Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Search Results

Collections Search Center
55 documents - page 1 of 3

Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers

Creator:
Smithson, Robert  Search this
Names:
Dwan Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Holt, Nancy, 1938-2014  Search this
Insley, Will, 1929-2011  Search this
Johnson, Ray, 1927-  Search this
Kepes, Gyorgy, 1906-2001  Search this
Lippard, Lucy R.  Search this
Extent:
67.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Sketches
Scrapbooks
Moving images
Documentary films
Date:
1905-1987
bulk 1952-1987
Summary:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and author Robert Smithson and sculptor, filmmaker, and earthworks artist Nancy Holt measure 18.9 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from 1952 to 1987. Also included is Smithson's personal library of books, vinyl records, and magazine, measuring 48.4 linear feet. The papers consist of Smithson's biographical material; business and personal correspondence, much of it with artists; interview transcripts; extensive writings and project files; financial records; printed material; a scrapbook of clippings; holiday cards with original prints and sketches; photographic material; and artifacts. Also found are project files related to Nancy Holt's motion picture film Pine Barrens and her seminal environmental work of art Sun Tunnels, including a video documentary about Sun Tunnels.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and author Robert Smithson and sculptor, filmmaker, and earthworks artist Nancy Holt measure 18.9 linear feet and date from 1905 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from 1952 to 1987. Also included is Smithson's personal library of books, vinyl records, and magazine, measuring 48.4 linear feet. The papers consist of Smithson's biographical material; business and personal correspondence, much of it with artists; interview transcripts; extensive writings and project files; financial records; printed material; a scrapbook of clippings; holiday cards with original prints and sketches; photographic material; and artifacts. Also found are project files related to Nancy Holt's film Pine Barrens and her seminal environmental work of art Sun Tunnels, including a video documentary about Sun Tunnels.

Biographical material includes Robert Smithson's curriculum vitae, personal identification and medical documents, eight engagement/day planners Smithson and Holt maintained from 1966 to 1973, and Smithson's funeral register.

Correspondence is primarily with Smithson's family, friends, fellow artists, and business associates discussing personal relationships, proposed art projects, and exhibitions. Correspondents of note include Carl Andre, the Dwan Gallery (Virginia Dwan), Dan Graham, Will Insley, Ray Johnson, Gyorgy Kepes, Sol Lewitt, Lucy Lippard, and Dennis Wheeler. There is also substantial correspondence received by Holt upon Smithson's death in 1973, and between Holt and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art regarding Smithson's retrospective exhibition in 1982.

There are nine interview transcripts with Smithson discussing his works and his general philosophy on art, and one transcript of the Andrew Dickson White Museum's Earth Art Symposium (1969) featuring the following artists: Mike Hiezer, Dennis Oppenheim, Robert Smithson, Neil Jenney, Gunther Uecker, Jan Dibbets, Richard Long, and Hans Haacke.

Writings are substantial and include 73 drafts of published and unpublished essays by Smithson on art, artists, and works in progress. The series also includes poems by Smithson, six notebooks containing notes and sketches by Smithson, and drafts of writings sent to Smithson and Holt by friends and colleagues, including Carl Andre, Terry Atkinson, Dan Flavin, Dan Graham, and Jack Thibeau.

Project files contain correspondence, project instructions, diagrams and sketches, research materials, photographic material, and maps related to over 50 of Smithson's artworks. These include concepts, proposed projects, sculptures, non-sites, and earthwork projects, including Spiral Jetty, Broken Circle, and Spiral Hill.

Personal business records include gallery related loan arrangements and receipts for miscellaneous art supplies. Financial records include tax forms and preparation documents, including cancelled checks, receipts, statements, and related correspondence.

Printed materials include books, clippings, and periodicals related to Smithson, either containing writings or sketches by him, or containing articles reviewing his work. There are also exhibition announcements and catalogs of Smithson's group and solo shows from 1959 to 1985.

The scrapbook contains clippings of Smithson's published articles from 1966 to 1973 with annotated shorthand notes.

Artwork consists of Christmas cards collaged by Smithson, and sketches by Smithson and Leo Valledor.

Photographic materials include prints and negatives of Smithson with friends, promotional Hollywood movie stills, and original prints and copyprints of other artists' artwork.

Artifacts consist of a paper bag silkscreened with a Campbell's soup can (Warhol), promotional buttons (N.E. Thing Co.), various organic materials, and two art kits.

Nancy Holt's papers consist of correspondence, a grant application, printed materials, and project files and audio visual material related to her motion picture film Pine Barrens (1975) and her seminal environmental work of art Sun Tunnels (1975).
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 14 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1905-1974 (Box 1; 14 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1959-1987 (Boxes 1-2, OV 21; 1.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Interview Transcripts, 1966-1973 (Box 2; 11 folders)

Series 4: Writings, 1959-1975 (Boxes 2-3; 1.1 linear feet)

Series 5: Project Files, circa 1950s-1982 (Boxes 4-5, Boxes 17-18, OV 20, OV 22-26, OV 36, RD 28-30, RD 32-35; 6.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Personal Business Records, circa 1967-1970s (Box 5; 4 folders)

Series 7: Financial Records, 1962-1972 (Box 6-7; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1955-1985 (Boxes 7-11, Box 18, RD 31; 5.6 linear feet)

Series 9: Scrapbook, 1966-1973 (Box 11, Box 16; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 10: Artwork, circa 1950s-1970s (Box 11; 4 folders)

Series 11: Photographs, circa 1950s-1970s (Box 11, Box 18; 5 folders)

Series 12: Artifacts, circa 1950s-1970s (Box 11, Box 14, OV 19; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 13: Nancy Holt Papers, circa 1960s-1980s (Box 12-13, 15, OV 27, FC 37-38; 1.9 linear feet)

Series 14: Robert Smithson Personal Library (Boxes 39-87; 48.4 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Robert Smithson (1938-1973) was a sculptor, painter, author, and lecturer who was known as a pioneer of land and earthworks art, based primarily in New York City. Nancy Holt (1938-2014) was a land artist, conceptual artist, and filmmaker. Smithson and Holt were married from 1963 until Smithson's death in 1973.

Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Smithson expressed an early interest in art, enrolling in classes at the Brooklyn Museum School and the Art Student's League in New York while still attending high school. Smithson's early works were primarily paintings, drawings, and collages. In 1959, he exhibited his first solo show of paintings at the Artists' Gallery in New York and had his first solo international show in Rome with the Galleria George Lester in 1961.

During the early to mid-1960s, Smithson was perhaps better known as a writer and art critic, writing numerous essays and reviews for Arts Magazine and Artforum. He became affiliated with artists who were identified with the minimalist movement, such as Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Nancy Holt, Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris and others. In 1963, Smithson married sculptor and filmmaker Nancy Holt and a year later started to create his first sculptural works. In 1966, Smithson joined the Dwan Gallery, whose owner Virginia Dwan was an enthusiastic supporter of his work.

Smithson's interest in land art began in the late 1960s while exploring industrial and quarry sites and observing the movement of earth and rocks. This resulted in a series of sculptures called "non-sites" consisting of earth and rocks collected from a specific site and installed in gallery space, often combined with photographs, maps, mirrors, or found materials. In September 1968, Smithson published the essay "A Sedimentation of the Mind: Earth Projects" in Artforum that promoted the work of the first wave of land art artists. Soon thereafter, he began creating his own large scale land art and earthworks.

From 1967 to 1973, Smithson's productivity was constant as he wrote, lectured, and participated in several solo and group shows a year, both at home and abroad. He explored narrative art as essay in "The Monuments of Passaic" and fully committed to his idea of visiting sites and using them as the basis for creating non-sites, Non-Site, Pine Barrens, (1968); incorporated and documented the use of mirrors at sites in Mirror Displacement, Cayuga Salt Mine Project (1968-1969); and created his first site-specific works through liquid pours of mud, asphalt, and concrete, including Asphalt Rundown (1969). In 1969, he also completed his first earth pour at Kent State University with his project Partially Buried Woodshed. Later that year, he created the sculptural artwork for which he is best known, Spiral Jetty (1969) on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. This was the first of his pieces to require the acquisition of land rights and earthmoving equipment, and would be followed two years later by Broken Circle and Spiral Hill in 1971.

On July 20, 1973, while surveying sites in Texas for the proposed Amarillo Ramp, Smithson died in a plane crash at the age of 35. Despite his early death, Smithson's writings and artwork had a major impact on many contemporary artists.

Nancy Holt began her career as a photographer and video artist. Today, Holt is most widely known for her large-scale environmental works, Sun Tunnels and Dark Star Park. Holt has also made a number of films and videos since the late 1960s, including Mono Lake (1968), East Coast, West Coast (1969), and Swamp (1971) in collaboration with her late husband Robert Smithson. Points of View: Clocktower (1974) features conversations between Lucy Lippard and Richard Serra, Liza Bear and Klaus Kertess, Carl Andre and Ruth Kligman and Bruce Brice and Tina Girouard. In 1978, she produced a film about her seminal work Sun Tunnels.
Related Material:
The Archives also holds several collections related to Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt, including an oral history interview with Robert Smithson conducted by Paul Cummings in 1972; an interview with Robert Smithson conducted by Tony Robbin in 1968; Robert Smithson letters to George B. Lester, 1960-1963; an oral history interviews with Nancy Holt conducted by Scott Gutterman in 1992 and Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz in 1993; and the Nancy Holt Estate records, circa 1960-2001.
Provenance:
The papers of Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt were donated by Nancy Holt in several accretions between 1986 and 2011.
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 audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, holds the intellectual property rights, including copyright, to all materials created by Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt with the exception of the following items: two holiday cards found in box 11, folders 22-23. For these two items, copyright held by Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Requests for permission to reproduce should be submitted to ARS.
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:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Earthworks (Art)  Search this
Filmmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women filmmakers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sketches
Scrapbooks
Moving images
Documentary films
Citation:
Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers, 1905-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.smitrobe
See more items in:
Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96b7b3eff-59b4-4fed-a5db-394ea8d534bf
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-smitrobe
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Alison Knowles

Interviewee:
Knowles, Alison, 1933-  Search this
Interviewer:
Richards, Judith Olch  Search this
Creator:
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
Names:
California Institute of the Arts -- Faculty  Search this
Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project  Search this
Middlebury College -- Students  Search this
Pratt Institute. Art School -- Students  Search this
Albers, Josef  Search this
Brecht, George  Search this
Callahan, Harry M.  Search this
Chicago, Judy, 1939-  Search this
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Gordon, Coco, 1938-  Search this
Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this
Hamilton, Richard, 1922-  Search this
Hendricks, Jon  Search this
Higgins, Dick, 1938-1998  Search this
Johnson, Ray, 1927-1995  Search this
Jones, Joe, 1909-1963  Search this
Kaprow, Allan  Search this
Kuehn, Kathy  Search this
Lauf, Cornelia  Search this
Lindner, Richard, 1901-1978  Search this
Mac Low, Jackson  Search this
Maciunas, George, 1931-1978  Search this
Moorman, Charlotte  Search this
Ono, Yōko  Search this
Paik, Nam June, 1932-  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this
Saito, Takako, 1929-  Search this
Schapiro, Miriam, 1923-2015  Search this
Schneemann, Carolee, 1939-  Search this
Schöning, Klaus  Search this
Shiomi, Mieko, 1909-1948  Search this
Silverman, Gilbert  Search this
Spoerri, Daniel, 1930-  Search this
Teitelbaum, Richard  Search this
Tenney, James  Search this
Waśko, Ryszard  Search this
Extent:
86 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2010 June 1-2
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Alison Knowles conducted 2010 June 1-2, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts Project, at Knowles' home and studio, in New York, N.Y.
Knowles speaks of her family background; her father's (an English professor) influence on her education; her love of nature and isolation as a young girl; her French studies at Middlebury College; her transfer to Pratt Institute to study art; the social and academic environment at Pratt; her inclinations towards abstraction; her first marriage to Jim Ericson; her first studio at 423 Broadway; her early jobs as a commercial artist; her first gallery show at Nonagon, in 1958, and how she subsequently burned the paintings in that show; her second marriage to Dick Higgins in 1960; her Judson Gallery Show in 1962 and how she subsequently discarded those works; her involvement in the Fluxus group; her involvement with the "Cage class," and its early performances; her collaboration with John Cage on the book, "Notations" (1968); her collaboration with Marcel Duchamp on a print (1967); the circumstances surrounding her performance piece, "Make a Salad" (1962), her travels through Europe with Higgins; the birth of her twins; her computerized poetic piece and installation, "House of Dust" (1967) and how it was later vandalized; her move to Los Angeles to teach at CalArts; the rebuilding of "House of Dust" at CalArts; her move back to New York; the processes leading up to several projects and collaborations including "Loose Pages," "Big Book," "Bread and Water," and more; where she finds her inspiration; her thoughts on performance art; her studio environment in Barrytown, N.Y.; the influence and support of Germany on her work and Fluxus in general; her recent work, including "Identical Lunch"; and current challenges she faces as an artist.
She recalls Richard Lindner, Adolph Gottlieb, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Judy Chicago, Josef Albers, Dorothy Podber, Ray Johnson, Dick Higgins, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, Klaus Schöning, Jon Hendricks, Gilbert Silverman, George Maciunas, George Brecht, Jack Mac Low, Yoko Ono, Mieko Shiomi, Takako Saito, Joe Jones, Marcel Duchamp, Daniel Spoerri, Richard Hamilton, Nam June Paik, Charlotte Moorman, Helmut Becker, Coco Gordon, Jim Tenney, Cornelia Lauf, Rirkrit Tirvanija, Allan Kaprow, Simone Forte, Carolee Schneemann, Richard Teitelbaum, Miriam Schapiro, Miguel Abrau, James Fuentes, Cyrilla Wozenter, Kathy Kuehn, Ryszard Wasko.
Biographical / Historical:
Alison Knowles (1933- ) is an artist and a founding member of Fluxus in New York, N.Y. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is a former director of iCI in New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 mini discs. Duration is 5 hr., 45 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.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Fluxus (Group of artists)  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women performance artists  Search this
Performance art  Search this
Function:
Artists' studios
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.knowle10
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98f89c1d9-b4ed-49cb-8fac-4f5e5dedfa4e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-knowle10
Online Media:

Cosmos Andrew Sarchiapone papers

Creator:
Sarchiapone, Cosmos Andrew, 1931-2011  Search this
Names:
Parsons School of Design -- Faculty  Search this
Push Pin Studios  Search this
School of Visual Arts (New York, N.Y.) -- Faculty  Search this
Arbus, Diane, 1923-1971  Search this
Cage, John, 1912-1992  Search this
Glaser, Milton  Search this
Hay, Alex  Search this
Huebler, Douglas  Search this
Israel, Marvin  Search this
Johnson, Ray, 1927-  Search this
Kelly, Ellsworth, 1923-  Search this
Scull, Robert C.  Search this
Sonneman, Eve  Search this
Extent:
49.2 Linear feet
0.367 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Drawings
Ephemera
Illustrations
Music
Photocopies
Photographs
Posters
Prints
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Place:
New York (State) -- New York City -- Photographs
Date:
circa 1860-2011
bulk 1940-2011
Summary:
The papers of New York City photographer, conceptual artist, and musical composer Cosmos Sarchiapone measure 49.2 linear feet and 0.367 GB and date from circa 1860-2011, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1940-2011. The collection includes biographical material and personal business records; correspondence; extensive writings, including written and recorded music compositions; teaching files; printed material and published sound and video recordings; photographic material; artwork; artifacts; and unpublished sound recordings and born-digital material. Highlights of the collection are more than 40,000 photographic images documenting New York's avant-garde art scene of the 1970s, along with celebrity parties, concerts, exhibition openings and other occasions in the art, music, and theater world. Extensive and somewhat rare printed materials offer users a visual chronical of the downtown art world in the form of posters from the 1970s, including a number of Milton Glaser's, and hundreds of exhibition announcements, theater programs, and playbills.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York City photographer, conceptual artist, and musical composer Cosmos Sarchiapone measure 49.2 linear feet and 0.367 GB and date from circa 1860-2011, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1940-2011. The collection includes biographical material and personal business records; correspondence; extensive writings, including written and recorded music compositions; teaching files; printed material and published sound and video recordings; photographic material; artwork; artifacts; and unpublished sound recordings and born-digital material. Highlights of the collection are more than 40,000 photographic images documenting New York's avant-garde art scene of the 1970s, along with celebrity parties, concerts, exhibition openings and other occasions in the art, music, and theater world. Extensive and somewhat rare printed materials offer users a visual chronical of the downtown art world in the form of posters from the 1970s, including a number of Milton Glaser's, and hundreds of exhibition announcements, theater programs, and playbills.

Biographical material and personal business records include address books, calendars, legal paperwork, life documents, resumes, and other material. Correspondence is both personal and professional in nature. Personal correspondence is between Cosmos and friends, family, and pen pals. Professional correspondence is with curators, publishers, and estates and mostly concerns Cosmos's artwork, photographs, or objects he lent for exhibition or publication.

Writings include general writings and notes, including a book layout for a book never realized; fifteen notebooks containing Cosmos's writings about projects, dreams, and miscellany; music compositions in both written form and on sound recordings; and scattered writings by others, including manuscripts and theater scripts.

Teaching files document photography courses taught by Cosmos at the School of Visual Arts in 1974-1976, and the Parsons School of Design in 1980.

Printed materials and commercially published sound and video recordings in the collection are extensive and reflect Cosmos's unique interests and inspirations, and his tendency to save and collect material discarded or rejected by others. There are books and periodicals featuring Cosmos's work, annotated by Cosmos, or of special significance to Cosmos. There is also a list of books in Cosmos's library. Some of the periodicals concern Push Pin Studios and Milton Glaser. There is a large group of ephemera, such as announcements, catalogs, press releases, programs, playbills, posters, and assorted items covering several decades of New York exhibitions, events, concerts, and performances. There are posters for exhibitions, events, performances, film screenings, and concerts. Some of the clippings and other ephemera may have been removed from scrapbooks or other compilations, and some remain collated and mounted on mat board. Some of the printed materials may have been used by Cosmos as source materials.

Photographic material makes up a significant portion of the collection (14.5 linear feet), and illustrates the breadth of Cosmos's documentation of New York City, capturing the avant-garde art and theater worlds, the people and streets, self-portraits, and numerous other subjects. There are images of named people and people at parties, of exhibitions and performances, of New York City streets and buildings, of a more personal and family nature, of artwork, and of miscellaneous subjects. There are also collected photographs, some of which are vintage. There is a large group of unidentified and unsorted negatives, slides, and contact sheets. Where they existed, labeling and descriptive notes have been preserved with the unidentified materials.

Artwork is also quite extensive (10.5 linear feet) and found in a variety of genre, format, and media. There is also a small subseries of artwork by others. One group of artwork consists of titled or named art projects and series, often executed in the form of series that spanned decades. This group includes Cosmos's Reciprocal project that incorporated his photographic work. For this project, he would photograph notable figures, including John Cage, Robert Scull, and others, and ask them to photograph him. There are also several folders of Cosmos's work focusing on photographer Diane Arbus.

A group of artwork identified as "compilations" consist primarily of photocopies of compiled presentations of documents, photographs, fragments, writings, drawings, printed materials and ephemera, and bits and pieces of Cosmos's titled work. These compilations were prepared by Cosmos for individuals in the art world to whom he was close. The original compilations were then photocopied and presented to the intended receiver. The subseries of compilations contains both originals and photocopied versions that do not always correlate with one another. Also found among the artwork are drawings, illustrations, a few paintings, collages, and sketchbooks by Cosmos. Artwork by others includes an artist book, drawings, a sketchbook, and prints by Milton Glaser, Alex Hay, Douglas Huebler, Marvin Israel, Ray Johnson, Ellsworth Kelly, and Eve Sonneman.

Found within the collection are three dimensional artifacts, including eight cameras and other items Cosmos saved and collected to incorporate into his photographs.

There is a large series of unpublished sound recordings and born-digital material, some of which is clearly identified and labeled, and some of which is unidentified. When known, labeling has been incorporated into the folder titles in the container inventory. Users should note that sound recordings that were clearly identified and associated with other projects were arranged in context with those related materials.

Printed material (series 5), photographic material (series 6), and artwork (series 7), include many photocopies. Cosmos used the photocopy process to make copies of his work to share with others, and as a creative form of art in itself, experimenting with tonality, collage, and the degeneration of images from repeated copying. Photocopies were also made of articles, newspapers, and various source material and ephemera that he collected. Many photocopies have descriptive labeling on the back. For some photographs and projects, photocopies are the only form of documentation located in the collection.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material and Personal Business Records, circa 1949-2011 (1 linear foot; Box 1, 44, OV 49)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1940s-2011 (.7 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1947-2000s (4.2 linear feet; Box 2-6, 44, OV 50-51)

Series 4: Teaching Files, 1970s-1980s (1.9 linear feet; Box 6-8, 44, OV 52)

Series 5: Printed Material, Published Sound, Video Recordings, 1894-2000s (8.3 linear feet; Box 8-13, 44-45, OV 53-73, RD 105)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1860-2000s, bulk 1970-2010 (14.5 linear feet; Box 14-26, 46-47, OV 74-80)

Series 7: Artwork, 1947-2000s (10.5 linear feet; Box 27-34, 47-48, OV 81-104)

Series 8: Artifacts, 1960s-2000s (1.5 linear feet; Box 34-35)

Series 9: Sound Recordings and Born-Digital Material, 1950s-2000s (6.6 linear feet; Box 36-43, 0.367 GB; ER01-ER02)
Biographical / Historical:
Cosmos Andrew Sarchiapone (1931-2011) was a documentary photographer, musical composer, and conceptual artist who worked in New York City.

Cosmos Andrew Sarchiapone was named Cosime Sarchiapone at birth, and was also known as Cosmos, Cosmos Savage, and Richard Savage. His parents, Lois and Aldo, had seven children, including twins Cosmos and Damian. Born in Manhattan, Cosmos graduated from the La Guardia High School of Music and Art in New York City in 1948 and from Syracuse University in 1958 with a concentration in music composition and studio art. After college, he studied musical composition with John Cage at the New School in 1961, art history with Meyer Schapiro at Columbia University from 1963-1965, illustration with Marvin Israel from 1966-1971, design with Milton Glaser from 1968-1973, and photography with Diane Arbus from 1970-1971. He taught photography at the School of Visual Arts from 1974-1976, and at Parsons School of Design in 1980. In the early 1970s, he led experimental theater workshops at Columbia-Barnard University.

Between 1968-1969, Cosmos worked with Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast at their Push Pin Studios, a graphic design and illustration studio.

Sometime between the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Cosmos began photographing New York City, capturing the art and theater worlds, the people and streets, self-portraits, and numerous other subjects. As a freelance photographer for New York magazine (founded by Milton Glaser) and other mass-market publications, Cosmos photographed Andy Warhol and his circle, Halloween parties at the Waldorf, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon convention, the Jesus Joy Jubilee at Carnegie Hall, the Beat Poets' reunion and private parties attended by Hollywood actors and directors, often capturing the overlapping worlds of art, movies and music. Cosmos's photographs have been published in numerous books and publications. His work was featured in several exhibitions in the 1970s, including shows at the Jamie Gallery, the Fine Arts Building, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. But he created the bulk of his work for himself and much of it remains unpublished.

Throughout the 1970s, Cosmos documented the avant-garde art scene in New York City. He captured performances at The Kitchen and La Mama, the offices of New York magazine and Push Pin Studios, Tom O'Horgan's Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, and much more. He photographed performances and installations at 112 Greene Street in SoHo, an interdisciplinary art space that nurtured the experiments of a number of now significant American artists, dancers and musicians, including Chris Burden, Vito Acconci, Suzanne Harris and Phillip Glass, all of whom were photographed by Cosmos. He also photographed numerous images of 112 Greene Street's sister space, Matta-Clark's FOOD, an artist-run eatery at the corner of Prince and Wooster Streets where exotic meals were offered up as both performance art and nourishment. Cosmos used his camera as a way to get close to artists he admired, including Diane Arbus, Milton Glaser, and Marvin Israel.

According to Milton Glaser, "Cosmos was a brilliant photographer who was never without a camera….He was always everywhere. In terms of documentation of that period, there was no one like him."

Cosmos often incorporated aspects of his photography into conceptual art pieces, including two serial works that Cosmos made from fragments of Diane Arbus' discarded photographs, transforming her iconic work. Many of Cosmos's conceptual art pieces often took the form of a series, and were continuously revisited. In Reciprocal, Cosmos photographed figures—including those he admired like John Cage, Meyer Schapiro, Robert Scull, and others—then asked each to photograph him. Many of Cosmos's art projects were based in photographic documentation of his "performances", as in Sheet Music, where he is seen tearing a white sheet outside Bloomingdale's during the 'white sale.' Cosmos's convictions about smoking, its hazards, and the nefarious actions of tobacco companies led to several related projects, among them, Photo Arrest, where Cosmos captured on camera people smoking illegally in hospitals, classrooms, grocery stores, and elevators.

Cosmos created scores for plays and dance performances, including Churchyard by the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1970, and numerous Off-Off Broadway theater productions in the 1960s. He wrote an opera, Vox Humana #3. The opera is about three heroines of history: Antigone, Joan of Arc, and Patty Hearst, and synthesizes a variety of media, including music composition, stage direction, and video (Patty Hearst in Chains), into a four hour performance that was staged at La Mama in 1976 and The Kitchen in 1977.

Cosmos lived at Westbeth Artists' Community from 1970-2011, but had largely withdrawn from the world by the 2000s. Cosmos Sarchiapone died in 2011.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2015 by Tom Sarchiapone, Cosmos Sarchiapone's brother, via Catherine Morris, curator and friend of Cosmos.
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.

Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate copy requires advance notice.
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:
Composers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Art -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Conceptual art  Search this
Music--New York (State)--New York  Search this
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photography -- Study and teaching  Search this
Photography--New York (State)--New York  Search this
Theater--New York (State)--New York  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Ephemera
Illustrations
Music
Photocopies
Photographs
Posters
Prints
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Cosmos Andrew Sarchiapone papers, circa 1860-2011, bulk 1940-2011. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.sarccosm
See more items in:
Cosmos Andrew Sarchiapone papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bf441ea1-b8c9-46c4-a9ec-01ea133658fb
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-sarccosm
Online Media:

Ted Stamm slides of works of art and exhibitions

Creator:
Stamm, Ted  Search this
Extent:
2.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1968-1986, 2018
Summary:
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 donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own in the following material: all slides taken by Stamm.
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.
Identifier:
AAA.stammted
See more items in:
Ted Stamm slides of works of art and exhibitions
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99f8da07c-9ae9-4ba4-8d0a-f9c157a6ffaa
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-stammted

Mierle Laderman Ukeles papers

Creator:
Ukeles, Mierle  Search this
Extent:
183.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1960-2016
Scope and Contents:
The Mierle Laderman Ukeles papers measure 183.3 linear feet and date from circa 1960-2016. Included are correspondence, project files, fiscal files, teaching files, writings, interviews and printed material. A portion of the collection contains electronic media.
Biographical / Historical:
Mierle Laderman Ukeles (1939- ) is a conceptual artist, environmental artist, and public artist in New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Donated 2020 by Mierle Laderman Ukeles.
Restrictions:
This collection is temporarily closed for processing. Contact References Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Environmental artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Public artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Feminism and art  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.ukelmier
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw974da2f2c-cf8b-4b65-b2ac-3191ca410ba6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ukelmier

Oral history interview with Mark Dion

Interviewee:
Dion, Mark, 1961-  Search this
Interviewer:
Markonish, Denise  Search this
Extent:
13 Items (sound files (3 hrs., 5 min.), digital, wav)
64 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2022 October 7
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Mark Dion conducted 2022 October 7, by Denise Markonish for the Archives of American Art, at Dion's home and studio in Copake, NY.­
Biographical / Historical:
Mark Dion (1961- ) is a conceptual artist in Copake, New York whose installations often address the history of scientific thought and critical inquiry. Denise Markonish (1975- ) is the chief curator of MASS MoCA, where she has worked since 2007.
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:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the recording is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.dion22
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9831f77c8-d566-4fbb-9081-a16087b133d0
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-dion22

Christine Burgin Gallery records

Creator:
Christine Burgin Gallery  Search this
Names:
Burgin, Christine  Search this
Finlay, Ian Hamilton  Search this
Graham, Rodney, 1949-  Search this
Ruppersberg, Allen, 1944-  Search this
Smith, Michael  Search this
Extent:
18 Linear feet
52.28 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Date:
1980-2016
Summary:
The records of Christine Burgin Gallery, a New York City gallery representing conceptual artists from the United States and Europe, measure 18 linear feet and 52.28 GB, and date from 1980-2016. The collection documents the gallery's activities, projects, and relationships with artists through administrative files and business records, artist files, exhibition files, and client files. Artist files comprise nearly half of the collection and contain correspondence with artists and project files for numerous publications and editions the gallery produced in collaboration with artists. Some material is in born-digital form, including images of artwork and installations, slide shows, document files, as well as audiovisual recordings. The collection also contains two analog video recordings. Files dating from after the gallery's closure include additional correspondence, invoices, and project files.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Christine Burgin Gallery, a New York City gallery representing conceptual artists from the United States and Europe, measure 18 linear feet and 52.28 GB, and date from 1980-2016. The collection documents the gallery's activities, projects, and relationships with artists through administrative files and business records, artist files, exhibition files, and client files. Administrative files and business records document the operations and daily activities of the gallery. Artist files comprise nearly half of the collection and contain correspondence with artists, consignment and loan forms for exhibitions at other venues, inventories and sales invoices, photographic material, exhibitions announcements and catalogs, clippings, research and source material, as well as project files for numerous publications and editions the gallery produced in collaboration with artists. Exhibition files document the dozens of exhibitions at the gallery during their two periods of operation, 1986-1992 and 1999-2007, and include correspondence, price lists, installation documentation, photographic material, press releases, artist biographies, exhibition announcements, and clippings. Client files predominantly contain correspondence and invoices to clients. Some material is in born-digital form, including images of artwork and installations, slide shows, document files, as well as audiovisual recordings. The collection also contains two analog video recordings.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series

Series 1: Administrative Files and Business Records, 1985-2012 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 2: Artist Files, 1980-2016 (8.4 linear feet, Boxes 2-10; 35.75 GB, ER01-ER29)

Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1986-2015 (5 linear feet, Boxes 10-15; 16.53 GB, ER30-ER43)

Series 4: Client Files, 1983-2013 (3.5 linear feet; Boxes 15-18)
Biographical / Historical:
The Christine Burgin Gallery (established 1986; closed 2007), owned and operated by Christine Burgin, was a gallery in New York City that represented conceptual artists from the United States and Europe. The gallery operated from 1986-1992 and from 1999-2007. Gallery artists included Zoe Beloff, Victor Burgin, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Harrell Fletcher, Rodney Graham, Fariba Hajamadi, Paul Lincoln, Max Neuhaus, Richard Nonas, Hermann Pitz, Allen Ruppersberg, Victoria Sambunaris, Alan Saret, Jeanne Silverthorne, Michael Smith, and many others. In addition to staging solo and group exhibitions, the gallery produced numerous publications and editions in collaboration with artists.

Christine Burgin continues to publish books with her imprint at New Directions.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2017 by Christine Burgin.
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.
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State)
Citation:
Christine Burgin Gallery records, 1980-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.chriburg
See more items in:
Christine Burgin Gallery records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93e840151-9c17-460a-9d32-e72c705a4ced
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-chriburg
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Lorraine O'Grady

Interviewee:
O'Grady, Lorraine  Search this
Richards, Judith Olch  Search this
Extent:
9 Items (Sound recording, master: 9 memory cards (8 hr., 17 min.), secure digital, 1.25 in.)
139 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2010 Apr. 12-15
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Lorraine O'Grady conducted 2010 Apr. 12-15, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art, at O'Grady's home and studio in New York, N.Y.
Biographical / Historical:
Lorraine O'Grady (1934- ) is a conceptual artist in New York, N.Y. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is former executive director of iCI in New York, N.Y.
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:
This interview is access restricted; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
African American artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.ogrady10
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93d750536-2e7d-49bd-8025-87116a70ac7c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ogrady10

Matt Mullican papers

Creator:
Mullican, Matt, 1951-  Search this
Names:
König, Kasper  Search this
Mullican, Lee, 1919-1998  Search this
Weiner, Lawrence  Search this
Extent:
27.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Notebooks
Diaries
Writings
Date:
circa 1968-2017
Summary:
The papers of New York City and Berlin, Germany based multi-media and conceptual artist Matt Mullican measure 27.8 linear feet and date from circa 1968-2017. The collection consists of biographical material, including a few interview transcripts; correspondence; over 100 notebooks; gallery and exhibition files; project and commission files; personal business records; printed material; and photographs. The notebooks document nearly five decades of Mullican's work process and illustrate his material and conceptual explorations. Large sequences of gallery and exhibition files, as well as project and commission files comprise the remaining bulk of the collection, providing detailed documentation of his professional career, particularly from the 1980s-2000s.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York City and Berlin, Germany based multi-media and conceptual artist Matt Mullican measure 27.8 linear feet and date from circa 1968-2017. The collection consists of biographical material, including a few interview transcripts; correspondence; over 100 notebooks; gallery and exhibition files; project and commission files; personal business records; printed material; and photographs. The notebooks document nearly five decades of Mullican's work process and illustrate his material and conceptual explorations. Large sequences of gallery and exhibition files, as well as project and commission files comprise the remaining bulk of the collection, providing detailed documentation of his professional career, particularly from the 1980s-2000s.

Biographical material includes address books, high school and college ephemera, papers and photographs relating to Mullican's family, identification cards, interview transcripts, a resume, and a few writings.

The small amount of correspondence arranged in Series 2 is with friends, artists, colleagues, fans, and museum professionals. Notable correspondents include artist Lawrence Weiner and museum director Kasper König. Additional professional correspondence is located in the Gallery and Exhibition Files, as well as the Project and Commission Files.

Over 100 notebooks document nearly five decades of Mullican's work process and artistic explorations from the time he was a student up to the present.

A large sequence of gallery and exhibition files encompass a variety of material documenting Mullican's extensive solo and group exhibition history throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Extensive project and commission files contain documentation of international public and corporate commissions, academic engagements, performances, publishing projects, print editions, illustrations, grants, residencies, and other project based artwork. Public and corporate commissions include artworks and installations for banks, airports, office complexes, university buildings, public transit stations, and other spaces.

Personal business records relate to bookkeeping and sales, donations, inventories, publication, copyright, supplies, invoicing, recommendations, residences, storage of works, and studio administration.

Printed material includes announcements, posters, articles, reviews, exhibition catalogs, and periodicals related to Mullican's career.

One folder of photographs documents Mullican, his family, and installations of his work at various venues and exhibitions.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as eight series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1968-2002 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1986-2000s (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Notebooks, circa 1968-2017 (7.2 linear feet; Box 1-8)

Series 4: Gallery and Exhibition Files, 1985-2000s (6.1 linear feet; Box 9-13, OV and RD 23-25)

Series 5: Project and Commission Files, 1980-2000s (10.3 linear feet; Box 14-19, OV and RD 26-43)

Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1978-2000s (1.7 linear feet; Box 19-21)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1971-2000s (1.5 linear foot; Box 21-22, RD 44)

Series 8: Photographs, 1980s-1990s (1 folder; Box 22)
Biographical / Historical:
Matt Mullican (1951- ) is a multi-media and conceptual artist working in New York City and Berlin, Germany. Born in Santa Monica, he is the son of abstract surrealist painters Lee Mullican and Luchita Hurtado Mullican. Educated at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in the early 1970s, and mentored by John Baldessari, Mullican moved to New York City after earning his BFA and became associated with the "Pictures Generation" artists, including friends Troy Brauntuch, Jack Goldstein, James Welling, and Robert Longo. His multi-disciplinary practice encompasses drawing, painting, collage, video, installation, and performance under hypnosis as his alter ego, 'That Person.' Through these media, Mullican explores systems of knowledge, the construction of reality, as well as meaning, language, and signs. Throughout his career, Mullican has participated in international solo and group exhibitions, and has undertaken dozens of public and corporate commissions.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2014-2017 by Matt Mullican.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of born-digital records requires advance notice.
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:
Conceptual artists -- Germany -- Berlin -- Interviews  Search this
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Multimedia (Art)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Notebooks
Diaries
Writings
Citation:
Matt Mullican papers, circa 1968-2017. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.mullmatt
See more items in:
Matt Mullican papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b03f0ef5-d634-41f3-a571-cf1f9ac4ff5c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mullmatt
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Allan McCollum

Interviewee:
McCollum, Allan, 1944-  Search this
Interviewer:
Berman, Avis  Search this
Creator:
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Extent:
2 Sound discs (Sound recording (9 hr., 38 min.), digital)
175 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound discs
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2010 February 23-April 9
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Allan McCollum conducted 2010 February 23-April 9, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts oral history project, at the Archives of American Art, in New York, New York.
Biographical / Historical:
Allan McCollum (1944- ) is a contemporary artist in New York, New York. Avis Berman (1949- ) is an independent writer in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 9 hr., 38 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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to audio is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission Allan McCollum. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.mccoll10
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9054044c8-596f-45c8-8076-c82bc270f759
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mccoll10
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Sarah Edwards Charlesworth

Interviewee:
Charlesworth, Sarah, 1947-2013  Search this
Interviewer:
Richards, Judith Olch  Search this
Extent:
121 Pages (Transcript)
9 Items (sound files (7 hr., 47 min.) Audio, digital, wav)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2011 November 2-9
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Sarah Edwards Charlesworth conducted 2011 November 2-9, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art at Charlesworth's home, in New York, New York.
Charlesworth speaks of growing up in Summit, New Jersey; her family members; her early decision to become an artist; her experiences in elementary, junior high, and high schools; attending Bradford College in Massachusetts; Douglas Huebler as an important professor and mentor; visiting her friend at Barnard College in New York City and being exposed to the art scene and museums; attending Barnard to finish her undergraduate degree; her college experience in NYC, meeting other artists, and visiting galleries in the 1960s and '70s; beginning to make money off of her photography; her relationship with Joseph Kosuth; the gender inequalities and dynamics in the art world and society and how it has changed; traveling to Europe; starting up The Fox magazine with Kosuth and others; participation in Artists' Movement for Cultural Change, other publications, and forums; continuing her education; her first shows in galleries; she discusses the series Modern History; the series Stills; the series Tabula Rasa; the series In-Photography; the multiple series Objects of Desire; the series Academy of Secrets; the series Renaissance paintings; meeting Amos Poe and getting married; having children and being a working artist at the same time; her teaching positions and experiences; her transition from "appropriated" images to her own photographic work; her process for creating works; her interest in the interpretation of visual language; her current work and lifestyle. Charlesworth also recalls Kiki Smith, Judy Hudson, Douglas Huebler, Carl Andre, Robert Rauschenberg Joseph Kosuth, Betsy Baker, Seth Siegelaub, Lawerance Weiner, Bob Barry, Barbara Novak prof, Roy Anderson, Meyer Shapiro, Fred Friendly, Amos Poe, Lisett Model, Lucy Lippard, Gian Enzo Sperone, Nancy Spero, Leon Golub, Anthony McCall, Richard Prince, Barbara Kruger, Laurie Simmons, Cindy Sherman, Jan Van (Vera) Cruz, Tony Shafrazi, Sara VanDerBeek, Pat Steir, Elizabeth Murray, Susan Sterling, Louis Grachos, Louise Lawler, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Sarah Edwards Charlesworth (1947- 2013) was a conceptual artist and photographer in New York, New York. Judith Olch Richards is a former executive director of iCI in New York, New York.
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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women photographers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.charle11
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw978ebf21b-e784-41a1-80bc-d8df491fddf6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-charle11
Online Media:

Gretchen Bender papers

Creator:
Bender, Gretchen, 1951-2004  Search this
Extent:
2.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1980-2004
Summary:
The papers of Gretchen Bender measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1980-2004. This material documents her career as a filmmaker and multimedia artist through biographical materials, correspondence, personal business records, writings, notebooks, printed material, photographs, slides and transparencies, and artwork. Also included are project files detailing Gretchen's collaborations with dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones, as well as a handwritten transcription of a conversation between Bender and Cindy Sherman.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Gretchen Bender measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1980-2004. This material documents her career as a filmmaker and multimedia artist through biographical materials, correspondence, personal business records, writings, notebooks, printed material, photographs, slides and transparencies, and artwork. Also included are project files detailing Gretchen's collaborations with dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones, as well as a handwritten transcription of a conversation between Bender and Cindy Sherman.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1996 (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence/Letters, 1985-2003 (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1985-1990 (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 4: Project Files, 1982-2002 (Boxes 1-2, 5; 0.9 Linear Feet)

Series 5: Writings, 1983-1988 (Box 2; 0.1 Linear Feet)

Series 6: Notebooks, 1980-2000 (Box 2; 0.6 Linear Feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1981-2004 (Boxes 3, 6; 0.3 Linear Feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1984-1989 (Boxes 3-4, 0.3 Linear Feet)

Series 9: Artwork, 1984-1985 (Boxes 4, 5; 0.2 Linear Feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Gretchen Bender (1951-2004) was a New York City based filmmaker, multimedia, and conceptual artist. Bender borrowed from elements found in advertising, television, popular contemporary art, and computer graphics to explore issues of race, gender, politics, and culture in her work. During the 1990s, Bender worked with choreographer/dancer Bill T. Jones as a co-director, set designer, and filmmaker on a number of theater and television projects. Bender was a director, editor, and producer for television, primarily working on music videos. Bender participated in solo and group exhibitions at Metro Pictures and Nature Morte in New York.
Provenance:
Donated 2005 by Kate Bender, Gretchen Bender's sister.
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.
Occupation:
Filmmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Multimedia artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Citation:
Gretchen Bender papers, 1980-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.bendgret
See more items in:
Gretchen Bender papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d03d3835-8843-41cc-a8b5-350011ccaa81
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bendgret
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Luis Camnitzer

Interviewee:
Camnitzer, Luis, 1937-  Search this
Interviewer:
Franco, Josh T., 1985-  Search this
Extent:
30 Items (sound files (6 hrs., 17 min.) Audio, digital, wav)
96 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2020 January 16 and 17
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Luis Camnitzer conducted January 16 and 17, 2020, by Josh Franco for the Archives of American Art, at Camnitzer's home in Great Neck, N.Y.
Biographical / Historical:
Luis Camnitzer (1937- ) is a conceptual artist in Great Neck, New York. Interviewer Josh T. Franco (1985- ) is the National Collector at the Archives of American Art.
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:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Topic:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- Great Neck  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.camnit20
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a3dc9277-53e6-417e-b876-d43b3b7d7271
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-camnit20
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Mel Bochner

Creator:
Bochner, Mel, 1940-  Search this
Interviewer:
Marano, Lizbeth  Search this
Extent:
6 Items (Sound recording: 6 sound files (4 hr., 6 min.), digital, wav)
66 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1994 May
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Mel Bochner conducted 1994 May, by Lizbeth Marano, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Mel Bochner (1940- ) is a conceptual artist of New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 6 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview was provided by the Horace Goldsmith Foundation.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.bochne94
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw962034aa6-5550-465c-aa89-fb6f1252479a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bochne94
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Elaine Reichek

Interviewee:
Reichek, Elaine  Search this
Interviewer:
Sharp, Sarah G.  Search this
Extent:
8 Items (wav files (4 hr., 29 min.), digital)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2008 Feb. 12
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Elaine Reichek conducted 2008 Feb. 12, by Sarah G. Sharp, for the Archives of American Art, in Reichek's studio, in New York, N.Y.
Biographical / Historical:
Elaine Reichek (1943- ) is a conceptual artist from New York, N.Y. Sarah G. Sharp (1974- ) is an artist from New York, N.Y.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 4 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.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.reiche08
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c66b0911-ce4e-4285-ba42-fac7a15c550c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-reiche08
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Dennis Oppenheim

Interviewee:
Oppenheim, Dennis, 1938-2011  Search this
Interviewer:
Richards, Judith Olch  Search this
Names:
Biennale di Venezia  Search this
Olympic Games (29th : 2008 : Beijing, China)  Search this
Acconci, Vito, 1940-  Search this
Aycock, Alice  Search this
Irwin, Robert, 1928-  Search this
Levai, Pierre  Search this
Lipski, Donald, 1947-  Search this
Nauman, Bruce, 1941-  Search this
Serra, Richard, 1938-  Search this
Sonnier, Keith, 1941-2020  Search this
Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987  Search this
Extent:
49 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2009 June 23-24
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Dennis Oppenheim conducted 2009 June 23-24, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art, at Oppenheim's studio, in New York, N.Y. Oppenheim speaks of his work in the past 15 years; the evolution of his work and its lack of continuity; his use of writing as a catalyst for constructing works and the importance of language in conceptual art; the role of the audience and the effects of positive reaction to one's work; the risks involved in moving away from successful work to find another avenue; experimentation and the ability to exhibit failures; the emotionality and detached qualities of Abstract Expressionism during the 1950s; the experimental side of studio art in comparison to public art; the seniority felt by fine artists over the applied arts, such as architecture, during the 1950s and 1960s; listening to the public opinion, including those that do not come from the art world; the theoretical progression of works such as, "Jump and Twist," [1999], and "Device to Root Out Evil," [1997]; how to react to controversial work; his lack of representation by galleries and dealers; his staff of assistants and his more theoretical role in the operation; his lack of fellowship with other artists and his dislike of collaboration; the Venice Biennale in 1997; the Olymics in Beijing in 2008; his current work and on-going commissions. Oppenheim also recalls Andy Warhol, Pierre Levai, Vito Acconci, Bruce Nauman, Robert Irwin, Richard Serra, Alice Aycock, Keith Sonnier, and Donald Lipski.
Biographical / Historical:
Dennis Oppenheim (1938- ) is a conceptual artist and sculptor in New York, N.Y. Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is former executive director of iCI in New York, N.Y. Oppenheim was educated at California College of Arts and Crafts and Stanford University.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 31 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:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.oppenh09
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw974529ce4-e824-4f1c-b0b8-440874daa659
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-oppenh09
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Adrian Piper

Interviewee:
Piper, Adrian, 1948-  Search this
Interviewer:
Withers, Josephine  Search this
Extent:
87 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1990 Sept. 20
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Adrian Piper conducted 1990 Sept. 20, by Josephine Withers, for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Adrian Piper (1948- ) is a conceptual artist and educator.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 2 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission Adrian Piper. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Educators  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.piper90
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9538393a2-42dd-488d-82ed-15947e07c254
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-piper90

Press Kit, The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States 1920-1970 Exhibition

Collection Creator:
Casas, Mel, 1929-2014  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 13
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1989
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Mel Casas papers, 1963-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Mel Casas papers
Mel Casas papers / Series 4: Printed Materials
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a954399d-4c63-4f51-8bff-f9330bfb278a
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-casamel-ref24
1 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View Press Kit, The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States 1920-1970 Exhibition digital asset number 1

Norman B. Colp papers

Creator:
Colp, Norman  Search this
Extent:
4 Linear feet
0.031 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
circa 1973-2005
Summary:
The papers of conceptual artist and curator Norman B. Colp measure 4 linear feet and 0.031 GB and date between circa 1973 and 2005. The papers shed light on Colp's career through biographical material, project files, personal business records, printed and digital material, and sound and video recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of conceptual artist and curator Norman B. Colp measure 4 linear feet and 0.031 GB and date between circa 1973 and 2005. The papers shed light on Colp's career through biographical material, project files, personal business records, printed and digital material, and sound and video recordings.

Biographical material includes correspondence with artists, museums, galleries, and municipalities, two sound recordings of interviews, biographical sketches, and a note from Colp's mother. Project files relate to works of art and exhibitions curated by Colp. Personal business records contain some inventories, expenses, sales and trade files as well as the records of Colp's various donations to archives, museums, and libraries between 1983 and 2004. Printed material includes postcards, catalogs, and invitations from group and solo exhibitions, reviews of Colp's artwork and his curated shows, and an artist-made Xerox calendar.
Arrangement:
This series is arranged as 4 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1974-2005 (Box 1; 10 folders)

Series 2: Project Files, circa 1973-2004 (Box 1-2; 1 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1975-2005 (Box 2; .8 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1974-2004 (Box 2-4; 2 linear feet, ER01; 0.031 GB)
Biographical / Historical:
Norman B. Colp was a conceptual artist and curator from New York City.

Colp received his bachelor's degree in art from Queens College in 1967, and took classes at the Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design. Colp's artistic projects include 63 Artists' Objects (1974) and 24 Small Scale Art Thefts (1975), in which he "borrowed" door stops from 24 galleries and museums around the United States; both projects were exhibited individually as solo exhibitions. Additionally, in 1991 Colp was commissioned by the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority to install Commuter's Lament or a Close Shave, a poem and one photograph on nine porcelain tiles found in the Times Square subway.

Colp's solo exhibitions include those held at Hundred Acres Gallery in New York, and Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, England. He was also represented in group exhibitions at the Alternative Center for International Arts, Franklin Furnace, Artworks, and Boca Rotan Museum of Art, among others. Exhibitions curated by Colp include those held at the Center for Book Arts, Georgia State University Art Gallery, and White Plains Public Library. His work is found in the permanent collections of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, International Center of Photography, New York Public Library and many other museums and institutions.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Norman B. Colp in 1993 and 2005.
Restrictions:
The 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.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Conceptual art  Search this
Genre/Form:
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Norman Colp papers, circa 1973-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.colpnorm
See more items in:
Norman B. Colp papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91cf872a9-f332-4fcb-91f3-33ceb673a61f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-colpnorm

Oral history interview with Robert Morris

Interviewee:
Morris, Robert, 1931-2018  Search this
Interviewer:
Kitto, Svetlana, 1980-  Search this
Extent:
4 Items (sound files (3 hr., 49 min.) Audio, digital, wav)
47 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2018 April 19-20
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Robert Morris conducted 2018 April 19 and 20, by Svetlana Kitto, for the Archives of American Art at Morris' home in Ulster County, New York.
Mr. Morris discusses growing up in Kansas City, Missouri and his early memories of domestic support of the war effort during World War II; his early experiences making art and visits to the Nelson Gallery; his father and experiences in the stockyards in Kansas City; his close friendships growing up; his anti-war feelings and involvement in the Art Strike protests of Vietnam War at the Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum and the Senate; his education at the San Francisco Art Institute; his experiences in the Korean War as an engineer, courier, and policeman; his return to the United States and experiences at Reed College in Oregon; his relationship with Simone Forti and moving together to San Francisco; his experience as a railroad switchman; his memories of Anna Halprin; his exploration with Forti in theater and dance; his studies in art history at Hunter in New York City, teaching and beginning sculpture; writing his thesis on Brancusi; his friendship with John Cage; his early sculptural work; his time in 1961 living in Yoko Ono's studio; his separation from Simone Forti but ongoing collaborations; his memories of Max's Kansas City; His memories of Judson Dance Theater; his collaborations with Carolee Schneemann and an in depth description of Site; his composition of Waterman Switch with Yvonne Rainer; his reaction to criticisms of his performance work; his thoughts about filming dance; his memories of Column; his relationship to The Green Gallery and Richard Bellamy; his perceptions and reactions to the critical response to his sculpture; his joining Castelli and the evolution of his work, making large Minimalist pieces, and felt pieces; his explorations of various materials; his encounters with collectors; his refusal to be interviewed; his creation of Earthworks; his relationship to Robert Smithson; his creation of the Blind Time Drawings; his friendship with Lynda Benglis and the controversy over his poster made in Exchange; his involvement with mirrors; his experience of his retrospective at the Guggenheim; his purchase of his home in upstate New York and moving out of New York City; his work with photoshop, and "curses" in his contemporary work.
Memories of Carl Andre, Tony Smith, Leo Steinberg, William Rubin, La Monte Young, Yvonne Rainer, Mark di Suvero, Henry Flynt, Mickey Ruskin, Howard Moody, Merce Cunningham, Lucinda Childs, Robert Rauschenberg, Gordon's Fifth Avenue Gallery, Joseph Beuys, Donald Judd, Robert Scull, Marcel Duchamp, David V. Hayes, Virginia Dwan, Ed Fry, Donald Davidson, Thomas Krens, David Antin, Craig Kauffman, Rosalind Krauss, Alan Buchsbaum, Ryan Roa, Nick Jacobs.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Morris (1931- 2018) was a sculptor and conceptual artist in Ulster County, New York. Svetlana Kitto (1980- ) is a writer and oral historian in Brooklyn, New York.
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:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.morris18
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f2bf3d4f-75cb-49b5-b0e0-2cfe7cc2e46a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-morris18
Online Media:

Modify Your Search







or


Narrow By