University of California, Berkeley. Department of Art Search this
Extent:
1.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1971 - 1994
Summary:
The Sylvia Lark papers measure 1.4 linear feet and date from 1971- 1994, documenting Lark's career as an abstract artist and college professor, particularly her tenure at the University of California, Berkeley. Included are biographical materials; correspondence with museums, galleries, universities, colleagues and other artists; writings by and about Lark's work; professional files such as gallery represented sale records, grant applications and inventory lists; exhibition files; teaching files; printed and photographic material.
Scope and Contents:
The Sylvia Lark papers measure 1.4 linear feet and date from 1971-1994, documenting Lark's career as an abstract artist and college professor, particularly her tenure at the University of California, Berkeley. Included are biographic material, such as resumes, an interview transcript and an award certificate from the College Art Association of America; correspondence between Lark and galleries, city art departments, Native American organizations and other artists, and colleagues regarding various exhibitions and teaching employment opportunities. Also found are writings by and about Lark's work, exhibition files which document select solo and group exhibitions that Lark participated in, as well as tribute exhibition. Professional files include materials documenting Lark's involvement serving as a juror for various exhibitions, her membership and participation in professional organizations and financial records related to the selling and loaning of her artwork. Teaching files include student evaluations, course schedules, U.C. Berkley employment documents, correspondence and reports regarding Lark's tenure case, U.C. Berkley personel informational paperwork, Faculty grant and fellowship documents and sabbatical leave applications and awards. Printed material primarily consists of newspaper and magazine clippings reviewing Lark's exhibitions along with exhibition announcements, flyers and catalogs. Photographs are of Lark's artwork as well as her Fulbright travels in Korea and Japan.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eight series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1977-1991 (3 Folders: Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1976-1991 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 3: Writings, 1975-1987 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1978-1994 (0.2 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 5: Professional Files, 1976-1994 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 6: Teaching Files, 1977-1990 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 1)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1973-1992 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 2)
Series 8: Photographic Material, 1971-1987 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 2)
Biographical / Historical:
Sylvia Lark (1947-1990) was a Seneca abstract expressionist painter, printmaker and educator from Buffalo, New York. Lark received her M.F.A from University of Wisconsin, Madision in 1972 before moving to California where she began teaching printmaking at California State University, Sacramento. In 1977 she received a Fulbright grant to travel and study in Korea and Japan. She also began teaching at the University of California, Berkeley that same year where she remained a professor for the rest of her life. She was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award for teaching art by the College Art Association posthumously in 1991.
In addition to her professorial career, Lark was a widely exhibited artist who collaborated on a number of Native American exhibitions, and served as a member of a different women in the arts organizations. Her work can be found in numerous collections including that of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Oakland Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
Provenance:
Donated 1998 by Christine Carter.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Sylvia Lark Papers, 1971-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
An interview of Robert David Brady conducted 2008 March 10-12, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Berkeley, California.
Brady speaks of growing up in Reno, Nevada and developing a fondness for the desert and mountain environment around him; his first discovery and fascination with clay during junior high; a deep interest in symbols and the abstraction of language and how he has incorporated that into his work; studying art at California College of Arts and Crafts; continuing on to Mills College for graduate school; being drafted into the war and having to postpone his attendance to Mills College; finishing a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of California, Davis; wanting to become a college professor; teaching at California State University in Sacramento; wanting to depart from dependency on the vessel; exploring with figurative objects; abandoning the vessel and adapting an interest in object making and mixed media; the influence of Mexico, in particular, the imagery of the Day of the Dead, on his work; firing techniques he learned in Mexico; the influence from Hal Riegger toward his education and development; specific works and the inspiration and process behind them; his departure from clay and experimenting with wood; various shows and his experiences working with different galleries and curators; his trip to Guatemala and the emergence of angels and other religious motif in his work; other traveling experiences and the influence each had on his work; his desire to return to clay and continue making pots; the craft community; the influence of Japanese pots; his personal beliefs toward academically trained and non-academically trained artists; and his opinion toward various art and craft magazines. Brady also recalls Vernon Coykendall, Robert Arneson, William Wiley, Manuel Neri, Debbie Butterfield, John Buck, Dick Notkin, Nancy Rubins, Roy de Forest, Hal Riegger, Dale Chihuly, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert David Brady (1946- ) is a sculptor of wood and ceramics and a teacher from Berkeley, California. Mija Riedel (1958- ) is a curator and writer from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 14 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 47 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.
Topic:
Sculptors -- California -- Berkeley -- Interviews Search this
