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Oral history interview with Margaret Tomkins, 1984 June 6

Interviewee:
Tomkins, Margaret, 1916-2002  Search this
Interviewer:
Guenther, Bruce  Search this
Subject:
Fitzgerald, James  Search this
Artists Gallery (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Margaret Tomkins, 1984 June 6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12308
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212455
AAA_collcode_tomkin84
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212455
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Tom Robbins

Interviewee:
Robbins, Tom  Search this
Interviewer:
Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this
Names:
Kendrick, William Philip  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Extent:
47 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1984 March 3
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Tom Robbins conducted 1984 March 3, in La Conner, Wash., by Martha Kingsbury, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.
Robbins speaks of his youth; the importance of his first trips to New York; meeting Barnett Newman and William Philip Kendrick; the influence of Oriental art; his drug experience; his research on Jackson Pollock; coming to Washington State and working as an art critic; the impact of the 1962 World's Fair on art; and style versus content in art.
Biographical / Historical:
Tom Robbins (1936- ) is a writer and critic from LaConner, Wash.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 28 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Art critics -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art criticism  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Authors -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.robbin84
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ed46c84e-57c7-47bf-a4d8-5a9ca62a3383
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-robbin84
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Michael W. Monroe, 2018 January 22-March 1

Interviewee:
Monroe, Michael W.  Search this
Interviewer:
Herman, Lloyd E., 1936-  Search this
Subject:
Bellevue Art Museum (Wash.)  Search this
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Renwick Gallery  Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Michael W. Monroe, 2018 January 22-March 1. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Arts administrators -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this
Arts -- Management  Search this
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Curators -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this
Curators -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)17549
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)393144
AAA_collcode_monroe18
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_393144
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Flora Mace

Interviewee:
Mace, Flora, 1949-  Search this
Interviewer:
Herman, Lloyd E.  Search this
Creator:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Names:
4-H Youth Development Program (U.S.)  Search this
Contemporary Glass Gallery  Search this
International Farm Youth Exchange  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Pilchuck Glass Center (Stanwood, Wash.)  Search this
Plymouth State College -- Students  Search this
University of Illinois. -- Student  Search this
University of Utah  Search this
Wheaton Glass Village  Search this
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this
Chihuly, Dale, 1941-  Search this
Handler, Audrey  Search this
Kirkpatrick, Joey  Search this
Moore, Ben  Search this
Morris, William, 1957-  Search this
Stankard, Paul, 1943-  Search this
Wheaton, Frank  Search this
Wheaton, Mary  Search this
Extent:
3 Items (sound discs (3 hrs., 25 min.) Audio, digital)
58 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Place:
Norway -- description and travel
Date:
2005 August 17-18
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Flora Mace conducted 2005 August 17-18, by Lloyd E. Herman, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home and studio, which she shares with Joey Kirkpatrick, in Seattle, Washington.
Ms. Mace discusses growing up in New Hampshire, in a house that her family had lived in for generations; various family businesses, including clam-shucking; how her mother suffered from depression throughout her childhood; her grandparents, who played a large role in her upbringing; joining the 4-H and becoming a skilled shepherd; her family's hunting, fishing, and gathering, on which they survived during her childhood; the various art projects she did with her mother and grandmother, including making wreaths for friends and relatives; building tree houses out of scrap wood; trapping animals and making their pelts into clothes for her dolls; saving up her money from after school jobs and the 4-H competitions to buy tools; getting a scholarship from her grandmother's old employer to go to college; attending Plymouth State; her involvement in college athletics, including field hockey, skiing, and softball; early artistic influences, especially Alexander Calder; traveling to Norway on the International Farm Youth Exchange; attending the University of Illinois for graduate school and being their sculpture technician; attending a summer workshop at the University of Utah with Dale Chihuly; being invited by Chihuly to go to Pilchuck Glass School to continue her work; becoming an artist-in-residence at Wheaton Glass Village; having her first show at the Contemporary Glass Gallery (later the Heller Gallery) in New York; the growth of the studio glass movement in the late 1970s; and finally going to Pilchuck Glass School for the first time in 1979, where she met Joey Kirkpatrick. The continuation of Mace's story, and her lifelong collaboration with Kirkpatrick, is discussed in a joint interview of Kirkpatrick and Mace. Mace also recalls Bill Morris, Ben Moore, Audrey Handler, Paul Stankard, Mary and Frank Wheaton, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Flora Mace (1949- ) is a glass artist from Seattle, Washington. Lloyd E. Herman (1936- ) is a curator and former director of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery and currently lives in Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 25 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Decorative arts  Search this
Depression in women  Search this
Glass artists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.mace05a
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97a282c98-cc3f-4a72-963c-5c245fbcf0ea
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mace05a
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick

Interviewee:
Mace, Flora, 1949-  Search this
Kirkpatrick, Joey  Search this
Interviewer:
Herman, Lloyd E.  Search this
Names:
Foster/White Gallery  Search this
Habatat Galleries  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Pilchuck Glass Center (Stanwood, Wash.)  Search this
Rhode Island School of Design -- Students  Search this
Walla Walla Foundry  Search this
Anderson, Dale, 1944-  Search this
Anderson, Doug, 1943-  Search this
Ben Tré, Howard, 1949-2020  Search this
Benglis, Lynda, 1941-  Search this
Borenstein, Joan  Search this
Chihuly, Dale, 1941-  Search this
Dehoff, Bill  Search this
Dehoff, Sarah  Search this
Littleton, Harvey K.  Search this
Moore, Ben  Search this
Morris, William, 1957-  Search this
Pfaff, Judy, 1946-  Search this
Pilloff, Bensen  Search this
Pilloff, Francine  Search this
Rooney, Alice, 1926-2019  Search this
Rosenfield, Betsy  Search this
Royal, Rich  Search this
Saxe, Dorothy  Search this
Saxe, George  Search this
Scanga, Italo, 1932-2001  Search this
Shirley, Jon, 1938-  Search this
Shirley, Mary  Search this
Statom, Therman, 1953-  Search this
Stroemple, George R.  Search this
Tagliapietra, Lino  Search this
Vallien, Bertil, 1938-  Search this
Welch, Ann  Search this
Wilmarth, Christopher  Search this
Wolff, Ann  Search this
Zynsky, Toots, 1951-  Search this
Extent:
5 Items (Audio: 5 wav files (3 hrs., 17 min.), digital)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2005 August 17-18
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick conducted 2005 August 17-18, by Lloyd E. Herman, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artists' home and studio, in Seattle, Washington.
They discuss their first meeting at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, in 1979; the structure of classes and teaching philosophies at Pilchuck in the late '70s and early '80s; the change in equipment and the growth of the Pilchuck campus through the years; their first projects together, which were wire drawings made by Flora and based on Joey's sketches; leaving Pilchuck after the summer session and moving together to Waterville, New Hampshire, where they worked in a studio at the Rhode Island School of Design with Dale Chihuly; building up a body of work and then having to decide whose work it was, at a time when collaborating and co-signing was not standard practice; going back to Pilchuck every summer for 14 years after first meeting there in 1979; beginning to teach as a collaborative team at Pilchuck in 1981, the first women to teach glass blowing at that school; building their house together on the grounds of Pilchuck, a design which was then emulated for dormitories at the school; convincing Dale Chihuly to lower the class size at Pilchuck to 10, down from 20, to allow teachers to work more closely with the students; early shows of their work at Habatat Galleries in Royal Oak, Michigan, Ivor Kurland Gallery in Los Angeles, California, and Foster-White Galleries in Seattle, Washington; the support of their sisters and families throughout the years, mostly in providing them a place to stay as they traveled cross country; their relationships with collectors; what each artist brings to the partnership, including vision, inspiration, and technique; the influence of water on their work, as both artists are drawn to the sea and the tides; the purpose of their work, and what they feel it can bring to the viewer; the challenge given to the artists by Joan Borenstein to make 30 glass goblets, all with different fruits and vegetables; having their work cast at the Walla Walla Foundry; and the ideas behind various bodies of work, including the "Bird Pages" and the large latticino fruit. A more in-depth discussion of each artist's childhood, education, and artistic experiences prior to their meeting at Pilchuck can be found in the individual artist's interviews. They recall Italo Scanga, Bill Morris, Ben Moore, Rich Royal, Howard Ben Tre, Toots Zynsky, Therman Statom, Harvey Littleton, Lino Tagliapetra, Chris Wilmarth, Judy Pfaff, Lynda Benglis, Alice Rooney, Bertil Vallien, Ann Wolff, Betsy Rosenfield, George and Dorothy Saxe, Doug and Dale Anderson, Jon and Mary Shirley, Sarah and Bill Dehoff, Francine and Benson Pilloff, George Stroemple, Ann Welch, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Joey Kirkpatrick (1952- ) and Flora Mace (1949- ) are glass artists from Seattle, Washington. Lloyd E. Herman (1936- ) is a curator and former director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery of Art and is currently from Seattle, Washington. Mace and Kirkpatrick have been working collaboratively on glass since the late 1970s.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 17 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Decorative arts  Search this
Glass artists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Glass art  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.mace05
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw98d0bff3c-9050-48a3-b06f-e1e6ab7ef3f1
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-mace05
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Michael W. Monroe

Interviewee:
Monroe, Michael W.  Search this
Creator:
Herman, Lloyd E.  Search this
Names:
Bellevue Art Museum (Wash.)  Search this
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Renwick Gallery  Search this
Extent:
8 Items (sound files (3 hr., 59 min.) Audio, digital, wav)
71 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2018 January 22-March 1
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Michael W. Monroe conducted 2018 January 22-March 1, by Lloyd Herman, for the Archives of American Art, at the home of Michael Monroe and at the home of Lloyd Herman, in Seattle, Washington.
Monroe speaks of his childhood in Racine, Wisconsin; his Danish immigrant community and early exposure to Danish design; early experiences of art-making; his art and teaching education at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee; experiences with Midwestern art museums in adolescence and young adulthood; his graduate art education at the Cranbrook Academy of Art; his work as gallery director at SUNY Oneonta in the early 1970s; his approach to evaluating and curating craftwork; his curatorial tenure and close collaboration with Herman at the Renwick Gallery; securing the Renwick's Albert Paley gates; his lifestyle in the Washington, DC area; the American craft movement's shift towards the marketplace, social media, and quick do-it-yourself methods; organizing the "Craft Multiples" traveling exhibition; the beginning of the Renwick's collections policy; organizing "Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual;" organizing the White House Collection of Crafts and its eventual transfer to the Clinton Presidential Library; his continued involvement with the craft world after retirement from the Renwick; his tenure as executive director of the Bellevue Arts Museum; his mentorship of young craft artists; and his sense of the past and future of American crafts. Monroe also recalls Sylvester Jerry, Cherry Barr Jerry, Robert Verizer, Robert Kidd, George Ortman, Julius Schmidt, Richard DeVore, Steve Frykholm, Jon Eric Riis, Arturo Sandoval, Gretchen Bellinger, Bernadette Monroe, Robert Arneson, David Gilhooly, William Harper, Wendell Castle, Françoise Grossen, Claire Zeisler, Sarah Booth Conroy, Sheila Hicks, Dale Chihuly, Arthur Mason, Jane Mason, Betty Ford, Joan Mondale, Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Paul Gottlieb, Peter Joseph, Matthew Kangas, Mark Haley, Nora Atkinson, and others. Herman recalls Susan Mellon, Joshua Taylor, Paul Gardner, Charles Eldredge, Elizabeth Broun, Paul Smith, Rose Slivka, Diane Douglas, Janet Kardon, William Morris, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Michael W. Monroe (1940- ) is director emeritus of the Bellevue Arts Museum in Bellevue, Washington. Lloyd Herman (1936- ) is the founding director (emeritus) of the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. who resides in Seattle, Washington.
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:
The transcript and recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Arts administrators -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this
Arts -- Management  Search this
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Curators -- Washington (D.C.) -- Interviews  Search this
Curators -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.monroe18
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw962a4c55d-eb2d-49eb-bf85-a031dfe33257
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-monroe18
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Raymond Charles Pierotti

Interviewee:
Pierotti, Raymond Charles, 1932-  Search this
Interviewer:
Herman, Lloyd E.  Search this
Creator:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Names:
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Extent:
30 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2005 September 4
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Raymond Charles Pierotti conducted 2005 September 4, by Lloyd Herman, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Herman's home, in Seattle, Washington.
Pierotti speaks of his childhood in Bountiful, Utah; his Italian grandfather, who made ornamental plaster casts in a barn near their home; his time in France as a Mormon missionary; his military service in Korea, which led him to Paris on the GI Bill, allowing him to take classes at La Sorbonne; his early years in New York, which included a job at Rizzoli's Books starting up their music department; his sale during that time of his first paintings, and the opening of a gallery on 34th and 2nd; his position working for Paul Smith at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now the Museum of Arts and Design); his initial involvement with the American Craft Council; his eventual acceptance of the executive director position at Arrowmont; the various improvements and changes he instituted while director of the school; his reasons for leaving Arrowmont; and his involvement with other craft schools and art centers, including the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences and the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art. Pierotti also recalls Don Wykoff, Marian G. Heard, Sandra J. Blain, Aileen Osborne Webb, Joan Mondale, Lucy Morgan, Mary Crovatt Hambidge, Verne Funk, Mark Peiser, Jim Wallace, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Raymond Charles Pierotti (1932- ) is a former director of the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Lloyd E. Herman (1936- ) is a curator and former director of the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 27 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:
Arts administrators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.pierot05
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90f1e48ed-e746-4b68-8ff1-7ff869559ec6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pierot05
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Kiff Slemmons

Interviewee:
Slemmons, Kiff  Search this
Interviewer:
Riedel, Mija, 1958-  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
Scripps College -- Students  Search this
University of Iowa -- Students  Search this
Adams, Leo  Search this
Benjamin, Walter  Search this
Di Mare, Dominic, 1932-  Search this
Herman, Lloyd E.  Search this
Holshuh, Virginia  Search this
Höch, Hannah, 1889-1978  Search this
Knobel, Esther, 1949-  Search this
La Plantz, David  Search this
Messager, Annette, 1943-  Search this
Solberg, Ramona  Search this
Steffins, Ella  Search this
Toledo, Francisco, 1940-  Search this
Extent:
92 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2007 November 1-2
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Kiff Slemmons conducted 2007 November 1-2, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Slemmons' home and studio in Chicago, Illinois.
Slemmons speaks of her childhood growing up in a small town in Iowa; helping her mother in the town pharmacy; working the printing press with her dad, who published the town newspaper; taking art lessons in grade school; learning to play the piano; attending one year at Scripps College before living for a year in Paris; attending the University of Iowa majoring in French; taking basic art classes her senior year; a spring trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, with her future husband Rod; financing the trip by selling 150 pairs of earrings at the student art fair; visiting Monte Alban and being inspired by the ancient jewelry in Tomb 7; moving to Washington state; meeting Ella Steffens and doing jewelry repair work; a strong feeling of the maker's presence in work she repairs; the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi; imperfection as an attractive quality; the conscious decision made from jewelry making to art making, based more in ideas and concepts as opposed to simple decoration; series Hands of Heros, Figures of Speech; the importance of exhibiting her work as it would be seen worn as opposed to in cases under glass; the development of her breastplate pieces; the Top 10 Ethnic Hits; the layering of many meanings as well as materials in her work; her respect for the brevity of poetry and love of Emily Dickinson's work; the restraint of poetry in leaving things unsaid and her struggle to capture that essence; series Re:Pair and Imperfection coming out of her move to Chicago and the developing Iraq War; her workbench as an ever-changing sketchbook full of chaos, tension, and conversation; working with Francisco Toledo and the city of Oaxaca in developing paper jewelry; her travels to India, Africa, Mexico, and Japan; her piece Insectopedia and the great interest shown in it by entomologists; and her desire to send her work out in the world where it is seen and enjoyed. Slemmons also recalls Ramona Solberg, David LaPlantz, Leo Adams, Esther Knobel, Lloyd Herman, Dominic DiMare, Walter Benjamin, Hannah Hoch, Annette Messager, Virginia Holshuh, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Kiff Slemmons (1944- ) is a metal artist from Chicago, Illinois. Interviewer Mija Riedel is a curator and writer from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 13 digital wav files. Duration is 7 hr., 19 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Metal-workers -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Jewelry makers -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.slemmo07
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9222e9ba2-9f1f-46d3-a206-c1d21baa29b3
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-slemmo07
Online Media:

Lloyd E. Herman papers

Creator:
Herman, Lloyd E.  Search this
Names:
Cartwright Gallery  Search this
International Glass Museum  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Pilchuck School  Search this
Thundering Seas Institute  Search this
Extent:
13.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Date:
1961-2017
Scope and Contents:
Exhibition and project files, correspondence, audio and VHS video recordings, writings, lectures, photographs, interviews and printed material regarding the work of museum curator, Lloyd Herman.
Exhibition and project files include Brilliant Stories, From the Woods, Threads, Fresh Clothes, Art that Works, Trash Formations, and Sheen of Silver among others. Subject files include information regarding the Pilchuck Glass school, among others. Interviews include a December 2016 interview on 1 SD card conducted by Herman with art instructor Russell Day and a January 2, 2017 interview on 2 SD cards with artist Larry Metcalf about Day. Herman conducted the interviews based on interest about Day.
Biographical / Historical:
Lloyd E. Herman (1936- ) is a museum curator in Seattle, Wash.
Provenance:
Donated 1996-2017 by Lloyd Herman as part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Museum curators -- Washington (State)  Search this
Topic:
Handicraft  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.hermlloy2
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw941a495cd-ec77-4886-89ae-1d57ac26c563
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-hermlloy2

Oral history interview with Ramona Solberg

Interviewee:
Solberg, Ramona  Search this
Interviewer:
Halper, Vicki  Search this
Creator:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Names:
American Craft Council  Search this
Bellevue Art Museum (Wash.)  Search this
Central Washington State College -- Faculty  Search this
Edison Vocational School -- Students  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
University of Washington -- Students  Search this
Day, Russell  Search this
Hall, Laurie  Search this
Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this
Ho, Ron  Search this
Hu, Mary Lee, 1943-  Search this
Larsen, Jack Lenor  Search this
Lipofsky, Marvin, 1938-2016  Search this
Maloof, Frieda  Search this
Maloof, Sam  Search this
Marshall, John, 1936-  Search this
Pence, Coralyn  Search this
Penington, Ruth, b. 1905  Search this
Slemmons, Kiff  Search this
Tompkins, Don  Search this
Woell, J. Fred, 1934-  Search this
Worden, Nancy  Search this
Extent:
35 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2001 March 23
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Ramona Solberg conducted 2001 March 23, by Vicki Halper, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Solberg's apartment, Seattle, Washington.
Solberg speaks of her family background and childhood in Seattle; her jewelry studies with Ruth Pennington at the University of Washington in Seattle and her use of found objects; her service in the Unites States Army; attending the Edison Vocational School on the GI Bill and pursuing a masters degree in jewelry at the University of Washington; studies with Coralyn Pence; her travels to Mexico and her fascination with pre-Columbian objects; enameling in Norway; collecting beads from around the world; her book, "Inventive Jewelry-Making" (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1972); leading tours for a Seattle-based group, "Friends of the Crafts," to the Middle East, Asia, Antarctica, and elsewhere for 16 or 17 years; teaching at Central Washington State College and creating her first bead and found object pieces there in 1956; her fondness for turquoise, lapis, and coral; inviting Don Tompkins to teach at Central Washington State College; Tompkins's "tongue-in-cheek" use of metals; her desire to make jewelry that can "shake, rattle, and roll"; teaching and workshops; her use of preliminary sketches; her soldering technique; fasteners; the weight of her jewelry; the "restraints of jewelry"; her lack of interest in making matched sets and bracelets and rings; the lack of social commentary in her work; her series of pieces inspired by the book, "Watership Down;" the influence of Fred Woell and his use of "American throw-aways"; her involvement with the Northwest region of the American Craft Council; her association with a group of jewelers in the Northwest including Ron Ho, Laurie Hall, Nancy Worden, and Kiff Slemmons; making beaded fibulas; curating exhibitions such as Ubiquitous Bead (1987) and Ubiquitous Bead II (1998) at the Bellevue Art Museum in Seattle; exhibitions at Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle and the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington in Seattle; working in small spaces; getting into the exhibition Objects: USA "through the back door"; her status as an international artist; pricing her work; her pieces in museum collections; and her health. She recalls Russell Day, Jack Lenor Larsen, Sam and Frieda Maloof, John Marshall, Marvin Lipofsky, LaMar Harrington, Mary Lee Hu, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Ramona Solberg (1921-2005) was a jeweler from Seattle, Washington. Vicki Halper is a curator at the Seattle Art Museum.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 13 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Topic:
Art -- Technique  Search this
Jewelers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.solber01
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b1828bbb-30f3-403c-9455-424d2bde6e1a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-solber01
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Viola Patterson

Interviewee:
Patterson, Viola, 1898-1984  Search this
Interviewer:
Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this
Names:
Group of Twelve (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this
Archipenko, Alexander, 1887-1964  Search this
Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this
Patterson, Ambrose, 1877-1966  Search this
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this
Extent:
57 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1982 Oct. 22-29
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Viola Patterson conducted 1982 Oct. 22-29, by Martha Kingsbury, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project, in the artist's home in Seattle, Wash.
Patterson speaks of her education; family background; her early interest in art; studying at the University of Washington art department; the influence of Japanese artists; teaching art to children; her husband, Ambrose Patterson, and his life and career; and working on murals with Jose Clement Orozco and Diego Rivera. She recalls Alexander Archipenko. Patterson was a member of the Seattle area progressive artists' collective known as the "Group of Twelve."
Biographical / Historical:
Viola Patterson (1898-1984) was a painter from Seattle, Wash.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 33 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.patter82
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90149e58a-5439-4922-aadb-4c5546e44592
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-patter82
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Ginny Ruffner

Interviewee:
Ruffner, Ginny  Search this
Interviewer:
Riedel, Mija, 1958-  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
Pilchuck Glass Center (Stanwood, Wash.) -- Faculty  Search this
University of Georgia -- Students  Search this
Dohne, Deborah  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this
Kirkpatrick, Joey  Search this
Leach, Mark  Search this
Littleton, Maurine  Search this
Mace, Flora, 1949-  Search this
Robbins, Tom  Search this
Scott, George C., 1927-1999  Search this
Smith, Alvy Ray  Search this
Tschida, Fred  Search this
Extent:
36 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2006 September 13-14
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Ginny Ruffner conducted 2006 September 13-14, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home and studio, in Seattle, Washington.
Ruffner speaks of her new outdoor sculpture piece, "The Urban Garden," in Seattle, Washington; receiving her B.F.A. and M.F.A. in painting and drawing at the University of Georgia; developing an interest in glass after seeing Marcel Duchamp's, "The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even (Large Glass)"; spending five years learning lampworking as an apprentice/employee; teaching experiences at Pilchuck School of Glass; moving to Seattle, Washington from Atlanta, Georgia; reading as a strong influence; the significance of language and words; an interest in mathematic theories, particle physics, and cosmology; various series of artwork including Beauty, Aesthetic Engineering, Balance, and Patterns of Thought; plans for her three-part pop-up book about creativity, imagination, and wonder; travels to Japan, Italy, Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Ireland, and France; universal and subjective concepts of beauty; her recovery from the accident she suffered in 1991; a change of perception following the accident; her dislike of labeling art as whimsical; the transformative effects of experiencing installation pieces; and exhibition and installation plans for the future. Ruffner also recalls Flora Mace, Joey Kirkpatrick, Deborah Dohne, Fred Tschida, Maurine Littleton, Tom Robbins, Alvy Ray Smith, George C. Scott, Mark Leach, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Ginny Ruffner (1952- ) is a glass artist from Seattle, Washington. Mija Riedel (1958- ) is a curator and writer, from San Francisco, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr.
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 -- Philosophy  Search this
Glass artists -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.ruffne06
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw931b74bd9-b07a-4bd2-b0fd-6ac6c21fbf87
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ruffne06
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Robert Sperry

Interviewee:
Sperry, Robert, 1927-1998  Search this
Interviewer:
Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this
Names:
Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this
Extent:
75 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 August 11
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Robert Sperry conducted 1983 August 11, by LaMar Harrington, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.
Sperry speaks of his family background; his army service; his education; his early career in ceramics; the Oriental influence in his work; folk art; his contemporaries in ceramics; and his current plans. He recalls Peter Voulkos.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Sperry (1927-1998) was a ceramist from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 4 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Topic:
Folk art  Search this
Ceramics  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Ceramicists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.sperry83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9fd38aa8c-f062-4663-b0f0-b2781bf2ec26
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-sperry83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Dorothy Malone

Interviewee:
Malone, Dorothy, 1912-  Search this
Interviewer:
Ragen, Suzanne  Search this
Names:
Seattle Art Museum  Search this
Anderson, Guy, 1906-1998  Search this
Callahan, Kenneth, 1905-1986  Search this
Fuller, Richard E. (Richard Eugene), 1897-1976  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
32 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 Jan. 27
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Dorothy Malone conducted 1983 Jan. 27, by Suzanne Ragen, at the Seattle Art Museum in Seattle, Wash., for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project. Malone speaks of her association with the Seattle Art Museum since its founding in 1933; working as Dr. Richard Fuller's secretary; Fuller's policies and administration; major shows at the Museum; the "Northwest School" and some of its members, including Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson.
Biographical / Historical:
Dorothy Malone (1912- ) was a secretary from Seattle, Wash. She worked for Richard E. Fuller, director of the Seattle Art Museum.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 19 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Topic:
Northwest school of artists  Search this
Art -- Northwestern States  Search this
Function:
Art museums -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.malone83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96b6b19c0-5491-4ae8-8a09-b99161712713
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-malone83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Joanna Eckstein

Interviewee:
Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983  Search this
Interviewer:
Ragen, Suzanne  Search this
Names:
Seattle Art Museum  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
56 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 April 7
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Joanna Eckstein conducted on 1983 April 7, by Suzanne Ragen, in Seattle, Washington, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.
Eckstein speaks of her family background; education; the development of her art and poetry interests; the Seattle art scene prior to the opening of the Seattle Art Museum; the Museum's collecting policy and administration; art in public and private places; and her thoughts on aging well. She recalls the painter Mark Tobey. The interview is followed by Eckstein's speech on the history of the Seattle Art Museum delivered to the Docent Council at the Museum.
Biographical / Historical:
Joanna Eckstein (1903-1983) was an art patron from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav file. Duration is 3 hr., 22 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington, and Montana.
Topic:
Art patronage -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art patrons -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Function:
Art museums -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.eckste83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw937242987-564d-4016-9166-852eebee48df
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-eckste83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with William Ivey

Interviewee:
Ivey, William, 1919-1992  Search this
Interviewer:
Johns, Barbara  Search this
Names:
Bunce, Louis, 1907-1983  Search this
Corley, Ward  Search this
Gilkey, Richard C. (Richard Charles), 1925-  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this
Extent:
6 Sound cassettes (Sound recording)
75 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 May 24-31
Scope and Contents:
An interview of William Ivey conducted 1983 May 24-31, by Barbara Johns, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project,
This interview took place at the artist's studio in Seattle, Wash. Ivey speaks of his family background and education, including law school; studying at the California School of Fine Arts; studying under Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko; working at the Seattle Art Museum and the Henry Gallery; working as artist-in-residence at Reed College; founding the Artists' Gallery (Seattle, Wash.); exhibiting at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Gallery Arnaud in Paris and the Seattle Art Museum; collectors of his work; his methods and style; the current art scene; and his future plans. He recalls Ward Corley, Louis Bunce, Richard Gilkey and others.
Biographical / Historical:
William Ivey (1919-1992) was a painter from Seattle, Wash.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Topic:
Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.ivey83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bffe0a83-4c5c-4e7d-9378-242ec0e8edd7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ivey83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Ruth Penington

Interviewee:
Penington, Ruth, b. 1905  Search this
Interviewer:
Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this
Names:
Northwest Printmakers  Search this
Rohde, Gilbert, 1894-1944  Search this
Extent:
63 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 Feb. 10-11
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Ruth Penington conducted 1983 Feb. 10-11, by LaMar Harrington, at the artist's home in Seattle, Wash., for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project. Penington speaks of her family background; her early interests; her education; the beginnings of the Northwest Printmakers; teaching at the University of California; the change in the definition of art in universities; the influence of Gilbert Rohde; her philosophy of teaching, of art, and of commercialism; various shows and exhibitions she has been involved in; her work methods and her current work.
Biographical / Historical:
Ruth Penington (1905-1998) was an educator, metalworker, and printmaker from Seattle, Wash.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 48 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Occupation:
Educators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Printmakers  Search this
Metal-workers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Printmakers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.pening83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a08785dc-f4d9-4f7a-bfc8-b17486d344be
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pening83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Jan Thompson

Interviewee:
Thompson, Jan Newstrom  Search this
Interviewer:
Prince, Sue Ann  Search this
Names:
Callahan, Harry M.  Search this
Callahan, Kenneth, 1905-1986  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
67 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 September 6-November 16
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Jan Thompson conducted 1983 September 6-1983 November 16, by Sue Ann Kendall, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project at the artist's home in Seattle, Washington.
Thompson speaks of her association with Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan and others; women in Northwest art; her lack of interest in figurative painting; and abstract expressionism and pop art. She recalls John Cage.
Biographical / Historical:
Jan Newstrom Thompson is an arts patron from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 11 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Art patrons -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Art patronage  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women art patrons  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.thomps83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9438ad656-5731-4ea0-aef8-9464045994ca
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-thomps83
Online Media:

Linda Farris Gallery records

Creator:
Linda Farris Gallery  Search this
Farris, Linda  Search this
Names:
Barry, Lynda, 1956-  Search this
Bruskin, Grisha, 1945-  Search this
Clough, Charles, 1951-  Search this
Landfield, Ronnie, 1947-  Search this
Luce, Charles, 1947-  Search this
Lucero, Michael, 1953-  Search this
Markovitz, Sherry  Search this
Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988  Search this
Noah, Barbara  Search this
Pepper, Beverly  Search this
Extent:
13.4 Linear feet (13 Boxes, 1 sol, 1 ov folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Lectures
Photographs
Sound recordings
Visitors' books
Date:
1969-1995
Summary:
The records of Seattle's avant-garde Linda Farris Gallery measure 13.4 linear feet and date from 1969-1995. The bulk of the records consist of artists' and exhibition files. Also found are gallery business correspondence, administrative files, event files, reference files, records of sales, scattered legal files, the personal papers of gallery owner Linda Farris, and printed materials.
Scope and Contents:
The records of Seattle's avant-garde Linda Farris Gallery measure 13.4 linear feet and date from 1969-1995. The bulk of the records consist of artists' and exhibition files. Also found are gallery business correspondence, administrative files, event files, reference files, records of sales, scattered legal files, the personal papers of gallery owner Linda Farris, and printed materials. Business correspondence is with galleries, dealers, publishers, museums, and other businesses. Administrative files are varied and include advertising and promotion materials, exhibition schedules, mailing lists, guest books, a scrapbook, and gallery history.

Artists' files are found for many contemporary American artists that interested Linda Farris or were represented by the gallery. The contents of each file vary but many include photographs and slides, writings, correspondence, and printed materials. Files for Lynda Barry, Grisha Brusking, Charles Clough, Ronnie Landfield, Charles Luce, Michael Lucerno, Sherry Markovitz, Louise Nevelson, Barbara Noah, and Beverly Pepper are particularly rich. Exhibition files are for Linda Farris Gallery exhibitions and include printed materials, correspondence, loan and consignment agreements, and photographs.

Event files cover anniversary celebrations, lectures, panel discussions, and receptions. There are 17 sound cassette recordings of "Art Now" lectures and "Focus" panel discussions. Scattered reference files contain collected materials on subjects of interest to the gallery. There are scattered financial, sales, and legal files. Sales records cover 1970-1979.

Linda Farris' personal papers contain printed materials about her and the gallery and other materials concerning her professional and curatorial work outside of the gallery. There is also a transcript of an oral history with Farris and a news interview.

Printed materials include published books and magazines, clippings and exhibition catalogs and announcements.

Photographs are scattered throughout adminstrative files, exhibition files, event files, and Linda Farris' personal papers.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Correspondence, 1975-1991, undated (Box 1; .7 linear feet)

Series 2: Administrative files, 1970-1995, undated (Box 1-2, 14; 1 linear feet)

Series 3: Artists and Exhibition files, 1969-1995, undated (Box 2-9, 15; 6.6 linear feet)

Series 4: Events files, 1971-1990, undated (Box 9, 14; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 5: Reference files, 1969-1994, undated (Box 9-10; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 6: Financial, Sales and Legal files, 1970-1995 (Box 10; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 7: Linda Farris Papers, 1972-1995 (Box 10-11; .9 linear feet)

Series 8: Printed Materials, 1970-1995 (Box 11-14; 2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
The Linda Farris Gallery was Seattle's leading venue for contemporary art during its twenty-five years of operation.

Linda Farris opened Gallery East in Bellevue in 1970, and a year later moved to Pioneer Square in Seattle, changing the name to Linda Farris Gallery in 1973. The gallery continued to present contemporary art there until closing in December 1995. Art dealer Linda Farris began representing a group of promising artists, all graduates of the University of Washington. Greg Kucera of the Greg Kucera Gallery noted in an article for the Seattle Weekly, "Their work could be loosely seen as a movement, complete with aesthetic interrelationships, convenient marriages, an unintelligible manifesto in the form of Dennis Evans' quirky pronouncements…" From the same article he states, "Her avant-garde gallery changed forever the nature of being an art dealer in Seattle." It was among the three or four most influential galleries in the Pacific Northwest.

The gallery held exhibitions of many nationally known contemporary artists, including Sam Francis, Louise Nevelson, and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as Northwest artists Jeffrey Bishop, Dennis Evans, Sherry Markovitz, Nancy Mee, Norie Sato, and Patti Warashina. The latter group started with the gallery and remained loyal at the time of its closing in 1995.

Art dealer, collector and free-lance curator Linda B. Farris (1944-2005), a native of San Francisco and a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (1966), was an active participant in and style setter for the Seattle art world for the twenty-five years she was in business. As a member of the art community she actively supported the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, Pilchuck Glass School, and Seattle Art Museum's Contemporary Art Council, and served on the boards of directors of Henry Art Gallery and Factory Visual Arts. Farris curated "Eight Seattle Artists" in 1981 for the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art and "Self Portraits" in 1983 for the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. She also led the movement to keep Henry Moore's "Vertebrae" from leaving Seattle, and instituted a series of talks, panel discussions, performances, and tours in her gallery, and in and around Seattle.

This note draws heavily on the Archives of American Art's West Coast Regional Collector Paul Karlstrom's collection description written upon acquisition of the papers.
Related Materials:
An oral history interview with Linda Farris conducted in 1975 by Sally Swenson, is located in the University of Washington University Libraries Digital Collections.
Provenance:
The Linda Farris Gallery records were donated to the Archives of American Art by owner Linda Farris in 1995 at the time she closed the gallery.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access 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.
Topic:
Avant-garde (Aesthetics)  Search this
Art -- Washington (State) -- Exhibitions  Search this
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Artists -- Northwestern States  Search this
Transcripts  Search this
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- Washington (State)
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Lectures
Photographs
Sound recordings
Visitors' books
Citation:
Linda Farris Gallery records, 1969-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.lindfarr
See more items in:
Linda Farris Gallery records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a88eaff1-cd31-4f5b-a7bf-1e2648ae6b2d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-lindfarr
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Kenneth Callahan

Interviewee:
Callahan, Kenneth, 1905-1986  Search this
Interviewer:
Prince, Sue Ann  Search this
Names:
Group of Twelve (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this
Seattle Art Museum  Search this
Anderson, Guy, 1906-1998  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
75 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1982 October 27-December 19
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Kenneth Callahan conducted 1982 October 27-1982 December 19, by Sue Ann Kendall, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.
Callahan speaks of his childhood in Montana; his education; working as an illustrator; early shows of his work; mural commissions; the Northwest arts community, particularly Morris Graves, Guy Anderson and Mark Tobey; changes in his subject matter and interests; the increasing abstraction in his painting; the fire in his studio; his relationship with the Seattle Art Museum, where he worked as a curator for 20 years; collectors he has known; experimenting with other media; and contemporary art and its future.
Biographical / Historical:
Kenneth Callahan (1905-1986) was a painter, muralist, writer, and curator from Long Beach, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 7 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 11 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 27 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.callah82
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f4fd83e5-f7a4-412d-add2-aa314479d613
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-callah82
Online Media:

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