Ted Stamm slides of works of art and exhibitions measure 2.2 linear feet and date from circa 1968-1986, and 2018. The collection is comprised primarily of approximately 6450 35mm slides assembled by the painter Ted Stamm between his arrival in New York in 1968 and his death in 1984. The majority of the slides were photographed by Stamm himself, and collectively form a unique and expansive record of artworks and exhibitions on view in New York during that time period, by a variety of artists including Stamm.
Scope and Contents:
Ted Stamm slides of works of art and exhibitions measure 2.2 linear feet and date from circa 1968-1986, and 2018. The collection is comprised primarily of approximately 6450 35mm slides assembled by the painter Ted Stamm between his arrival in New York in 1968 and his death in 1984. The majority of the slides were photographed by Stamm himself, and collectively form a unique and expansive record of artworks and exhibitions on view in New York during that time period, by a variety of artists including Stamm.
The collection includes both exhibition views and individual artworks photographed in situ. In addition to exhibitions in galleries and nonprofit spaces, Stamm also photographed works installed in public spaces, graffiti and street art, and views of the gallery facades and architectural fabric of Lower Manhattan.
Stamm used the slides in his own teaching, and the collection includes a set of slides documenting periods of art history. Additional teaching material includes examples of course descriptions, syllabi, reading lists, and other teaching materials for courses taught by Stamm. Printed material includes an artist book, an exhibition catalog, and a monograph/catalog.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as three series.
Series 1: Slides, circa 1968-circa 1984 (Boxes 1-2; 2 linear feet)
Series 2: Teaching Material, 1977-1982 (Box 3; 0.1 linear feet)
Series 3: Printed Material, 1979-1986, 2018 (Box 3; 0.1 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Ted Stamm (1944-1984) was a multidisciplinary conceptual artist and educator in New York, New York, known for his focused series of paintings, works on paper, and studies. Stamm's studies, such as the Wooster series, were influenced by the shapes, street contours, and intersections he could see from his studio on Wooster Street in SoHo.
Stamm was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Hofstra University, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1967. In 1968 he settled in New York City and his early work was included in exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum Art School in New York and in the alumni show at Hofstra University in 1971.
From 1974 until his death in 1984, Stamm lived and worked on the top floor of 101 Wooster Street in New York City. There he began his iconic group of works titled Woosters, and subsequent series including Dodgers, from the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, C-Dodgers influenced by the Concorde planes he observed at John F. Kennedy Airport, and Designators, graffiti Stamm painted on buildings in stages which he would photograph each time he returned to develop the graffiti further.
Stamm's work was exhibited widely throughout his life, both internationally and in the United States. He taught classes at the School of Visual Arts, Hofstra University, and C. W. Post College, and was awarded National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim fellowships in 1981 and 1983.
Stamm died of congenital heart disease at the age of 39.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2022 by The Ted Stamm Estate via Per Haubro Jensen.
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.
The Ted Stamm Estate donor has retained all intellectual property rights including copyright on all slides taken by Ted Stamm. Please contact the Ted Stamm Estate for copyright permission at tedstammestate.com.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Citation:
Ted Stamm slides of works of art and exhibitions, circa 1968-1986, 2018. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by The Walton Family Foundation.
The collection consists of newslettersDodgers Line Drives, Brooklyn Dodgers Fan Club Newsletter, and Gabe-o-gram, albums of trading cards and Hall of Fame postcards, many of which have been autographed. There are also photographs of teams, individual players, and a photograph of Ronald Gabriel with Babe Ruth. There is a large scrapbook containing over 1000 autographs and several items of baseball ephemera, including placemats, magnets, scorecards, team schedules, programs, and posters.
Scope and Contents:
The collection includes baseball memorabilia acquired over Ronald Gabriel's lifetime as a fan, especially of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Series 1, Newsletters, 1944-2008, includes newsletters for the Dodgers Line Drives which Gabriel published, as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers Fan Club, which he founded in 1975. He also authored a newsletter called the Gabe-o-gram.The Brooklyn Bums was a newsletter to which Gabriel subscribed.
Series 2, Photographs, circa 1947-2006, consists of one oversize photo of Babe Ruth, a folder containing collectible photographs, and five packs of team photographs of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Notably in this series is the photograph of Ronald Gabriel as a child standing with the "Great Bambino," Babe Ruth.
Series 3, Baseball Ephemera, 1912-1990, contains five subseries: Subseries 1, Trading Cards; Subseries 2, Postcards; Subseries 3, Scrapbook; Subseries 4, Posters; and Subseries 5, Ephemera. There are two albums of baseball trading cards dating from 1912 to 1973 and two albums of autographed Hall of Fame postcards. The scrapbook contains 144 pages and over 1000 autographs acquired by Gabriel as a boy. There are oversize posters documenting Duke Snider Restaurant & Bar (autographed by Duke Snider), 1989 and "Catch Baseball Fever," undated. The ephemera includes game tickets, a letter from Dodgers' long timeradio broadcaster Vin Scully, advertising, product packaging, baseball placemats, programs, team schedules, programs, scorecards, magnets, and several other small items.
Ronald Gabriel (1941-2009) grew up in Brooklyn, just two miles from Ebbets Field, home of the Dodgers. He quickly became engrossed in the baseball atmosphere around his home and developed a passion for the sport that would shape his entire life. He regularly wrote letters to baseball teams asking for player autographs. As a result he compiled a massive collection of signatures, including those from Joe DiMaggio, Warren Spahn, Mickey Mantle, Leo Durocher, Bob Feller, and hundreds more. He continued collecting baseball memorabilia for the rest of his life. The Dodgers were his team. He was born in 1941, just in time to watch the Dodgers become one of the greatest franchises in baseball history, winning pennants in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953. Finally, after losing to the New York Yankees in their previous five World Series, Ronald Gabriel witnessed the Brooklyn Dodgers win the 1955 World Series.
Even after his team moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958 Gabriel remained passionately devoted to the Brooklyn Dodgers. He published a newsletter called Dodgers Line Drives that lasted until 2009 and started the "Worldwide" Brooklyn Dodgers Fan Club in 1975 in honor of the twentieth anniversary of their World Series victory. He was also a guest speaker at George Washington University for a class called Race, Sports, and the American Dream, where he talked about Jackie Robinson. His baseball knowledge extended far beyond the Dodgers. He became a widely known baseball historian, acted as vice-president of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), and established the Washington Metro Chapter of the SABR. Later in his life Gabriel was honored by the Dodgers when they inducted him into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame, an honor not usually given to fans. Gabriel was an important part of the Dodger community. He became close friends with a number of widows of former players and visited them often. Ronald Gabriel died in July, 2009 at the age of 68.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
Archives Center Sports Memorabilia Collection, circa 1970 to present, #796
Ronald S. Korda Collection of Sports and Trading Cards, 1952-1996, AC0545
Lebanon Valley Baseball League Collection, 1936-1963, AC0067
Lou Newman Collection of Baseball Memorabilia, 1895-1999, AC0696
Sioux City Ghosts Collection, 1920s-1983, AC0634
Stall and Dean Company Records, 1898-1998, AC0669
Provenance:
Collection bequeathed to the National Museum of American History by Ronald Gabriel through Tom Cholis, October 15, 2008.
Restrictions:
Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from the Archives Center: reproduction fees may apply.
Rights:
Collections items available for reproduction but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Reproudction permission from the the Archives Center: reproduction fees may apply.
