An interview of Robert Pfannebecker conducted 1991 May 21, by Helen Drutt English, (formerly Helen Williams Drutt) for the Archives of American Art.
Pfannebecker discusses his background; the development of his interest in crafts and collecting; his associations with students and teachers at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in the 1960s; later acquisitions as a result of his association with Dale Chihuly and his students at the Rhode Island School of Design, Wayne Higby and his students at Alfred University, and Eleanor Moty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; other artists he has worked with over the years including Patti Warashina, Fred Bauer, Helen Bitar, Warren Seelig, and Gary Knodel; and exhibitions of his collection.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Pfannebecker (1933- ) is a crafts collector and attorney from Philadelphia, Pa.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 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.
An interview of Richard Snyderman conducted 1990 June 8, by Richard Polsky for the Archives of American Art Philadelphia Project.
Snyderman speaks about the Works Gallery, run by his wife Ruth Snyderman, the Snyderman Gallery and many of the furniture makers who have shown there including Wendell Castle and Garry Knox Bennett; collectors such as Irv Borowsky; the craft scene in Philadelphia including other gallery owners such as Helen Drutt and Richard Kagan; changes in the crafts field, both locally and nationally, during the past 25 years; the founding of the Head House Craft Fair in Philadelphia; and the development of the South Street-Society Hill section of Philadelphia.
Biographical / Historical:
Richard Snyderman is a gallery director in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Director of Works Gallery which is owned by his wife, Ruth Snyderman.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 31 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Gallery directors -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
An interview of Walter Nottingham conducted 2002 July 14-18, by Carol Owen, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the studios of Idyllwild Arts, in Idyllwild, California. Nottingham speaks of his enthusiasm for basketball; being an altar boy and, as such, surrounded by beautiful fabrics at an early age; attending St. Cloud State University on the GI Bill; his teachers Jim Crane and Pauline Penning; serving as an art consultant for public schools in Jackson, Michigan; the lasting influence of an exhibition of battle flags at the Metropolitan Museum; articulating aging and decay through self-taught weaving; developing a fiber art program at University of Wisconsin, River Falls; attending Cranbrook Academy of Art and working with Glen Kaufman and Meda Johnson. He discusses specific works including his "Yahooties", that combine both his grandmother's and mother's crochet work; his trip to Mexico City on a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1974; forming the company Off the Wall with his eldest daughter Karron and their decorative design commissions; the influence of his Catholic upbringing, oriental philosophy, and spirituality in his work; and techniques and materials. Nottingham recalls Shelly Ross, Helen Drutt, Francis Merritt, Don Miller, Lois Moran, Jack Lenor Larsen, Marianne Strengell, Mildred Constantine, Gerhardt Knodel, Lee Nordness, Ed Rossbach, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Walter Nottingham (1930-2012) is a fiber artist from Hilo, Hawaii. Carol Owen is a fiber artist from Pittsboro, North Carolina.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 41 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of Rudolf Staffel conducted 1987 July 17-August 6, by Helen Drutt, for the Archives of American Art.
Staffel speaks of his childhood in San Antonio, Texas; his discovery of blown glass and traveling to Mexico to learn glassblowing techniques; studying ceramics; teaching at Temple University's Tyler School of Art; his teaching philosophy; his exhibition history; Philadelphia as a crafts city; the influence of Chinese art; the development of his own work; his techniques.
Biographical / Historical:
Rudolf Staffel (1911-2002) was a craftsman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Topic:
Glass craft -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Artisans -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- Interviews Search this
An interview of Ted Muehling conducted 2007 November 17-18, by Jane Milosch, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Muehling's studio, in New York, New York.
Muehling speaks of visiting New York City as a child; attending Pratt for industrial design; working with molds; working in Germany; winning the Coty fashion award for his jewelry; learning to blow glass; working at Corning; visiting museums as a child and projects in his father's basement workshop; drawing inspiration out of his materials; the rich art history of Europe; working with plastic and wood; working with assistants; the impact of travel on his work; various gallery exhibitions; working with well-known designers; creating functional and inspiring pieces; the American craft market; drawing inspiration from dreams; the humor in his art; the strengths and limitations of various mediums. Muehling also recalls Gerry Gulotta, Eva Zeisel, Ingrid Harding, Kiki Smith, Deborah Czeresko, Gabriella Kiss, Gerda Buxbaum, Jade Hobson, Ingo Mauer, Vija Celmins, Louis Sullivan, Konstantin Grcic, Robert Lee Morris, Helen Drutt, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Ted Muehling (1953- ) is a designer of jewelry and decorative objects in New York, New York. Jane Milosch (1964- ) is a curator from Silver Spring, Maryland.
General:
Originally recorded as 5 digital sound files. Duration is 4 hr., 38 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
ACCESS RESTRICTED: Use requires written permission.
