The collection documents the work of the Sosa, Bromley and Aguilar and Associates advertising agency of San Antonio, Texas.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the work of the Sosa, Bromley and Aguilar and Associates advertising agency of San Antonio, Texas. They created advertising for large corporations such as Western Union, American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Mars, Procter and Gamble, Anheuser-Busch, and Burger King. Additionally, they worked on political campaigns for Republican candidates including George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. Works created for local institutions such as the San Antonio Symphony and Incarnate Word High School are also represented in the collection. Sosa, Bromley and Aguilar were pioneers in developing advertising strategies to appeal to Latino consumers.
This collection includes internal corporate documentation such as awards, financial reports, marketing strategies, advertisement samples and newsletters, as well as newspaper and magazine articles. The majority of the collection consists of audiovisual materials in D2, BetacamSP, 3/4" U-Matic and 1" videotape formats. The audiovisual materials contain commercials, casting calls/auditions, director reels, public service announcements, focus groups sessions and more. Six hours of oral histories with the principals and transcriptions of the interviews are also included in the collection. Prominent sections of the collection include advertisements created for the Center for Disease Control to address misconceptions about AIDS in Latino communities, as well as photographs, an audiocassette, and public service announcements pertaining to the life and death of singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.
Arrangement:
This collection is divided into five series:
Series 1: Background Materials, 1980-2015
Series 2: Financial Materials, 1983-1989
Series 3: Clippings, 1988-1999
Series 4: Advertisements, 1988-1995
Series 5: Audiovisual Materials, 1988-1997
Biographical / Historical:
Lionel Sosa (b. 1939) is from San Antonio, Texas and is of Mexican descent. His first venture as an entrepreneur was starting a graphic design studio called Sosart which later developed into an advertising agency. Ernest Bromley (b.1951), of Puerto Rican and Canadian descent, joined the company in 1981 while employed at the University of Texas, San Antonio as a researcher. Bromley's background in acculturation, advertising and consumer research provided a unique perspective for the newly developed Sosa and Associates. Adolfo "Al" Aguilar (b. 1955), also of Mexican descent, studied advertising and marketing at the University of Texas, Austin. Aguilar worked for Coca-Cola's first Hispanic Marketing Department when he began meeting with Sosa and Bromley. Eventually, Aguilar helped bring the Coca-Cola account to Sosa Bromley and Associates. This successful transfer ultimately led to the development of Sosa, Bromley and Aguilar and Associates.
Spanish Language Television Collection (NMAH.AC.1404)
Goya Foods, Inc. Collection, 1960-2000 (NMAH.AC.0694)
Separated Materials:
Items relating to this collection were donated to the Division of Numismatics and Division of Work and Industry. See accessions: 2002.0007.0517 (Tetradrachm coin); 2015.0080.01 (1988 Clio Award Trophy Hispanic Advertising AIDS Campaign); 2015.0080.02 (Promotional Mug); 2015.0080.05 (Promotional Watch); 2016.3049.02 (1993 Clio Award for Hispanic Market Coca Cola Classic); 2015.0080.06 (1990 Adweek Plaque); 2015.0080.03 (1995 Selena Commemorative Pin).
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center in 2015, by Lionel Sosa, Ernest Bromley and Adolfo Aguilar.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
"A position paper directed to revitalizing a fine modern tradition" by painter and author Ed Garman measures 0.01 linear feet and is dated 1993. The collection consists of a single copy of Garman's essay in which he creates a model for the search for the ideal in modern art.
Scope and Contents:
"A position paper directed to revitalizing a fine modern tradition" by Ed Garman measures 0.01 linear feet and is dated 1993. The collection consists of a single copy of Garman's essay in which he creates a model for the search for the ideal in modern art. Garman examines the work and ideas of artists Robert Delaunay, Wassily Kandinsky, Frantisek Kupka, Kasimir Malevich, and Piet Mondrian as examples of artist-prophets who achieved the ideal in painting and who transcended the merely physical in art. Without mentioning the Transcendental Painting Group, Garman establishes the group's position on art and links it to the ideals of these past modernists.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and author Ed Garman (1914-2004) was active in New Mexico and California and was one of the chief spokespersons for the Transcendental Painting Group (1938-1942).
Based in New Mexico, the group's manifesto stated it's purpose "to carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world, through new concepts of space, color, light and design, to imaginative realms that are idealistic and spiritual." Members sought to push the boundaries of art beyond the traditional and representative, towards the abstract and non-objective.
As well as being the group's chief spokesperson, Garman was also the archivist and chronicler for the Transcendental Painting Group and wrote a historical art study of member Raymond Jonson's work. He wrote the essay "A position paper directed to revitalizing a fine modern tradition" at the age of 79, stating it was the result of his "attempts to understand art in relation to life and grow as an outward looking, spiritual minded humanist."
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Ed Garman autobiography (1998) and an oral history interview with Ed Garman (1998 Mar. 25-30).
Provenance:
Donated by art dealer Martin Diamond in 1993.
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.