An interview of Howard Ben Tré conducted 2007 July 7, by Josephine Shea, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's studio, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Ben Tré speaks of his childhood in Rockaway Park, New York; his Polish immigrant father who was a woodworker and artist; inheriting a particular aesthetic and sense of hard work from his father; attending Brooklyn Technical High School to play football but not graduating; moving to Marshall, Missouri to attend Missouri Valley College for one year; attending Brooklyn College; becoming involved in Students for a Democratic Society, the antiwar movement and civil rights movement of the 1960s; traveling to Cuba as part of the first Venceremos Brigade to cut sugarcane in 1969; meeting his first wife, Gay, in Cuba and returning to New York with her; organizing a food co-op and community events in Brooklyn; moving to Portland, Oregon; working in construction for the city before going back to school to study veterinarian medicine at Portland State University; discovering the glass studio in a garage at Portland State; meeting Dale Chihuly and working at Pilchuck Glass School; utilizing the foundry skills learned from Brooklyn Technical High to work with glass in casting and cope and drag methods; his series Burial Boxes and the influence of ancient architecture and ceremonial Chinese bronzes; the rise of the studio glass movement as symptomatic of socio-political-economic times, not just the pioneering efforts of Harvey Littleton and Dominic Labino; traveling throughout Europe with Gay; visiting Stanislav Libenský and Jaraslava Brychtová in Czechoslovakia; visiting Dan Dailey at Cristallerie Daum in France; attending Rhode Island School of Design [RISD]; his first show at Hadler/Rodriguez Gallery in 1980; teaching experiences at Haystack Mountain School of Craft and Appalachian Center for Craft; building and installing an oven at Blenko Glass in Milton, West Virginia and at Super Glass in Brooklyn; working with Mold Melted Glass Studio in Pelechov, Czech Republic; the history of glass and early glass-working techniques; his many commissions, including sited public projects such as Post Office Square in Boston; the adoption of his name, Ben Tré; return visits to Cuba; working with RISD to create a winter study session in Havana; and his view of artists as artists, not defined by medium. Ben Tré also recalls Anthony Parker, Italo Scanga, Ron Onorato, Alice Aycock, Ferdinand Hampson, Steven Polander, Karen LaMonte, among others.
Biographical / Historical:
Howard Ben Tré (1949- 2020) was a glass artist from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Josephine Shea is a curator from Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.
General:
Originally recorded 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 3 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.
Fogg, John M. (John Milton), 1898-1982 Search this
Extent:
7 Slides (photographs) (35mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Date:
1966
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit all requests for appointments in writing. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
Printed 2000; Inscription with location: signed, titled, dated in graphite on verso at top
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Frames in separate envelopes; [Series of 1901 by R.Y. Young] on envelope.
Currently stored in box 3.1.41 [16].
Copy and Version Identification Note:
21749
Collection Restrictions:
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
Victors of land and sea--the famous Brooklyn and Tomb of General Grant--from across the Hudson. Copyright 1899 by Strohmeyer & Wyman. [on negative] [Active no. 20432 : non-stereo photonegative,]
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment.
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.
A woman in a white smock stands behnd the machine, apparently operating it. The machine is shown outside the bakery window. Signage in the window indicates that the scene might be in Brooklyn, N.Y. Photographer unidentified.
Local Numbers:
AC0439-0000004.tif (AC Scan)
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.
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.
An interview of Robert Cottingham conducted 1998 July 27, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art, in Cottingham's studio, Newtown, Connecticut.
Cottingham speaks of being raised in Brooklyn; drawing from an early age; the New York World's Fair, 1939-1940, and the tremendous impact it had on him, as did buildings, signs, and great bustle of Times Square; lasting impact of Edward Hopper's "Sunday Morning," which he saw at the Whitney Museum; his love of using a T-square and triangle in industrial design courses at Brooklyn Technical High School and the influence on his work; working in a Manhattan advertising agency for 2 1/2 years; army service in Orleans, France as a mapmaker; working as an art director at Young and Rubicam advertising agency in Manhattan (1959-1964) which exposed him to great variety of print and graphic media; work in Young and Rubicam's Los Angeles office; first painting in NYC in 1963; painting steadily in L.A. which led to first shows (1968-1970) at Molly Barnes Gallery; use of photographs and sketches to produce paintings; avoidance of narrative, just suggestions of places, and incorporation of advertising signs beginning in the mid-1960s; living entirely on his paintings by 1970; breakthrough in 1969 to greater use of color, bolder design, and 3-D illusion; adoption of square format and depiction of fragmentary glimpses of things which led to leap of quality; and sticking with this mode ever since. Cottingham also recalls John Rawlings, Emerson Woelffer, Robert Irwin, Chuck and Leslie Close, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Cottingham (1935- ) is a painter and printmaker from Newtown, Connecticut.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 8 min.
Tape 2 (Side A) also contains last part of 4/7/98 interview with Harold Tovish.
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.
101 Pottery Traditions / António Carlos Mosso Monteiro, Domingas da Moura, José Silva Tavares.
102 Cape Verdean Leadership: The Next Generation / Denese Gonçalves, Marlan Parte, Rochelle Perry.
103 Rural and Urban Funana / Ramiro Mendes, Simão Lopes, Zeca de Nha Reinalda. Harmonica,Keyboards (Music),Ferriño,Iron bar,Guitar.
104 Growing Up in Cape Verde / Amrosina Santos, António da Rosa dos Santos Oliveira, Maria Maria Paulo de Brito.
Local Numbers:
FP-1995-CT-0326
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 24, 1995.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
The collection, which dates from approximately 1900-1969 and measures 3.42 linear feet, documents the lives and activities of the Ford-Deas family. The collection is comprised of black-and-white photographs, color photographs, photograph albums, clippings, correspondence, postcards, bankbooks, blankbooks, diplomas, sheet music, scrapbook, poems, sketches and drawings.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition exploring the varied stigmas and stereotypes applied to New York City's Housing Authority sites and the residents (past and present) who live in them. Journalist Rico Washington and photographer Shino Yanagawa collaborated on this exhibit which offers an in-depth look at how New York City public housing has impacted society-at-large by producing some of the world's most influential and dynamic artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, politicians, and thinkers. It was exhibited at the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture in Dakar, Senegal, 2010, at the Gordon Parks Gallery at the College of New Rochelle (NY), 2013, and the Brooklyn Historical Society from 2014-2015.
Scope and Contents:
An exhibition exploring the varied stigmas and stereotypes applied to New York City's Housing Authority sites and the residents (past and present) who live in them. Journalist Rico Washington and photographer Shino Yanagawa collaborated on this exhibit which offers an in-depth look at how New York City public housing has impacted society-at-large by producing some of the world's most influential and dynamic artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, politicians, and thinkers. It was exhibited at the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture in Dakar, Senegal, 2010, at the Gordon Parks Gallery at the College of New Rochelle (NY), 2013, and the Brooklyn Historical Society from 2014-2015.
Materials date from 2009-2011 and include photographic prints, over fifty audio interviews, digital images, a digital video commercial for the exhibition, a photocopy of a letter from Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Honorable Sonia Sotomayor to the curators pertaining to the exhibition. Brochures, postcards, and copies of newspaper articles and journals featuring the exhibition are also present.
Biographical / Historical:
Washington, D.C. native Rico Washington holds a BA from Fordham University's African & African-American Studies program. As a journalist who has interviewed celebrities such as Erykah Badu, his work has appeared in New York Moves, Upscale, Wax Poetics, Ebony.com, and Okayplayer.com. He has also served as music editor for Brooklynbased Free Magazine and staff writer/columnist at XLR8R magazine. Rico is also a teaching artist with the non-profit arts organization Arts Connection. He lives and works in New York City.
Shino Yanagawa holds a BA in Economics from Japan's Hoesi University, A Tokyo native she has been a professional photographer for more than a decade. Yanagawa has photographed an array of musicians including Q-Tip. In addition to being a regular contributor to Japanese newspapers Nikkei and Sankei, her works have also appeared in publications such as GQ-Japan, Harper's Bazaar-Japan, and Blue Note-Japan. She lives and works in New York City.
Provenance:
Donated by Rico Washington and Shino Yanagawa in 2017.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Includes interviews conducted by Rico Washington with former and current residents of public housing in New York City. The series consist of audio digital files and transcripts which are arranged alphabetically by interviewee.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
We the People Project Records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Rico Washington and Shino Yanagawa.
Ephraim Benton is an actor who grew up in Thompkins Houses in Brookyln, New York City. He recalls his time in the neighborhood, both the good and bad experiences and how it could have possibly been better with help from community activies. He talks about acting and how his artwork got him noticed. Benton explains his intentions to help out the community that he came from with various programs he has helped establish.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Gail Paupaw Brown is a resident of Brooklyn, New York. She discusses her uprbringing in the city. Brown talks about the communities relationship with the police. As well as the benefits of having an art organizations that she could send her son to, which helped him become a succesful artist later in life.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.