Search Results

Creator:

Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this

Subject:

Voulkos, Peter  Search this

Tucker, Marcia  Search this

Cotton, Paul  Search this

National Endowment for the Arts  Search this

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

Citation:

James Melchert papers, circa 1949-2021. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Interviews  Search this

Conceptual art  Search this

Funk  Search this

Ceramics  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11162

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)249245

AAA_collcode_melcjim

Theme:

Craft

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_249245

Interviewee:

Levine, Marilyn A., 1935-2005  Search this

Interviewer:

Adamson, Glenn, 1972-  Search this

Subject:

Melchert, Jim  Search this

Voulkos, Peter  Search this

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

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Marilyn Levine, 2002 May 15. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Ceramics  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12144

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)237984

AAA_collcode_levine02

Theme:

Craft

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_237984

Interviewee:

Roloff, John S., 1947-  Search this

Interviewer:

Riedel, Mija, 1958-  Search this

Subject:

Arneson, Robert  Search this

Beuys, Joseph  Search this

Butterfield, Deborah  Search this

Kaltenbach, Stephen J.  Search this

Melchert, Jim  Search this

Oppenheim, Dennis  Search this

Voulkos, Peter  Search this

Fuller Goldeen Gallery  Search this

Gallery Paule Anglim  Search this

Gallery Reese Palley  Search this

George Lester Gallery (Rome, Italy)  Search this

Humboldt State University  Search this

Lance Fung Gallery  Search this

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

University of California, Davis  Search this

University of Kentucky  Search this

Type:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with John Roloff, 2009 August 17-18. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- Technique  Search this

Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  Search this

Science -- Study and teaching  Search this

Sculptors -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  Search this

Submarine geology  Search this

Ceramics  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)15703

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)283563

AAA_collcode_roloff09

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_283563

Interviewee:

Levine, Marilyn, 1935-2005  Search this

Interviewer:

Adamson, Glenn  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

Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this

Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this

Extent:

54 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2002 May 15

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Marilyn Levine conducted 2002 May 15, by Glenn Adamson, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Oakland, California.

Levine speaks of growing up in Alberta, Canada; going to the University of Alberta for her undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemistry; being an analytical inorganic chemist; meeting her husband at the university; her husband's work at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan and how rules about nepotism prevented her from teaching; auditing a drawing and painting art class when she could not find a job; taking evening pottery classes taught by Beth Hone; teaching chemistry at Campion College during the school year and pottery during the summers at the University of Regina; meeting Jack Sures at the Western Potters' Association and his influence on her career; helping Sures get a pottery position at the University of Regina; teaching with him from 1966-1969; using a travel grant from the Canada Council to meet American artists such as Peter Voulkos, Ron Nagle, James Melchert, and Robert Arneson; applying to graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley and being rejected; a James Melchert workshop at Beth Hone's studio; getting into Berkeley's graduate program with Melchert's help; receiving an M.F.A.; separating from her husband; experimenting with Funk art; seeing a pair of worn down shoes and becoming inspired to specialize in super-realist ceramic sculptures; her work as "timeless" and not of a particular fashion; showing her art in a New York gallery and being ripped off; having her M.F.A., one person show, at the Hansen Fuller Gallery and at the University Art Museum; letting the galleries price her work; exhibiting at OK Harris in New York; the long, slow process of making pieces; her work being accepted in America, but not in Canada; teaching ceramics to non-art majors at the University of Utah; developing a studio building, The West Coast Macaroni Factory, with Peter Voulkos; her methods, techniques, and materials including her experiments with fiberglass, nylon, and Dacron; avoiding big conferences, such as the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts [NCECA]; her first museum retrospective in 1974 at the Norman McKenzie Art Gallery; her exhibition at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario, in conjunction with the University of Waterloo; her exhibition, "Sharp Focus Realism," at the Sidney Janis Gallery; her involvement in the exhibition, "Clayworks: 20 Americans," at the American Craft Museum; her work in museum collections; having a commission to make ceramic sculptures of sporting gear for Pacific Enterprises; her studio assistants and feeling a lack of privacy; titling her work with human names for identification purposes but not having specific references to anyone. Levine also recalls Robert Bechtle, Ruth Braunstein, Joan Brown, Stephen DeStaebler, Ivan Karp, Bella Feldman, Duane Hanson, Clay Jensen, John Mason, Joan Mondale, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Marilyn Levine (1935-2005) was a ceramist from Oakland, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound disc. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 29 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:

Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland  Search this

Sculptors -- California -- Oakland  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Ceramics  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.levine02

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b959aad3-2ab2-445a-a8f4-1671c87a6288

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-levine02

Interviewee:

Roloff, John, 1947-  Search this

Interviewer:

Riedel, Mija, 1958-  Search this

Creator:

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

Names:

Fuller Goldeen Gallery  Search this

Gallery Paule Anglim  Search this

Gallery Reese Palley  Search this

George Lester Gallery (Rome, Italy)  Search this

Humboldt State University -- Students  Search this

Lance Fung Gallery  Search this

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

University of California, Davis -- Students  Search this

University of Kentucky -- Faculty  Search this

Arneson, Robert, 1930-1992  Search this

Beuys, Joseph  Search this

Butterfield, Deborah, 1949-  Search this

Kaltenbach, Stephen J.  Search this

Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this

Oppenheim, Dennis, 1938-2011  Search this

Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this

Extent:

13 Items (Sound recording: 13 sound files (8 hr., 50 min.), digital, wav file)

155 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Sound recordings

Date:

2009 August 17-18

Scope and Contents:

An interview of John Roloff conducted 2009 August 17-18, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Roloff's studio, in Oakland, California.

Roloff speaks primarily about the intersection of art and science; his desire to look at these disciplines from multiple perspectives in his work; the relationship between materials and their geological histories; his exploration and exposure of the physical processes associated with the making of art objects; Roloff talks at length about ceramics; the chemical properties of the clays and glazes; their connection to geological landscapes; and their transformation through the firing process; moreover, he discusses site specific works; the importance of location in giving context to a piece; as well as referencing a site through site based materials; furthermore, he expounds his theory of anthroturbation; discusses the parallels between man-made and natural structures; and ruminates about his work's visual engagement with ecological systems; Additionally, Roloff converses about several formative childhood experiences; how they shaped his later artistic interest and evolved into thematic elements in his work; studying marine geology at University of California-Davis; taking a ceramics class with Robert Arneson; becoming a dual art and science major; the spirit of experimentation at UC-Davis, which led to his early ceramic discoveries; pursuing graduate work at Humboldt University; teaching at the University of Kentucky-Lexington; developing his Exile and Rower series; showing his sculptures at Lester Gallery and Fuller Goldeen Gallery in California; his shift from studio work to landscape/installations; the development of his Ship and Kiln series; as well as his later photographic work; Roloff also recalls Stephen Kaltenbach, Deborah Butterfield, Peter Voulkos, Jim Melchert, Dennis Oppenheim, Joseph Beuys, Kenneth Baker, in addition to the following galleries: Lance Fang, Paule Anglim and Reese Paley.

Biographical / Historical:

John S. Roloff (1947- ) is a sculptor and ceramicist and lives and works in Oakland, California. Roloff also taught at the San Francisco Art Institute and Mills College.

General:

Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 13 digital wav files. Duration is 8 hr., 50 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.

Topic:

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- Technique  Search this

Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  Search this

Science -- Study and teaching  Search this

Sculptors -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  Search this

Submarine geology  Search this

Ceramics  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

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.roloff09

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f4887af7-aabd-4e00-8143-9c793cab7f34

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-roloff09

Interviewee:

Frey, Viola, 1933-2004  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J  Search this

Subject:

Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Viola Frey, 1995 Feb. 27-June 19. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Decorative arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Ceramics  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12554

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215850

AAA_collcode_frey95

Theme:

Craft

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_215850

Interviewee:

Frey, Viola, 1933-2004  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Creator:

Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project  Search this

Names:

Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project  Search this

Extent:

5 Sound cassettes (Sound recording (5 hrs.), analog)

126 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound cassettes

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1995 Feb. 27-June 19

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Viola Frey conducted 1995 Feb. 27-1995 June 19, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, Women in the Arts in Southern California Oral History Project, at the artist's studio, in Oakland, Calif.

FEB. 27, 1995 SESSION: Family background in the Midwest; Huguenot ancestry; importance of grandmother in her life; living in Central Valley, Calif.; father's collecting junk; early plans to become a writer; declining her acceptance to UC Berkeley and attending community college to study art; attending California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, majoring in ceramics; winning a first prize at City of Paris contest; attending Tulane University; moving to New York; working at the Museum of Modern Art; returning to San Francisco in 1960 and community there. She recalls Richard Diebenkorn, Mark Rothko, Peter Voulkos, and Robert Arneson.

MAY 15, 1995 SESSION: Influence of Robert Arneson; comparison of her work to Voulkos, Arneson and Manuel Neri; effect of gender on art subjects; Frey's theme of man in suit as power to do good or bad; interest in archeology; influence of National Geographic magazine on her work, especially as a source for images of grandmothers; production of her large-scale ceramic sculpture; her preference for electric kiln; modular production; studio spaces in Oakland and San Francisco and effect of varying light; working on a piece over a long period of time, which is unusual for sculpture; and the importance of space in the creation of work.

JUNE 19, 1995 SESSION: Influence of television and radio; attitude toward Japanese-influenced ceramics; use of color; overglaze painting; china painting in France; relationships between her figure drawing and sculpture; New York period; funk; plate art; autobiographical and personal qualities in her work; move from house to studio; personal relationship with Charles Fiske; her private art library; interest in artist's monographs; social life; image of man in suit; influence of AIDS in her work; art-brute; and response to critics Donald Kuspit and Susan Larsen.

Biographical / Historical:

Viola Frey (1933-2004) was a ceramist and sculptor of Oakland, Calif.

Provenance:

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History, 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 this interview was provided by the Margery and Harry Kahn Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Communal Fund of New York.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Occupation:

Sculptors -- California -- Oakland  Search this

Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland  Search this

Topic:

Decorative arts  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women sculptors  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Ceramics  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.frey95

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9db9c412d-25d6-496d-a6a5-de26a0eb82d9

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-frey95

Interviewee:

Peterson, Susan Harnley, 1925-2009  Search this

Interviewer:

Smith, Paul J., 1931-  Search this

Subject:

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

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Susan Peterson, 2004 March 1. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Ceramics -- Study and teaching  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12242

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)247188

AAA_collcode_peters04

Theme:

Craft

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_247188

Interviewee:

Peterson, Susan, 1925-2009  Search this

Interviewer:

Smith, Paul J.  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:

63 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2004 March 1

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Susan Peterson conducted 2004 March 1, by Paul J. Smith, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Carefree, Arizona.

Peterson speaks of her parents; being raised in McPherson, Kansas; spending summers in California and taking art classes there; attending Monticello College in Godfrey, Illinois; studying art and education at Mills College in Oakland, California; teaching art at the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii and at the Wichita Art Association; studying ceramics at Alfred University in New York; moving to Southern California with her husband, Jack Peterson; working at the Chouinard Art Institute and building the kilns there; teaching at the University of Southern California and meeting Peter Voulkos; and teaching summers at the Idyllwild School of Music and Arts. Peterson also speaks of moving to New York City to teach at Hunter College; opening the Clayworks Studio Workshop; creating the craft program at the Joe L. Evins Appalachian Center for Crafts in Smithville, Tennessee; doing the television series "All You Ever Wanted to Know About Ceramics;" traveling around the world, including Shoji Hamada's studio in Mashiko, Japan; attending the first American Crafts Council conference and the First World Congress of Craftsmen; publishing her first book, "Shoji Hamada: A Potter's Way and Work" and how that led to writing several other books; maintaining her own studio outside of teaching; receiving various awards; changes she sees in the craft movement and education since the 1940s; studying Native American ceramic traditions; traveling cross-country with Joan Mondale; donating her archives and ceramic collection to the Arizona State University Ceramic Research Center; and her plans for the future. Peterson also recalls Roi Partridge, Carlton Ball, Marguerite Wildenhain, Aileen Osborn Webb, Maria Martinez, Bernard Leach, Michael Cardew, Armi Ratia, John Mason, Ken Price, Françoise Gilot, and many others.

Biographical / Historical:

Susan Peterson (1925-2009) was a ceramicist and author from Carefree, Arizona. Interviewer Paul J. Smith is a curator and art historian from New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 59 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:

Ceramicists -- Arizona  Search this

Topic:

Ceramics -- Study and teaching  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Women authors  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.peters04

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b4690784-6f1f-4141-8b38-6ff8687fd501

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-peters04

Interviewee:

Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this

Interviewer:

Pritikin, Renny  Search this

Subject:

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

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with James Melchert, 2002 September 18-October 19. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11926

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)237982

AAA_collcode_melche02

Theme:

Craft

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_237982

Interviewee:

Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this

Interviewer:

Pritikin, Renny  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:

46 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

2002 September 18-October 19

Scope and Contents:

An interview of James Melchert conducted 2002 September 18-2002 October 19, by Renny Pritikin, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Oakland, California.

Melchert speaks of his decision to pursue painting instead of educational psychology; his introduction to ceramics while learning to teach it at a small college in Illinois; taking a summer course with Pete Voulkos; moving to California and working as Voulkos' studio assistant at the University of California, Berkeley; his friendship with John Mason, another potter; the difference between the philosophies of Mason and Voulkos; teaching at the Art Institute in San Francisco; and the book Exercises in Style [Raymond Queneau], upon which he based his series of "a"s.

Melchert also discusses several of the group exhibitions he has been involved with; John Cage and the influence of Silence; his interest in photography; the similarities and differences between his early work and more recent work; working with tiles; his teaching techniques and how he engaged his students; the is craft art question; the Milwaukee Art Museum; and the function of pottery. Blunk also recalls Steve DeStaebler, Manuel Neri, Nate Olivera, Joan Brown, Henry Takemoto, Michael Frimkiss, Richard Koshalek, Bob Irwin, Bob Arneson, Bruce Nauman, Russell Lynes, Garth Clark, Suzanne Foley, Richard Shaw, Marilyn Levine, Theresa Cha, Jim Pomeroy, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

James Melchert (1930- ) is a ceramist from Oakland, California.

General:

Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 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.

Restrictions:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Topic:

Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  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.melche02

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97338dc84-f549-4143-920a-d418d6b9e5c6

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-melche02

Interviewee:

Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this

Interviewer:

Jones, Mady  Search this

Subject:

Voulkos, Peter  Search this

San Francisco Art Institute  Search this

University of California, Berkeley  Search this

National Endowment for the Arts  Search this

American Academy in Rome  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with James Melchert, 1991 Apr. 4-5. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Ceramics  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area  Search this

Arts administrators -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Sculptors -- California -- Interviews  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)13062

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215586

AAA_collcode_melche91

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_215586

Creator:

Wood, Beatrice  Search this

Names:

Garth Clark Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

John Waller, Fine Ceramics (Firm : Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Zachary Waller Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Arensberg, Louise S. (Louise Stevenson), 1879-1953  Search this

Arensberg, Walter, 1878-1954  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Hapgood, Elizabeth Reynolds  Search this

Hoag, Stephen Asa  Search this

Nin, Anaïs, 1903-1977  Search this

Roché, Henri Pierre, 1879-1959  Search this

Rosencrantz, Esther, 1876-1950  Search this

Extent:

26.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drafts (documents)

Interviews

Photographs

Illustrated letters

Notes

Watercolors

Diaries

Transcripts

Lithographs

Short stories

Illustrations

Designs

Drawings

Bookplates

Date:

1894-1998

bulk 1930-1990

Summary:

The papers of California ceramicist Beatrice Wood measure 26.6 linear feet and date from 1906 to 1998, with the bulk dating from 1930-1990. There is extensive correspondence with gallery owners, fellow artists, clients, friends, and family. The collection also contains biograpical materials, personal business records, writings, printed materials, photographs, and works of art. Of particular interest are the 28 diaries that Wood maintained from 1916 until her death in 1998 and 42 glazing formula notebooks dating from 1934-1997. Also found are documents of Steven Hoag and Esther Rosencranz, her husband and aunt respectively, that consist of correspondence, business records, and photographs given to the Archives of American Art as part of the Beatrice Wood papers.

Scope and Contents note:

The papers of California ceramicist Beatrice Wood measure 26.6 linear feet and date from 1906 to 1998, with the bulk dating from 1930-1990. There is extensive correspondence with gallery owners, fellow artists, clients, friends, and family. The collection also contains biographical materials, personal business records, writings, printed materials, photographs, and works of art. Of particular interest are the 28 diaries that Wood maintained from 1916 until her death in 1998 and 42 glazing formula notebooks dating from 1934-1997. Also found are documents of Steven Hoag and Esther Rosencranz, her husband and aunt respectively, that consist of correspondence, business records, and photographs given to the Archives of American Art as part of the Beatrice Wood papers.

Biographical material contains certificates, licenses, degrees, legal documents, and extensive interview transcripts, which describe her philosophy on art and her development as a ceramic artist.

Correspondence is particularly rich in documenting Wood's passion and dedication to her work as a writer and artist. The records reflect Wood's close professional and personal relationships with many friends and colleagues, including Henri-Pierre Roche, Marcel Duchamp, Anais Nin, Elizabeth Hapgood, and Walter and Lou Arensberg. Additional correspondence with editors and publishers is also included. Wood enjoyed illustrating her letters, as did many of her correspondents.

Personal business records include financial material, sales and consignment records, and correspondence with gallery owners, including Garth Clark Gallery, John Waller Gallery, and Zachary Waller Gallery.

Notes and writings extensively document Wood's second career as a writer. Edited drafts of her monographs and short stories are available, as well as her journal writings and notes. Drafts of I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood, Angel Who Wore Black Tights, 33rd Wife of a Maharajah, among others are included. Also found here are the illustrations that Wood created for her monographs. She often did a series of drawings for each illustration and these copies are included as well.

Twenty-eight detailed diaries contain information about studio sales, clients, and the economic uncertainties of being a self-employed artist. The diaries, arranged in one-year and five-year volumes, begin in 1916 and end just a few days before her death in 1998.

Forty-two glaze books record the formulas for the pottery glazes Wood developed throughout her career.

Printed material includes copies of Wood's published monographs as well as exhibition announcements and brochures. Also found are clippings about Wood, including numerous articles about her trips to India.

Photographic material includes photographs and slides of Wood, her friends, travels, and other events. Many of the photographs are identified by Wood.

Artwork includes original sketches, drawings, watercolors, lithographs and designs by Wood. The original illustrations from her books are included in this series.

The last two series contain records generated by her husband, Stephen Hoag and her maternal aunt, Esther Rosencrantz. Wood was married to Hoag from 1937 until his death in 1960. The bulk of the material contains Hoag's financial records, mostly receipts, from his early years as a engineer in the Pacific Northwest. Esther Rosencranz, a physician in San Francisco, collected book plates that are included in this series.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged as 11 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1924-1993 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1910-1998 (Box 1-8; 7.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1909-1988 (Box 9-11, 26, OV 31; 3.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Notes and Writings, circa 1912-1997 (Box 11-16, 27; 5.5 linear feet)

Series 5: Diaries, 1915-1998 (Box 17-20; 4 linear feet)

Series 6: Glaze Books, circa 1930-1997 (Box 21-22, 27-30; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1940-1997 (Box 23, OV 31; 1.1 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographic Material, 1913-1997 (Box 24, 30; 1 linear foot)

Series 9: Artwork, 1917-1991 (Box 24-25, 30; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 10: Stephen Hoag papers, 1906-1960 (Box 25; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 11: Esther Rosencranz papers, 1894-1959 (Box 25; 0.1 linear feet)

Biographical/Historical note:

Beatrice Wood (1893-1998) was a ceramicist, painter, and writer who relocated to Ojai, California in 1948.

Beatrice Wood was born on March 3, 1893 in San Francisco to socially prominent and wealthy parents. In the late 1890s, the family moved to New York City where Wood was expected to begin the process of "coming out" in New York society. This process included boarding schools, a convent school in Paris, and frequent summer trips to Europe where she was exposed to museums, galleries, and the theater. Wood studied acting and dance in Paris until the outbreak of the war in 1914. She returned to New York and soon joined the company of the French National Repertory Theatre. From 1914 through 1916, Wood played over 60 parts as a stage actress.

In 1917, Wood met the writer Henri Pierre Roche, with whom she had a brief affair and a long friendship. Roche introduced her to the New York world of artists and writers and encouraged her interest in drawing and painting. During a visit to see the composer Edgard Varese in the hospital, Wood met Marcel Duchamp, with whom she had a love affair and who also had a strong influence in her development as an artist. Their long discussions about modern art encouraged Wood to show Duchamp a recent drawing entitled "Marriage of a Friend." Duchamp liked the drawing so much that he published it in Rogue, a magazine partly financed by Walter and Louise Arensberg, friends of Duchamp. The Arensbergs were pioneering collectors of modern art and soon became friends of Wood as well. She became a frequent guest at their evening gatherings, forming friendships with Walter Pach, Francis Picabia, Joseph Stella, Myrna Loy, Galka Scheyer, and others.

Through Duchamp and the Arensbergs, Wood was introduced to the world of the New York Dada. Following the formation of the Society of Independent Artists in 1917, Wood exhibited work in their Independents exhibition. Together with Duchamp and Roche, she published a short-lived avant-garde journal, called Blind Man, in which the Alfred Steiglitz photograph of Duchamp's famous ready-made "Fountain" appeared. She also designed the poster for the Dada event, The Blind Man's Ball.

Throughout the 1920s, Wood continued to draw and paint, especially watercolors. Late in 1927, she moved to California to join the Arensbergs, who had been there since 1921. She also developed an interest in clay and took her first ceramics classes with Glen Lukens at the University of Southern California in the late 1930s. In 1940 Wood studied with Otto and Gertrud Natzler, Austrian potters who were known for their technical mastery and ability to throw almost perfectly formed pots. The Natzlers taught her how to throw pots and calculate glaze formulas.

Museums and galleries began to take an interest in her pottery and she held several shows in New York, San Francisco, and Phoenix. Several department stores, including Nieman Marcus and Gumps, also began to feature her pottery. During the 1940s, Wood began making figurative art in addition to more traditional pots. In 1947, for example, she included a large blue fish with white spots in an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science, and Art. As her skills developed, Wood moved to a new home and studio in Ojai, California. By 1950, Wood was experimenting with luster surfaces, pottery with a metallic glaze that gives the effect of iridescence. These lusterware plates, in addition to her decorative figures and traditional ceramics, were sold at her studio, advertised with a sign out front that read "Beatrice Wood: Fine Pottery, Reasonable and Unreasonable."

In 1961, Wood visited India as a cultural ambassador, sponsored by the State Department. She toured the country and showed her work in fourteen cities. She became enamoured with Indian decorative arts and began to weave shimmering gold and silver threads into her palatte. Wood returned a second time in 1965 at the invitation of the Indian government. It was during this trip that she decided to adopt the sari as her style of dress, a style she continued until her death in 1998. She made her third and last trip to India in 1971. Her book, 33rd Wife of a Maharajah is about her adventures in India.

Wood always enjoyed writing, recording her daily activities in a diary and creating stories about her experiences with friends and colleagues. She published her first book, Angel Who Wore Black Tights in 1982, followed by her autobiography, I Shock Myself, in 1985.

Wood considered her last 25 years as her most productive. In addition to her literary publications, Wood also had several successful exhibitions, including Intimate Appeal: The Figurative Art of Beatrice Wood at the Oakland Museum in 1990 and Beatrice Wood: A Centennial Tribute at New York's American Craft Museum in 1997. The film, Beatrice Wood: The Mama of Dada, was filmed on the occasion of her 100th birthday in 1993. She died in Ojai, California in 1998, nine days after her 105th birthday.

Related Archival Materials note:

The Archives of American Art holds two oral history interviews with Beatrice Wood completed by Paul Karlstrom in 1976 and 1992.

Provenance:

Beatrice Wood donated her papers in several accretions between 1976 and 2002. Additional material was donated by Francis Naumann in 1993 and the Beatrice Wood Personal Property Trust in 1999. Material from a 1977 loan was included in Wood's later donations.

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.

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:

Art -- Philosophy  Search this

Authors -- California  Search this

Glazes -- Formulae  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Actresses -- United States  Search this

Ceramicists -- California  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- California  Search this

Women ceramicists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drafts (documents)

Interviews

Photographs

Illustrated letters

Notes

Watercolors

Diaries

Transcripts

Lithographs

Short stories

Illustrations

Designs

Drawings

Bookplates

Citation:

Beatrice Wood papers, 1906-1998, bulk 1930-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.woodbeat

See more items in:

Beatrice Wood papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw95e540464-272f-4526-bf3a-4ef14bcb48ff

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-woodbeat

Creator:

Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this

Names:

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

National Endowment for the Arts  Search this

Cotton, Paul, 1939-  Search this

Tucker, Marcia  Search this

Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this

Extent:

7 Linear feet

12.28 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Date:

circa 1949-2021

Summary:

The papers of ceramicist, educator, and arts administrator James Melchert measure 7 linear feet and 12.28 Gigabytes, and date from circa 1949 to 2021. The collection documents Melchert's career through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, professional files documenting Melchert's teaching, residences, exhibitions, and other professional activities, writings, printed material documenting exhibitions and more, photographic material including images of Melchert and his artwork, and artwork comprising slide projection works.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of ceramicist, educator, and arts administrator James Melchert measure 7 linear feet and 12.28 Gigabytes, and date from circa 1949 to 2021.

Biographical material includes biographies and résumés, travel documents, and student records. Correspondence is professional and personal in nature and includes letters from artists such as Lawrence Weiner, Adrian Piper, Sol Lewitt, Hetty Huisman, and Peter Voulkos; gallerists and curators including Holly Solomon, Paul Kotula, Marcia Tucker, Lucy Lippard, and Harald Szemann; and notable former students including Paul Cotton and Theresa Cha. Professional files include records and correspondence from Melchert's tenures at the American Academy in Rome, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the University of California Berkeley, in addition to documenting other professional activities.

The writings series includes interviews, talks, panels, symposia, notes, artist statements, and autobiographical texts. Printed material includes clippings and exhibition documentation. Photographic material includes images of Melchert and his artwork from various stages of his career. Artwork includes Melchert's slide projection works represented by slides, and an artist multiple by Nam June Paik.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in seven series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1949-2019 (0.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1953-2021 (3.1 Linear feet: Boxes 1-4; 3.93 Gigabytes: ER01-ER02)

Series 3: Professional Files, circa 1965-2020 (0.8 Linear feet: Box 4)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1960s-2020 (0.7 Linear feet: Box 5; 8.35 Gigabytes: ER03-ER05)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1960s-2020 (1.4 Linear feet: Boxes 5-7)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1952-2017 (0.6 Linear feet: Box 7)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1968-1990 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 7)

Biographical / Historical:

James Melchert (1930-) is a ceramicist and educator living in Oakland, California, known for his uniquely conceptualist approach to ceramics which draws from other disciplines including painting and performance art.

Born in New Bremen, Ohio, Melchert's education followed an unorthodox path: upon finishing his undergraduate degree in Art History in 1952, he spent four years in Japan teaching English at a high school, during which time he met his wife to be, a missionary and collage artist named Mary Ann Hostetler, with whom he would have three children. Melchert received a first master's degree from the University of Chicago in 1957 in painting, followed by a second master's degree in ceramics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1961. He shifted his focus to ceramics while completing his painting degree and attended a five-day workshop with the highly innovative and influential Peter Voulkos, with whom he would study at Berkeley and for whom he would serve as studio assistant. Melchert's career as a ceramicist began with a close association to Voulkos and the California Funk art movement.

Melchert's evolving interests led to his work including performance art and slide projection works, one of which was exhibited at Documenta 5 curated by Harald Szeemann in Kassel, Germany. After a trip to Europe in the eighties, Melchert began his experimental investigations with ceramic tile, working with cracks and imperfections in tiles and painting on the resulting works, a theme that would be an occupation of his studio practice to this day. Melchert taught fairly steadily throughout the early stages of his career and is known as a dedicated instructor to artists of various disciplines, including Paul Cotton and Theresa Cha.

Notably Melchert served as a faculty member at University of California at Berkeley from 1964-1994, with a stint living in Washington D.C. serving as the Director of Visual Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts from 1977 to 1981, and in Rome, Italy as the Director of American Academy, Rome from 1984 to 1988. As an artist, in addition to being exhibited around the world, Melchert's ceramic works including commissions are held in numerous collections such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Yale University Museum of Art.

Related Materials:

Related materials include Archives of American Art's Oral history interview with James Melchert, 1991 Apr. 4-5, and Oral history interview with James Melchert, 2002 September 18-October 19.

Provenance:

Donated 2004 and 2019-2021 by James Melchert as part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

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 References 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.

Occupation:

Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland  Search this

Educators -- California -- Berkeley  Search this

Arts administrators -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Topic:

Interviews  Search this

Conceptual art  Search this

Funk  Search this

Ceramics  Search this

Citation:

James Melchert papers, circa 1949-2021. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.melcjim

See more items in:

James Melchert papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d190f8b8-f9b3-4b9f-a02a-e6c19fe8769b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-melcjim

Creator:

Nagle, Ron  Search this

Names:

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

Extent:

0.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Date:

1969-2004

Summary:

The papers of San Francisco ceramicist Ron Nagle measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1969 to 2004. The collection consists of original pencil drawings by Nagle, exhibition announcements and catalogs, a few miscellaneous printed materials, and slides of artwork.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of San Francisco ceramicist Ron Nagle measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1969 to 2004. The collection consists of original pencil drawings by Nagle, exhibition announcements and catalogs, a few miscellaneous printed materials, and slides of artwork.

Arrangement:

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

Biographical / Historical:

Ron Nagle (1938- ) is a ceramicist in San Francisco, California.

Nagle received his Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State College in 1961. Following graduation, he worked as a studio assistant for Peter Voulkos, who had carried the California ceramics revolution up from Los Angeles to the University of California at Berkeley. Nagle was equally inspired by Ken Price's use of bright, low fire glazes and Giorgio Morandi's expressive paintings of common objects. Nagle decided to focus on small ceramic cups as a format for conceptual and formal concerns. Over the past thirty years, the cup has remained the primary departure point for his work. In the sixties and seventies, Nagle taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, the University of California at Berkeley, the California College of Arts, and Mills College in Oakland, California.

Related Materials:

Also in the Archives of American Art is an interview of Ron Nagle conducted July 8-9, 2003 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, C.A.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 2003 by Ron Nagle and Rena Bransten as part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Sixteen drawings were donated by Rena Bransten of the Rena Bransten Gallery which represented Nagle.

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:

Ceramicists -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

Decorative arts  Search this

American studio craft movement  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Citation:

Ron Nagle papers, 1969-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.naglron

See more items in:

Ron Nagle papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a6c127f0-38a9-4d1c-9fcc-5e466f9b04ac

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-naglron

Creator:

Bengston, Billy Al  Search this

Names:

Ferus Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

James Corcoran Gallery  Search this

John Berggruen Gallery (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Martha Jackson Gallery  Search this

Alexander, Peter, 1939-  Search this

Altoon, John, 1925-  Search this

Andre, Carl, 1935-  Search this

Chamberlain, John, 1927-2011  Search this

Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993  Search this

Flavin, Dan, 1933-  Search this

Goode, Joe, 1937-  Search this

Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Plagens, Peter  Search this

Ruscha, Edward  Search this

Extent:

10.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Photographs

Date:

circa 1940s-1989

bulk 1960-1988

Summary:

The papers of southern California Pop artist Billy Al Bengston measure 10.4 linear feet and date from circa 1940s to 1989, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1960 to 1988. The collection documents the life and work of the artist through biographical materials, correspondence, personal business records, gallery and museum files, teaching files, project and commission files, scattered artwork, printed materials, and photographs.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Billy Al Bengston measure 10.4 linear feet and date from circa 1940s to 1989, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1960 to 1988. The collection documents the life and work of the southern California artist through biographical materials, correspondence, personal business records, gallery and museum files, teaching files, project and commission files, scattered artwork, printed materials, and photographs.

Found within the biographical materials series are three feet of calendars which extensively document Bengston's personal and professional activities for fourteen years, and include ephemera related to these activities. This series also includes health records, wills, and passports.

Correspondence is with galleries, museums, universities, businesses, friends, and colleagues, and primarily concerns exhibitions, sales, consignments, commissions, and Bengston's personal finances. Bengston's relationship with the James Corcoran Gallery, Janie C. Lee Gallery, John Berggruen Gallery, Martha Jackson Gallery, and Texas Gallery are well-documented here, as well as in the Museum and Gallery Files series. Also found is a limited amount of personal correspondence with collectors, researchers, and friends. A few letters from other artists, including Peter Plagens and a letter from Richard Diebenkorn are interfiled here.

Bengston's professional relationships with galleries, museums, and universities are well-documented in the gallery and museum files, including the galleries mentioned above, Ferus Gallery, and others. Lists of consignments and prices, invoices, records of sales, loan agreement forms, shipping receipts, exhibition checklists, and exhibition floor plans provide information about sales, exhibitions, and loans. A few files provide further information about Bengston teaching activities. His personal business records include art sales records, price lists, lists of purchases, records of investment, and personal finance records. Project files include correspondence, notes, and printed materials related to Bengston's commissions for artwork and personal projects, including a book he worked on with Ed Ruscha, Business Cards.

Writings by Bengston include responses to exhibitions of West Coast art and his thoughts on his career, art, the artistic community, motorcycles, as well as a recollection of John Altoon. Also found are questionnaires sent out by Bengston for an art survey, with responses from Peter Alexander, Carl Andre, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, Joe Goode, Robert Graham, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Ed Ruscha, and others. Writings by others consist primarily of exhibition catalog essays, manuscripts of interviews with Bengston, and other writings about Bengston. Also found is an essay by Walter Hopps. Photographs of Bengston include a family picture from the 1940s, Bengston at work on projects in Los Angeles and Syracuse, New York, and Bengston at social events. Other photographs consist of pictures of friends and artists, Bengston's artwork, documentary evidence of damaged artwork, and of commission sites.

Printed materials from the 1960s - 1980s include clippings, full articles, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and posters. They document exhibitions, art in southern California, and society and art events. The collection houses limited amounts of artwork including sketches, cut-outs, doodles and drawings.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 10 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1958-1987 (Boxes 1-4, 11; 3.7 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1966-1989 (Boxes 4-6; 1.75 linear feet)

Series 3: Gallery and Museum Files, 1961-1989 (Boxes 6-7; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Teaching Records, 1968-1982 (Box 7; 7 folders)

Series 5: Personal Business Records, circa 1960-1987 (Boxes 7-8; 1.0 linear foot)

Series 6: Project Files, 1968-1987 (Boxes 8-9; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 7: Writings, 1967-circa 1988 (Box 9, OV 12; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork, 1960s-1987 (Box 9; 7 folders)

Series 9: Printed Materials, 1958-1988 (Boxes 9-10, OV 12-13; 1.25 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, circa 1940s-1987 (Box 10; 0.5 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Billy Al Bengston was born in Dodge City, Kansas on June 7, 1934. After moving back and forth from Kansas to California multiple times, he and his family settled in Los Angeles in 1948. While attending the Manual Arts High School, Bengston became interested in art, especially ceramics. After a brief stint at Los Angeles Junior College, Bengston worked as a beach attendant at Doheny State Beach. While working there he met fellow surfer and future ceramicist Kenneth Price, who became one of Bengston's closest friends. In 1953, he reenrolled in Los Angeles Junior College to study ceramics. For the next four years he attended both the California College of Arts and Crafts and the Los Angeles County Art Institute (now the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design). At these institutions he studied with Richard Diebenkorn, Sabro Hasegawa, Nathan Oliveira, and Peter Voulkos.

Around 1957, Bengston shifted his emphasis from ceramics to painting, and became affiliated with the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, founded that same year by Edward Kienholz and Walter Hopps. Bengston's first solo exhibition was held at the Ferus Gallery in 1958, and a second followed in 1960. At this time Bengston began to work with Pop icons combined with Color Field abstractions. His early bold paintings often featured symmetrical strong color compositions with a central image of a valentine, star, cross, chevron, or iris. The irises he called "draculas," after Kenneth Price remarked that they resembled Dracula flying through a window. He first showed his chevron paintings in 1962 at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York. In the early 1960s, Bengston extended his imagery to the California subculture and created paintings of leisure time activities, focusing on motorcycles, racing, and scuba diving - his own interests as well.

Throughout his career, Bengston experimented with technique and materials. He experimented with automobile lacquer and spray painting techniques associated with car customization. He also used non-traditional surfaces, such as masonite and aluminum. In 1965, Bengston began creating paintings on sheets of aluminum into which he hammered dents and sometimes bent and buckled; these subsequently came to be known as "dentos." Along with painting, Bengston has also created watercolors, ceramics, and furniture. He was also one of the artists selected by Carol and Roy Doumani to design their home.

Bengston first visited Hawaii in 1974, and after several subsequent trips, established a second studio there in 1979. The work Bengston created in the following years was characterized by the use of tropical colors and representational images of running figures, airplanes, and the moon. In 1988, the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston organized a retrospective entitled "Billy Al Bengston: Paintings of Three Decades," which traveled to the Oakland Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Museum of Art, Honolulu. Bengston also completed several years as an art instructor and lecturer at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and The University of California at Los Angeles. Bengston continues to create and exhibit new work.

Related Material:

Found in the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Bengston conducted by Susan Larsen, September 9, 1980, and Susan Ford Morgan, August 2-October 7, 2002. Also found are portraits of Bengston in the Photographs of artists taken by Mimi Jacobs collection, and a rare copy of the book Business Cards by Bengston and Ed Ruscha in the Wallace Berman papers.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Billy Al Bengston in 1990.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Use 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.

Occupation:

Painters -- California  Search this

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Photographs

Citation:

Billy Al Bengston papers, circa 1940s-1989 (bulk 1960-1988). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.bengbill

See more items in:

Billy Al Bengston papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9100ab903-2685-4182-8e65-3886c54e0d7f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bengbill