Search Results

Interviewer:

Ansah, Ebow  Search this

Names:

Bawa, Mahama  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

2 Digital files

1 Sound cassette

Culture:

Ghanaians  Search this

West Africans  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Digital files

Sound cassettes

Place:

Ghana

Africa

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Date:

1992 November 17

Scope and Contents:

Mahama Bawa spoke about the origin and purpose of his African clothing store, Kobos, located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. He explained why he choose to sell African clothing; his passion for African culture, and his work selling African clothing and accessories; the impact of his store and work on the community; the African American community's acceptance of the store; and little support from the Ghanaian and West African community. Bawa also spoke about resources to learn African languages, Kwanzaa, his future plans, his wife and daughters, the meaning of African names, and the uses of Kente cloth and Kente cloth patterns. Bawa spoke about his educational experience, his parents, his family's West African ancestry, and being raised within his culture and living his culture, including African values. He also briefly spoke about his migration to the United States from Ghana, working in the foreign office of Ghana, coming to the US on professional training within the field of foreign affairs, and teaching African studies at American University.

Bawa described in detail jewelry, clothing, and other items sold in his store. The descriptions included what country the items are from, the materials the items are made of, how made they are made, and the ethnic and cultural history of the items. Bawa explained how he chooses the merchandise for the store, including working with small scale designers and tailors in West Africa, and African artisans located in Washington, DC. Customers spoke about why they visit the store, supporting African businesses, their families, and where they are from. Description and explanation of Kente cloth, cultural insensitivity, body politics, clothing as communication, and languages and dialects in Ghana were also discussed during these customer interviews. The recording also captured the atmosphere of the store, including the music played in the store and Bawa interacting with customers.

Mahama Bawa and customers were interviewed by Ebow Ansah. Interviews are in English. Digital audio files include white noise and static; loud buzzing sound during a portion of interview; and background noise. Interviewees' voices are intelligible for the most part.

General:

Associated documentation for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.

Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Businesspeople  Search this

Teachers  Search this

Africans  Search this

African Americans  Search this

Clothing and dress  Search this

Dress accessories  Search this

Kente cloth  Search this

Fashion  Search this

Stores, Retail  Search this

Emigration and immigration  Search this

Kwanzaa  Search this

Language and languages  Search this

Interviews  Search this

Citation:

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records / Series 2: Research Files / Oral History Interviews

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa79b04cc2d-8923-43cd-97ea-ad3b2aaa0be8

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-03-027-ref1877

Names:

Ansah, Kobina  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

2 Digital files

1 Sound cassette

Culture:

Ghanaians  Search this

Africans  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Digital files

Sound cassettes

Place:

Ghana

Africa

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Date:

1992 December 08

Scope and Contents:

Kobina Ansah spoke about his large family, many with a variety of artistic inclinations; his educational experience; his early jobs in radio and film industries in Ghana; why he migrated to the United States; an encounter with the police not long after he arrived in Washington, DC; and his expectations about the United States prior to arriving in the US.

Ansah spoke about why he began silkscreen printing and making tee shirts; expressing his creative and writing ideas, including political statements, on tee shirts; limiting his business to the African market; specific statements, related to African culture and what is happening in Africa, written on his tee shirts; contract work for Ghanaian and African groups; his relationship with customers; and the quality of his work.

Ansah explained the popularity of tee shirts in Ghana; the reaction of Ghanaians in Ghana to his tee shirts; his design and screen printing process, in detail; why he wants to return to the film industry in some capacity; and the conditions that would need to change for him to return to Ghana. He expressed his thoughts about Ghanaian and African organizations and institutions in the Washington, DC; and why Ghanaians leave Ghana. Ansah spoke about the film industry in Ghana and why African films are not being shown in western countries; the concerns Ghanaians have about their family members living in Washington, DC because of the violence; his perception of the violence; and his thoughts about guns and weapons.

Interview is in English. Digital audio files include white noise and static. Interviewee's voice is intelligible.

General:

Associated documentation for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.

Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Occupation:

Artists  Search this

Serigraphers  Search this

Topic:

Businesspeople  Search this

Emigration and immigration  Search this

Serigraphy  Search this

T-shirts  Search this

Political art  Search this

Motion picture industry  Search this

Associations, institutions, etc.  Search this

Violence  Search this

Guns  Search this

Interviews  Search this

Citation:

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records / Series 2: Research Files / Oral History Interviews

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa7bf45fa68-3ab9-4bac-bd51-521a0cebecc2

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-03-027-ref1913

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Names:

Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

21.6 Cubic feet (consisting of 17 cartons, 2 oversized boxes.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Transcripts

Color slides

Exhibition records

Exhibit scripts

Contact sheets

Photographic prints

Correspondence

Place:

Washington Metropolitan Area

Date:

1942-1998

Summary:

These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of an exhibition exploring the immigration of people of African descent from Central and South America and the Caribbean to the Washington Metropolitan Area. The show was organized and hosted by the Anacostia Museum from August 21, 1994 through August 7, 1995. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit script, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.

Scope and Contents:

The records of the Black Mosaic exhibition presented by the Anacostia Community Museum measure 21.6 cubic feet and date from 1942 to 1998, with the bulk of material dating from 1990 to 1995. The records include administrative records, publications, research files, floor plans, exhibit text drafts, oral history transcripts, and project files for programs coordinated for or tangentially with the Black Mosaic Exhibit.

Administrative records include advisory board member lists, meeting minutes, agendas, grant proposals, project reports and assessments, correspondence, training material for museum volunteers and docents, and assorted notes. Publications within the series directly relate to the Black Mosaic Exhibit and the Anacostia Community Museum. Correspondence includes both internal correspondence and those with local community members.

Writings and notes were previously scattered throughout the collection have been collocated within the Administrative Records series, and a majority are undated. The notes cover topics ranging from administrative activities to exhibit and research planning. Included are printed documents, scrap paper, and spiral-bound notebooks.

The research files contain background information about numerous immigrant communities within Washington D.C. The community research files were originally organized by country, continent, or region of origin, and then later by subjects that coordinated with the exhibit's designated themes. This organization method has largely been maintained. Research files include scholarly articles, news clippings, event programs, compiled bibliographies, and material related to the study of museology.

The exhibit files include floor plan layouts, photocopies of images, interview transcripts, exhibit literature, and extensive exhibit text drafts. Drafts of the exhibit's text include notes throughout multiple editing stages. Additionally, copies of flip books for different thematic sections of the Black Mosaic exhibit are included and are organized alphabetically by title. Other exhibit literature present is primarily in English with one French copy present.

The project files include training material for collecting oral histories and documenting community folklife, conference records, event records, and records pertaining to related projects at the Anacostia Community Museum. Concurrent projects supporting the exhibit include the Black Mosaic community newsletter and an educational curriculum project. Additional project records that thematically overlap with the Black Mosaic exhibit but extend beyond the timeframe of the formal exhibit are present also.

Arrangement:

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D.C. exhibition records are arranged in four series:

Series 1: Administrative Records

Series 2: Research Files

Series 3: Exhibit Files

Series 4: Project Files

Historical Note:

The exhibit Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D.C. was curated by the Anacostia Community Museum's supervisory curator Portia James, and was open at the Anacostia Community Museum from August 1994 to August 1995. The exhibition explored the immigration of people of African descent from South America, Central America, and the Caribbean to the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Topics addressed in the exhibition include migration, situations faced by Black immigrants, the maintenance of relationships with places of origin, community events and cultural performances, public and private expressions of culture, commodification of culture for economic support, and the expression of multiple identities. Some intentions of the exhibit were to provide forums for discussing culture and identity, provide resources for people learning about communities in the Washington Metro area, and to be a model to other museums and cultural institutions for understanding and interpreting similar immigration and settlement patterns.

The exhibit was designed to be experienced with broader cultural concepts being introduced towards the external part of the exhibit, while personal stories could be experienced further in. Over 100 oral history interviews featured prominently in the exhibit where interviewed individuals explained their immigration experience and how they've adapted to life in the area. The exhibit also included mounted photographs, artifacts, music, and conversations. Artifacts included passport photos, tickets, family photographs, and letters. The exhibit's text displayed in three languages: English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. There were additional exhibition guides provided in Brazilian Portuguese, French, and the Ghanaian languages of Ga, Twi, Akan, and Ewe.

Coupled with the exhibit, the museum coordinated an extensive series of programs to engage various communities in the exploration of issues and traditions. These programs included creating newsletters and a photograph exhibit to keep the community up to date about the progression of the exhibit, working with performance groups, creating multi-institutional partnerships in order to develop more effective methods of collecting oral histories, and collaborating and modeling for the CFPCS African Immigrant Communities project.

Provenance:

Records of Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity Among Black Immigrants in Washington, D.C. Exhibition were created by the Anacostia Community Museum.

Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Immigrants -- United States -- Exhibitions  Search this

Museum exhibits  Search this

Genre/Form:

Transcripts

Color slides

Exhibition records -- 1990-2004

Exhibit scripts

Contact sheets

Photographic prints

Correspondence

Citation:

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

Identifier:

ACMA.03-027

See more items in:

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa769b48dcf-5b93-4db2-b89e-3e4819fb8f55

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-acma-03-027

Creator:

Archives of American Art  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2023-05-01T16:39:57.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianAAA

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianAAA

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_rP18W3xclgg

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-07-02T11:34:08.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_Bq_TuHh-4CM

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2022-01-06T23:24:09.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_ztEi9liOHXU

Creator:

Lemelson Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2022-05-11T15:32:46.000Z

YouTube Category:

Science & Technology  Search this

Topic:

American History  Search this

See more by:

LemelsonCenter

Data Source:

Lemelson Center, National Museum of American History

YouTube Channel:

LemelsonCenter

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_1_QsE7pSSlU

Creator:

Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2012-12-05T14:06:36.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

See more by:

americanartmuseum

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

YouTube Channel:

americanartmuseum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_j25Z8jzqWo0

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-07-13T17:48:01.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_DCjoLIzNpZk

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

Conversations and talks

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2018-02-26T20:12:06.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_ihRIMj10q00

Editor:

Eide, Hanne  Search this

Wiese, Kristian Wikborg 1986-  Search this

Writer of foreword:

Hindsbo, Karin  Search this

Author:

Formafantasma (Design practice)  Search this

Host institution:

Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design (Norway),)  Search this

Subject:

Formafantasma (Design practice)  Search this

Physical description:

176 pages illustrations (chiefly color) 28 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Expositions

Exhibition catalogs

Catalogues d'exposition

Date:

2023

Topic:

Wool  Search this

Sheep--Ecology  Search this

Laine  Search this

Moutons--Élevage--Aspect de l'environnement  Search this

Moutons--Écologie  Search this

Moutons--Élevage--Histoire  Search this

Laine--Industrie--Aspect de l'environnement  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1165961

Collector:

N/A  Search this

Donor Name:

Mrs. Marjorie M. Post  Search this

Culture:

San Ildefonso  Search this

Object Type:

Pot

Place:

Not Given, United States, North America

Accession Date:

16 Jun 1981

Topic:

Ethnology  Search this

Accession Number:

318782

USNM Number:

E419033A-0

See more items in:

Anthropology

Data Source:

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/39ec02b4f-54fc-4c02-989e-de827a2a4589

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8451365

Artist:

Ireland, David, 1930-2009  Search this

Names:

American Academy in Rome  Search this

Arts Club of Chicago  Search this

California College of Arts and Crafts (San Francisco, Calif.)  Search this

Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens  Search this

Gallery Paule Anglim  Search this

Helmhaus Zürich  Search this

Mattress Factory  Search this

New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts  Search this

San Francisco Art Institute  Search this

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art  Search this

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture  Search this

Stanford University  Search this

Walker Art Center  Search this

Washington State Arts Commission  Search this

Western Washington University  Search this

Coppola, Eleanor  Search this

Grobart, Jeffrey  Search this

Lee, Margie  Search this

Lienhard, Marie-Louise  Search this

Marion, Paul  Search this

Tingle, Alta  Search this

Extent:

24.8 Linear feet

8.39 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Video recordings

Sketches

Interviews

Prints

Sound recordings

Drawings

Photographs

Date:

circa 1910s-circa 2009

bulk 1960-2005

Summary:

The papers of California conceptual artist and sculptor David Ireland measure 24.8 linear feet and 8.39 GB and date from circa 1910s to circa 2009, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 2005. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, notes and notebooks, installation projects and exhibition files, teaching files, travel files, personal business records, printed and digital material and commercial recordings, photographic materials, artwork, and video and sound recordings.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of California conceptual artist and sculptor David Ireland measure 24.8 linear feet and 8.39 GB and date from circa 1910s to circa 2009, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 2005. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, notes and notebooks, installation projects and exhibition files, teaching files, travel files, personal business records, printed and digital material and commercial sound recordings, photographic materials, artwork, and video and sound recordings.

Biographical material includes awards and certificates, address books and appointment books, artist's statements, resumes, chronologies, student university materials, passports, and sound and video recordings of interviews with Ireland. Correspondence is with friends, peers, universities, galleries, and museums, including Jeffrey Grobart, Eleanor Coppola, Margie Lee, Marie-Louise Lienhard, Paul Marion, and Alta Tingle, among others. Notes and notebooks contain incoming phone messages, notes to self, regarding projects and ideas, as well as various other notes and plans.

Installation projects and exhibition files constitute the bulk of the collection and document David Ireland's extensive projects and exhibitions around the world. Files are found for his Capp Street house project and Pacific Enterprises project in San Francisco; Boott Mills project in Lowell, Massachusetts; IKEA Emeryville Public Art Project in Emeryville, California; and several Washington State Arts Commission and Western Washington University projects. Other exhibition and installation locations found within the files include the American Academy in Rome; Yerba Buena Arts Center in California; Perth Institute of Contemporary Art in Australia; Helmhaus in Zurich, Switzerland; Arts Club of Chicago; SFMOMA; New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York; Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, among many others. The files contain a wide variety of materials, including sound and video recordings in various formats.

Teaching files document David Ireland's many roles as visiting artist, artist-in-residence, instructor, and conference and symposium panelist at the California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco Art Institute, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and Stanford University Department of Art, among others. Travel files document Ireland's trips abroad, both independent of and as a result of installation and project obligations.

Personal business records are comprised of financial materials and documentation relating to Ireland's two early South African import and safari businesses as well grants and project proposals, various loan agreements, representation through Gallery Paule Anglim, property sales and tax documentation, inventory materials, and various other business materials. Also found within the collection are printed material and four commercial sound recordings. Photographs are of the artist, friends and family, Ireland's Oakland studio, and works of art. There is artwork by Ireland, including sketches, drawings, and prints, and a few pieces of artwork by other artists. In addition to sound and video recordings arranged in other series, there is one video recording and six sound cassettes that are either unidentified or have no additional context within the collection.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged as 11 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1950-circa 2009 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1937-circa 2008 (4 linear feet; Boxes 2-6)

Series 3: Notes and Notebooks, circa 1965-circa 2008 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 6-7)

Series 4: Installation Projects and Exhibition Files, circa 1960s-circa 2009 (11.6 linear feet; Boxes 7-18, OV26, OV27, 7.84 GB; ER01-ER15)

Series 5: Teaching Files, 1977-1998 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 18-19)

Series 6: Travel Files, circa 1950s-circa 1994 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 19-20)

Series 7: Personal Business Records, circa 1965-circa 2008 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 20-21)

Series 8: Printed Material and Commercial Recordings, 1932-circa 2009 (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 21-23, 0.553 GB; ER16)

Series 9: Photographic Materials, circa 1910s-circa 2005 (1 linear foot; Boxes 23-24)

Series 10: Artwork, circa 1965-circa 2003 (0.2 linear feet; Box 24)

Series 11: Video and Sound Recordings, circa 1965-circa 1990s (0.4 linear feet; Box 25)

Biographical / Historical:

David Ireland (1930-2009) was a conceptual artist and sculptor who worked in San Francisco, California.

Ireland was born in Bellingham, Washington and attended Western Washington University. In 1953, he received a degree in industrial design and printmaking from the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) in Oakland. He then served two years in the U. S. Army in Missouri, returning to live and work in Bellingham. For several years, Bellingham served as his launch point for extensive travels in Europe and Africa.

In the late 1950s, Ireland founded Hunter Africa, an artifacts import business. He moved the business to San Francisco in 1965 and also began a second business leading safaris in Africa. He married Bellingham native Joanne Westford and had two children, Ian Ireland and Shaughn Niland; they divorced in 1970.

Ireland attended the San Francisco Art Institute and received a graduate degree in 1974. There, he met other Bay Area artists involved in the conceptual movement there, including Tom Marioni, Paul Kos, Howard Fried, and Terry Fox.

Much of Ireland's artwork of the 1980s and 1990s centered on the transformation of his home at 500 Capp Street in San Francisco, where he dramatically physically and conceptually transformed the interior and exterior structure into a mix of architectural sculpture and environmental art piece. He bought a second home in 1979 to transform, and, in the 1980s, completed a renovation of the main building at the Headlands Center for Arts in Sausalito with artist Mark Thompson.

David Ireland's work has been presented in more than forty solo exhibitions at venues that included the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.; The Museum of Modern Art and the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York. He created major public projects and private commissions in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, D. C., and other cities. His work is included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of California, and University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, among others.

Provenance:

The David Ireland papers were donated in 2010 by the David Ireland Estate through Jock Reynolds, Special Trustee, The David Ireland Revocable Trust.

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 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.

Occupation:

Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Conceptual artists -- California -- San Francisco  Search this

Topic:

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Installations (Art)  Search this

Public art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Sketches

Interviews

Prints

Sound recordings

Drawings

Photographs

Citation:

David Ireland papers, circa 1910s-circa 2009, bulk 1960-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by The David Ireland Revocable Trust.

Identifier:

AAA.ireldavi

See more items in:

David Ireland Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw927567772-c71f-4f30-a427-adbd535e1009

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-ireldavi

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-07-02T11:32:51.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_1cHClOH2cwA

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-08-12T01:07:37.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_MRJfemJgL_Y

Creator:

Bengston, Billy Al  Search this

Names:

Ferus Gallery (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

James Corcoran Gallery  Search this

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

Martha Jackson Gallery  Search this

Alexander, Peter, 1939-  Search this

Altoon, John, 1925-  Search this

Andre, Carl, 1935-  Search this

Chamberlain, John, 1927-2011  Search this

Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993  Search this

Flavin, Dan, 1933-  Search this

Goode, Joe, 1937-  Search this

Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997  Search this

Motherwell, Robert  Search this

Plagens, Peter  Search this

Ruscha, Edward  Search this

Extent:

10.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Interviews

Photographs

Date:

circa 1940s-1989

bulk 1960-1988

Summary:

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

Scope and Content Note:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 10 series:

Missing Title

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Biographical Note:

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

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

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

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

Related Material:

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

Provenance:

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

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Painters -- California  Search this

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Photographs

Citation:

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

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.bengbill

See more items in:

Billy Al Bengston papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

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

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bengbill

Creator:

Woman's Building (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Subject:

Chicago, Judy  Search this

De Bretteville, Sheila Levrant  Search this

Raven, Arlene  Search this

Feminist Studio Workshop  Search this

Women's Graphic Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Type:

Slides

Artists' books

Citation:

Woman's Building records, 1970-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Feminism and art  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

Art organizations  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6347

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215074

AAA_collcode_womabuil

Theme:

Women

Art organizations

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215074

Creator:

Woman's Building (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Names:

Feminist Studio Workshop  Search this

Women's Graphic Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Search this

Chicago, Judy, 1939-  Search this

De Bretteville, Sheila Levrant  Search this

Raven, Arlene  Search this

Extent:

32.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides

Artists' books

Date:

1970-1992

Summary:

The records of the Woman's Building feminist arts organization in Los Angeles measure 32.5 linear feet and date from 1970-1992. Originally founded by artist Judy Chicago, graphic designer Sheila Levant de Bretteville, and art historian Arlene Raven in 1973, the Woman's Building served as an education center and public gallery space for women artists in southern California. The records document both the educational and exhibition activities and consist of administrative records, financial and legal records, publications, curriculum files, exhibition files, grant funding records and artist's works of arts and prints. A significant portion of the collection documents the Women's Graphic Center, a typesetting, design, and printing service operated by The Woman's Building.

Scope and Content Note:

The records of the Woman's Building measure 32.5 linear feet and date from 1970 to 1992. The organization played a key role as an alternative space for women artists energized by the feminist movement in the 1970s. The records document the ways in which feminist theory shaped the Building's founding core mission and goals. During its eighteen year history, the Building served as an education center and a public gallery space for women artists in Los Angeles and southern California; the records reflect both functions of the Building's activities.

The Administrative Files series documents the daily operations of the Building, with particular emphasis on management policies, budget planning, history, cooperative relationships with outside art organizations and galleries, special building-wide programs, and relocation planning. Included in this series are the complete minutes from most Building committees from 1974 through closing, including the Board of Directors and the Advisory Council. The General Publicity and Outreach series is particularly complete, containing publicity notices from most events, exhibits, and programs held at the Woman's Building, including brochures, announcements, programs, invitations, press releases, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles.

The Woman's Building's educational programs centered on courses offered by the Feminist Studio Workshop and the Extension Program. While the Workshop provided a two-year program for women interested in fully developing their artistic talent, the Extension Program offered a broad range of classes, specifically oriented to working women interested in art and art vocations. The records fully document both programs, focusing on the course development and descriptions, teacher contracts, class evaluations, budget planning, and scholarship programs. Although the Archives does not have the entire slide library, there are files concerning the establishment and administration of the library, as well as a few folders of slides.

The Gallery Programs series houses the records of the visual, performing, literary and video arts events held at the Woman's Building. Administrative files detail the daily operation of the gallery spaces. The files in the remaining subseries are primarily arranged by event and contain proposals, announcements, publicity, and artist biographies.

The Women's Graphic Center became a profit-making arm of the Woman's Building in 1981 but the typesetting and design equipment had been used by staff and students since 1975. The records in this series focus on the work produced at the Center, including general projects and artist designs and art prints. Many of the design and printing examples were produced for Woman's Building events and programs.

The Artist's Works of Art series includes artist books, resumes, correspondence, postcards, and samples of art in the form of sketches, drawings, and prints. There is also material related to Woman's Building projects. Especially noteworthy is the "What is Feminist Art?" project where artists gave their responses in various formats and mediums from text to pieces of artwork.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 6 series.

Series 1: Administrative Files, circa 1970-1991 (Box 1-9, 32; 9 linear feet)

Series 2: Educational Programs, 1971-1991 (Box 10-14; 4.9 linear feet)

Series 3: Gallery Programs, 1973-1991 (Box 14-20, OV 54; 5.7 linear feet)

Series 4: Women's Graphic Center, circa 1976-1989 (Box 20-23, 32, OV 33-50; 5.6 linear feet)

Series 5: Artists' Works of Art, circa 1972-1990 (Box 24-25, OV 51-53; 1.7 linear feet)

Series 6: Grants, 1974-1992 (Box 25-30; 5.3 linear feet)

Historical Note:

In 1973, artist Judy Chicago, graphic designer Sheila Levant de Bretteville, and art historian Arlene Raven founded the Feminist Studio Workshop (FSW), one of the first independent schools for women artists. The founders established the workshop as a non-profit alternative education center committed to developing art based on women's experiences. The FSW focused not only on the development of art skills, but also on the development of women's experiences and the incorporation of those experiences into their artwork. Central to this vision was the idea that art should not be separated from other activities related to the developing women's movement. In November of 1973 the founders rented workshop space in a vacated building in downtown Los Angeles and called it The Woman's Building, taking the name from the structure created for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The FSW shared space with other organizations and enterprises including several performance groups, Womanspace Gallery, Sisterhood Bookstore, the National Organization of Women, and the Women's Liberation Union.

When the building they were renting was sold in 1975, the FSW and a few other tenants moved to a three-story brick structure, originally designed to be the administrative offices of the Standard Oil Company in the 1920s. In the 1940s, it had been converted into a warehouse and consisted of three floors of open space, conducive to publically available extension classes and exhibitions offered by the Woman's Building staff and students. By 1977, the majority of the outside tenants had left the Woman's Building, primarily because they were unable to sustain business in the new location. The new building was more expensive to maintain and the FSW staff decided to hire an administrator and to create a board structure to assume the financial, legal, and administrative responsibility for the Building. The funds to operate came from FSW tuition, memberships, fund-raising events, and grant monies.

In 1981, the Feminist Studio Workshop closed, as the demand for alternative education diminished. The education programs of the Building were restructured to better accommodate the needs of working women. The Woman's Building also began to generate its own artistic programming with outside artists, including visual arts exhibits, performance art, readings, and video productions. That same year, the Woman's Building founded the Women's Graphic Center Typesetting and Design, a profit-making enterprises designed to strengthen its financial base. Income generated from the phototypesetting, design, production, and printing services was used to support the educational and art making activities of the Building.

When the graphics business closed in 1988, the Woman's Building suffered a financial crisis from which it never fully recovered. The Building closed its gallery and performance space in 1991.

Related Material:

Among the other resources relating to the Woman's Building in the Archives of American Art is an oral history with Suzanne Lacy on March 16, 1990, March 24, 1990, and September 24, 1990. While not credited as a founding member, Lacy was among the first group of staff of the Woman's Building which she discusses in her interview.

The Getty Research Institute also holds a large collection on the Woman's Building which includes a wide range of material relating to its exhibitions, activities, and projects.

Separated Material:

The Archives of American Art donated 5 boxes of video tape from the collection to the Long Beach Museum of Art, Video Annex in 1994. According to documentation, this was the desire of Sandra Golvin and the Board of Directors of the Woman's Building. Printed material collected but not produced by the Woman's Building regarding feminism was transfered to Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

Provenance:

The Woman's Building records were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1991 by Sandra Golvin, President of the Board of Directors. An small addition of a set of "Cross Pollination" posters was donated in 2019 by by ONE Archives at University of Southern California Libraries via Loni Shibuyama, Archives Librarian.

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Art -- Study and teaching -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Feminism and art  Search this

Function:

Nonprofit organizations -- California

Arts organizations -- California

Genre/Form:

Slides

Artists' books

Citation:

Woman's Building records, 1970-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation. Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by The Walton Family Foundation and Joyce F. Menschel, Vital Projects Fund, Inc.

Identifier:

AAA.womabuil

See more items in:

Woman's Building records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw938796dfe-5dbf-49e9-96e7-5a8745391f13

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-womabuil

Creator:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum  Search this

Type:

Interviews

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-07-02T13:14:46.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Design  Search this

See more by:

cooperhewitt

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

YouTube Channel:

cooperhewitt

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_P9kZ9Pjv7es

Creator:

Tworkov, Jack  Search this

Names:

Egan Gallery  Search this

Leo Castelli Gallery  Search this

Nancy Hoffman Gallery  Search this

Poindexter Gallery  Search this

Stable Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Zabriskie Gallery  Search this

Ashbury, John  Search this

Ashton, Dore  Search this

Bartlett, Jennifer, 1941-  Search this

Blinken, Donald M., 1925-  Search this

Calfee, William H. (William Howard), 1909-1995  Search this

Cavallon, Giorgio, 1904-1989  Search this

Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this

Demarco, Ricky  Search this

Dickinson, Edwin Walter, 1891-1978  Search this

Forge, Andrew  Search this

Hartigan, Grace  Search this

Herzbrun, Helene  Search this

Katz, Paul  Search this

Knaths, Karl, 1891-1971  Search this

Lindeberg, Linda, 1915-1973  Search this

Matter, Herbert, 1907-1984  Search this

Newman, Arnold, 1918-2006  Search this

Newman, Michael  Search this

Osborn, Robert Chesley, 1904-1994  Search this

Ponsold, Renate  Search this

Praeger, David A.  Search this

Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this

Summerford, Joe  Search this

Thorne, Joan, 1943-  Search this

Westenberger, Theo  Search this

Wheeler, Dennis  Search this

Wise, Howard  Search this

Yunkers, Adja, 1900-1983  Search this

Extent:

9.7 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Sketchbooks

Video recordings

Interviews

Motion pictures (visual works)

Sound recordings

Sketches

Diaries

Date:

1926-1993

Summary:

The Jack Tworkov papers measure 9.7 linear feet and are dated 1926-1993. Tworkov's work as a painter and influential teacher, as well as his personal life, are documented by extensive journals and substantive correspondence that record his ideas about art and teaching, and illuminate his relationships with friends, colleagues, and students. Many sketchbooks, writings, interviews, photographs, and moving images are also included.

Scope and Content Note:

The Jack Tworkov papers measure 9.7 linear feet and are dated 1926-1993, with the bulk from the period 1931-1982. Tworkov's work as a painter and influential teacher, as well as his personal life, are documented by extensive journals and substantive correspondence that record his ideas about art and teaching, and illuminate his relationships with friends, colleagues, and students. Many sketchbooks, writings, interviews, photographs, and moving images are also included.

Biographical material includes Tworkov's citizenship certificate, awards, diplomas, a copy of Jack Tworkov: Video Portrait, produced by Electronic Arts Intermix, and a motion picture film, USA Artists: Jack Tworkov, produced by National Education Television.

Correspondence consists largely of incoming letters. It is both professional and personal in nature and often combines both spheres. Correspondents include artists Jennifer Bartlett, William H. Calfee, Giorgio Cavallon and Linda Lindeberg, Grace Hartigan, Helene Herzbrun (also named Helene McKinsey), Karl Knaths, Joe Summerford, Joan Thorne, and Adja Yunkers; cartoonist Robert C. Osborn; collectors Donald M. Blinken and David A. Praeger (who was also Tworkov's lawyer); illustrator Roger Dovoisin; critics Dore Ashton and Andrew Forge; critic and poet John Ashbury; galleries that represented Tworkov: Egan Gallery, Leo Castelli, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, Poindexter Gallery, Stable Gallery and Zabriskie Gallery; and many museums, arts organizations, colleges and universities.

Interviews with Tworkov include one with Ricky Demarco videotaped in 1979 and two conducted on video by Twokov's daughter Helen in 1975. The remaining interviews are sound recordings, one conducted by Grace Alexander for the show Artists in New York in 1967, one conducted by Michael Newman in 1980, and the remainder by unidentified interviewers. None have transcripts.

All writings are by Tworkov and include poems, an artist's statement, and documentation for two children's books by Tworkov illustrated by Roger Duvoisin. Two additional notebooks contain miscellaneous notes, teaching notes, and some specific to identified courses. Lectures exist as untranscribed sound recordings.

Tworkov's journals (33 volumes) span a period of 35 years, from 1947 until 1982, with the final entry dated a few weeks before his death. They record his reflections on painting, his challenges as a painter, aesthetics, the role of the artist in society, Jewish identity, painters he admired (especially Cézanne and Edwin Dickinson), politics, and teaching. They also recount everyday life: the comings and goings of friends and family members, social engagements, professional activities, illness, and travel.

The lone subject file concerns Mark Rothko and includes a photograph of Rothko and the guest list for the dedication of the Rothko Chapel in Houston.

Artwork consists of a small number of sketches by Tworkov in pencil and ink. Tworkov's sketchbooks (28 volumes) contain sketches and some finished drawings. Most are in pencil, but scattered throughout are a few pencil sketches embellished with colored marker or pastel, and a small number in ink.

Photographs are of people, places and events. Most photographs are of Tworkov alone and with others including Giogio Cavallon, though most friends and students are unidentified. Of note are views of Tworkov producing a series of prints at Tamarind Institute. Also found is an informal portrait of Wally Tworkov. Events recorded include the jurying of "Exhibition Momentum" in Chicago, 1956. Among the places shown are Tworkov's studios at Black Mountain College and in Provincetown. When known, photographers are noted; among them are Paul Katz, Herbert Matter, Arnold Newman, Renate Ponsold, Theo Westenberger, Dennis Wheeler, and Howard Wise.

A separate series of audiovisual recordings was established for those recordings that could not be readily identified to be arranged in other series. They consist of three videocassettes (2 VHS and 1 miniDV).

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 11 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1933-1981 (Boxes 1, 9, 11, FC 13; 0.7 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1926-1993 (Boxes 1-5; 3.8 linear ft.)

Series 3: Interviews, 1978-1982 (Boxes 5, 9-10; 1 linear ft.)

Series 4: Writings, Notes, and Lectures, 1955-1982 (Boxes 5, 9; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 5: Journals, 1947-1982 (Boxes 5-7; 2.0 linear ft.)

Series 6: Subject File, 1961-1977 (Box 7; 1 folder)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1952-1981 (Box 7, OV 12; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 8: Artwork, circa 1950s-1960s (Box 7: 3 folders)

Series 9: Sketchbooks, circa 1950s-1960s (Boxes 7-8, 11; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 10: Photographic Materials, 1941-1981 (Boxes 8-9; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 11: Audiovisual Recordings, 1961-1975 (Box 9; 0.1 linear ft.)

Biographical Note:

New York School painter Jack Tworkov (1900-1982), best known for his Abstract Expressionist paintings and as a highly regarded teacher, lived and worked in New York City and Provincetown, MA.

At age 13, Tworkov (born Yakov Tworkovsky) emigrated from Poland with his mother and sister to join his father already in the United States. In America, they chose to use the name of distant relatives, the Bernsteins, who were their sponsors. Eventually, Jack and his sister, Janice, reclaimed and shortened their name to Tworkov; later, she adopted the name of their hometown in Poland and became the painter Janice Biala.

As a high school student in New York City, Tworkov attended drawing classes. After graduating from Columbia University, where he had been an English major and considered becoming a writer, Tworkov instead turned to art. He studied with Ivan Olinsky at the National Academy of Design between 1923 and 1925, and from 1925 to 1926 attended painting classes taught by Guy Péne Du Bois and Boardman Robinson at the Art Students League. During his college years, Tworkov began visiting museums and became a great admirer of Cézanne. Tworkov's early paintings - still life, landscapes, and portraits - showed the influence of European modernism and Cézanne.

Tworkov spent his first summer in Provincetown while still a student and subsequently returned to study with Ross Moffet. In Provincetown he met and was greatly influenced by Karl Knaths and developed a lifelong friendship with Edwin Dickinson. By 1929, Tworkov was painting there year round. Over the years, Tworkov and his family continued to return for long stretches, and in 1958 he purchased a house in Provincetown.

During the Great Depression, Tworkov participated in the Treasury Department's Public Works of Art Project until 1934, and then moved to the easel division of the WPA Federal Art Project. He felt uncomfortable with the growing ideological and political influences on art and found it depressing to paint for the WPA rather than for himself, so he left the WPA in 1941. Tworkov, who had studied mechanical drawing while in high school, spent most of the War years employed as a tool designer and draftsman at an engineering firm with government contracts.

By the 1940s, Tworkov was painting in the Abstract Expressionist style. Between 1948 and 1953, he leased a studio on Fourth Avenue that adjoined that of his friend Willem de Kooning. During this time, they mutually influenced each other as they developed into mature Abstract Expressionists. At Yale in the 1960s, Tworkov became close friends with fellow student Josef Albers. Alber's influence on Tworkov resulted in a turn to geometric compositions of small, systematic, and repetitive strokes defined by a grid. He experimented with diagonal compositions, and later geometric work that featured large areas of color and soft texture.

Tworkov's first teaching experience was during 1930-1931 when he served as a part-time painting instructor at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. His teaching career began in earnest when he joined the faculties of Queens College, 1948-1955, and Pratt Institute, 1955-1958. During the summers he taught at various schools, most notably Black Mountain College's 1952 summer session. Tworkov was a visiting artist at the Yale University School of Art and Architecture, 1961-1963, and became chairman of its Art Department from 1963 until his retirement in 1969. In retirement he lived in Provincetown and was a visiting artist for both short and extended periods at various universities and art schools.

An avid reader of literature and poetry, Tworkov also wrote poems and essays. He published essays in It Is, Art Digest, and Art In America; his most notable piece, "The Wandering Soutine," appeared in Art News, November 1950. Tworkov also kept a journal for 35 years (1947-1982) that recorded his thoughts on a wide range of subjects concerning professional, personal, and philosophical issues, as well as details of everyday life.

Tworkov was among the founders of the Artists' Club or The Club in 1949, and for a decade actively participated in the stimulating discussions for which the group was known. In 1968 he helped to establish the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. Its residency program enabled younger artists and writers to advance their careers and kept Provincetown's historic artists' colony active year round.

He was the recipient of the William A. Clark Award and Corcoran Gold Medal from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1963; Skowhegan School of Art's Painter of the Year Award, 1974; and Distinguished Teaching of Art Award from College Art Association, 1976. Tworkov was appointed to serve on the Massachusetts Art Commission, 1970-1971, and in 1981 was named a Fellow of The Cleveland Museum of Art and of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Following his second divorce in 1935, Rachel (Wally) Wolodarsky became Tworkov's third wife and their marriage endured. They had two daughters. Hermine Ford (b. 1939) is an artist married to fellow painter Robert Moskowitz. Helen Tworkov (b. 1943) is the founder of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review and the author of a book about yoga.

Tworkov remained physically and intellectually active after a diagnosis of bone cancer around 1980, and continued to paint until shortly before his death in Provincetown on September 4, 1982.

Related Material:

Among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Jack Tworkov, one conducted by Dorothy Seckler, Aug. 17, 1962, and another by Gerald Silk, May 22, 1981. There is also a small collection of three letters written by Jack Tworkov to friend Troy-Jjohn Bramberger.

Separated Material:

The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reel N70-38 and 62) including writings by Tworkov, notebooks, notes for teaching and talks, notes on art and miscellaneous subjects, poems, artist's statements, biographical data, the transcript of a 1970 interview with Tworkov conducted by Phyllis Tuchman, and a few letters and drafts of letters, 1950-1963. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

Jack Tworkov lent the Archives of American Art papers for microfilming in 1970-1971. Jack Tworkov's daughters, Hermine Ford and Helen Tworkov, donated the rest of the collection in 2009, which included some of the material from the original loan.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Rights:

Reels N70-38 and 62: Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Helen Tworkov or Hermine Ford. Contact Reference Services for more information.

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Painters -- Massachusetts  Search this

Topic:

Painting -- New York (State)  Search this

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Sketchbooks

Video recordings

Interviews

Motion pictures (visual works)

Sound recordings

Sketches

Diaries

Citation:

Jack Tworkov papers, 1926-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

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

Identifier:

AAA.tworjack2

See more items in:

Jack Tworkov papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9345f5838-057f-4572-8063-0df7b8d00ad0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-tworjack2