Vernon Hunter.
General:
Interviews of Louie H. and Virginia Ewing conducted by S. Loomis are also on this tape.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque -- Interviews Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Extent:
29 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1964 January 16
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Roland F. Dickey conducted by Sylvia Loomis 1964 January 16 for the Archives of American Art New deal and the Arts Project.
Dickey speaks of his background and his education at the University of New Mexico. He discusses his work as county supervisor for the Federal Art Project including his duties as supervisor, artists he worked with, his involvement with the Index of American Design, public reaction to the work produced by the project, the importance of the project to the area, its effect on art and artists, and its effect on Dickey's own career. He speaks of his work as director of the art museum in Roswell, New Mexico and his post-FAP career.
Biographical / Historical:
Roland F. Dickey (1914- ) is an art administrator in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 5 min.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque -- Interviews Search this
Museum directors -- New Mexico -- Interviews Search this
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold, 1880-1958 Search this
Extent:
23 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1998 April 24
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Mary and Clinton Adams conducted 1998 April 24, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in the Adams' home, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Mary recalls the early years at the Getty as assistant to Wilhelm Reinhold Valentiner, being hired by him in 1954, her responsibilities, such as driving Valentiner to the Malibu ranch location, and the property at the time the museum was established. She described the difficulties Valentiner faced in setting up the museum, and his views of J. Paul Getty. Clinton Adams enters into the conversation late and discusses the art scene in Los Angeles, where, at the time, the Huntington Hartford was regarded as the best hope for a local museum.
Biographical / Historical:
Mary E. Adams (1920- ) is an art administrator from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her husband, Clinton Adams is a printmaker, painter, and educator. Clinton Adams (1918-2002)
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hrs., 2 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. Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by the Pasadena Art Alliance
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
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.
An interview of Clinton Adams conducted 1974 March 29, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Adams speaks of how he got involved with the Tamarind Lithography Workshop; how and why Tamarind came about; the lack of artists doing lithographs; the need for the artist to collaborate with the printmaker in order to make a good print; writing a book about the workshop; how in order to interest American Artists into making lithographs, there needs to be a market for it; how it was difficult collecting works of art for the University of New Mexico (UNM); the current art scene in Albuquerque; the arts programs at UNM; moving the workshop to UNM in order to make Tamarind a permanent institute and get more funding; and how more women are becoming printers. He recalls June Wayne, Lynton R. Kistler, Man Ray, Jean Charlow, Eugene Berman, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Garo Antreasian, Joe Funk, Romas Viesulas, Tatyana Grosman, Irwin Hollander, Ken Tyler, Julie Duristo, Bohuslav Horak, Kenneth Adams, John Sommers, and many others.
Biographical / Historical:
Clinton Adams (1918-2002) was a printmaker, painter, and art administrator from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 57 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.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque -- Interviews Search this
