Search Results

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

Interviewee:

Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this

Knight, Gwendolyn  Search this

Interviewer:

Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this

Extent:

82 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1998 November 18

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight conducted 1998 November 18, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in the artists' home in Seatle, Washington.

Biographical / Historical:

Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was a painter and educator in Seattle, Washington and New York, New York. Gwendolyn Knight (1914-2005) was the wife of Lawrence, as well as an artist, herself and lived in New York, New York and 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:

Use requires an appointment.

Occupation:

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

Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Topic:

African American artists  Search this

African American painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.lawren98

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c4cfd632-d284-4160-826b-182cd12bfc23

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-lawren98

Creator:

Knight, Gwendolyn  Search this

Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this

Names:

Bearden, Romare, 1911-1988  Search this

Bocour, Leonard, 1910-1993  Search this

Dintenfass, Terry, 1920-  Search this

Eichenberg, Fritz, 1901-1990  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this

Extent:

25.35 Linear feet

0.001 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Photographs

Date:

1816

1914-2008

bulk 1973-2001

Summary:

The papers of African American painter and educator Jacob Lawrence and his wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight measure 25.35 linear feet and 0.001 GB date from 1914 to 2008, with one item from 1816 and the bulk of the material dating from 1973 to 2001. The collection includes biographical material; correspondence including condolence letters to Gwendolyn Knight after Jacob Lawrence's death; writings by Jacob Lawrence and others; printed and digital material; photographs; personal business records; artwork; records from the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project; materials related to the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation; professional files; and material related to awards and honors received by Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of African American painter and educator Jacob Lawrence and his wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight measure 25.35 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from 1914 to 2008, with one item from 1816 and the bulk of the material dating from 1973 to 2001. The collection includes biographical material; correspondence including condolence letters to Gwendolyn Knight after Jacob Lawrence's death; writings by Jacob Lawrence and others; printed and digital material; photographs; personal business records; artwork; records from the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project; materials related to the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation; professional files; and material related to awards and honors received by Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

Biographical material includes appointment and address books; education and personal identification certificates and documents; awards, certificates, curriculum vitae, and chronologies; biographical material related to other individuals, including identification documents and memorial programs; and transcripts of interviews with Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

The correspondence series includes extensive personal and professional correspondence with family, friends, artists, admirers (including students in a number of elementary and middle schools), university students, government agencies, art schools, galleries, museums, publishing houses, and others. Included in this series are condolence letters received by Gwendolyn Knight after Jacob Lawrence's death in 2000.

Writings include published and unpublished writings by and about Jacob Lawrence, as well as writings by others. These writings include speeches, notes, essays, articles, lists, and short stories. Also included is a visitor comment book from the Los Angeles County Museum exhibition of Jacob Lawrence's Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass series.

Printed material includes books; brochures; business cards; clippings; exhibition and event announcements, invitations, catalogs, and programs; magazines; newsletters; posters; post cards; and press releases. Books in this collection may include illustrations by Jacob Lawrence or have personal inscriptions from the author to Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

Photographs include photographs of Jacob Lawrence artwork, photographs and reproductions of Gwendolyn Knight artwork, and photographs of Jacob Lawrence, Gwendolyn Knight, and other individuals. Also included in this series are photographs and reproductions of work by others.

Personal business records include a ledger; consignment, financial, and shipping records related to the Terry Dintenfass Gallery; contracts and agreements; and estate documents.

Artwork includes sketches by Jacob Lawrence, a blank sketchbook inscribed by Jacob Lawrence to Gwendolyn Knight, and artwork by other artists.

Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project Records include materials generated by the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project, a non-profit created with the goal of producing a catalogue raisonné (and later, a digital archive) of Jacob Lawrence's work. These records include address books and phone logs; copies of Jacob Lawrence's CV; founding documents, bylaws, and meeting minutes; correspondence; writings, including draft pages of the catalogue raisonné; business records, including employment files, contracts, invoices, insurance, and tax information; printed and digital material; and photographs and artwork.

The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation and Related Material series includes founding documents and foundation bylaws, correspondence, financial documents, reports, and proposals. Found within this series are materials related to the Lawrence Center for the Visual Arts, a subsidiary foundation of the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation.

Professional files include material related to projects and exhibitions, teaching files and inclusion in curricula, files regarding possible fake Jacob Lawrence works, and gallery files.

The honors series is divided into two subseries: awards and certificates, and government honors. Awards and certificates includes honorary degrees, arts prizes, and any other honors awarded to Jacob Lawrence or Gwendolyn Knight. Government honors include resolutions, proclamations, and keys to cities. Also included in this series are correspondence related to awards and honorary degrees, commencement programs, plaques, and medals.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in 11 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1914-2005 (Boxes 1, 11, 26, OV 10; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1943, 1952-2005 (Boxes 1-5, 12-14, 26; 7.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1954-1959, 1973-2005, undated (Boxes 5-6, 14-15; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1816, 1926, 1937, 1945-2008 (Boxes 6-9, 15-17, 26, OV 30, OV 31; 6.8 linear feet)

Series 5: Photographs, circa 1970-1997, undated (Boxes 9, 17, OV 10; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1962-2005 (Boxes 9, 17; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, 1984, 1990-1994, undated (Boxes 9, 18, 26; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 8: Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonne Project Records, 1982-2002 (Boxes 18-23, Box 26; 5.1 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)

Series 9: Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation and Related Material, 1997-2005 (Box 23; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 10: Professional Files, 1964-2004 (Boxes 23-24; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 11: Honors, 1948, 1966-2005 (Boxes 24-25, 27-29, OV 30; 2.3 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Modernist painter and educator Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was born in 1917 as Jacob Armstead Lawrence in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He began his art studies at the Utopia Children's Center in New York City's Harlem district where he studied under the painter Charles Alston. Lawrence dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen to continue his art instruction with Alston, this time at the Harlem Art Workshop, where he met several artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance including the sculptor Augusta Savage.

Gwendolyn Knight (1913-2005) was born in Barbados and moved to New York City with her adoptive parents when she was seven. She attended New York's Wadleigh High School and later Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she studied fine arts with Lois Mailou Jones and James Porter. Forced to leave her studies at Howard because of the Depression, Knight returned to Harlem and continued her artistic pursuits in Augusta Savage's workshop. In 1935, Knight joined the Harlem Mural Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) working under Selma Day and Charles Alston. Lawrence and Knight met in Savage's workshop and married in the summer of 1941.

During the Depression, Lawrence also joined the WPA Federal Arts Project in Harlem. Finding WPA murals overwhelming, Lawrence concentrated on traditional painting instead. He produced his first major works in the late 1930s, most notably the Toussaint L'Ouverture series, images that document the life of the revolutionary hero and Haiti's struggle for independence. Other significant works include visual narratives of the lives of abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. In 1940, Lawrence received the prestigious Julius Rosenwald Fellowship, which made it possible for him to purchase his first art studio on 125th Street in the heart of Harlem. He soon portrayed Harlem street life in paintings that became commentaries on the role of African Americans in United States society with highly developed themes of resistance and social opposition. That same year, Lawrence began his most celebrated series, The Migration of the American Negro, multiple tempera panels depicting the exodus of African American sharecroppers in the south to northern industrial cities in search of better employment and social opportunities. Edith Halpert exhibited the works in their entirety at her Downtown Gallery in 1941, establishing Lawrence as the first African American artist to exhibit in a top New York gallery. The following year, New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC each bought half of the sixty panels in the series, helping to further Lawrence's career within the larger world of American art.

In the summer of 1946, the artist Joseph Albers invited Lawrence to teach at North Carolina's Black Mountain College. It was the first in a series of teaching positions in prestigious art schools including Pratt Institute (1956-1971), Brandeis University (1965), The New School (1966), the Art Students League (1967), and others. During the 1950s and 1960s, Lawrence's work continued to focus on racism and political activism but in the late 1960s shifted to themes of racial harmony.

Both Lawrence and Knight continued independent careers in art. Knight pursued her art studies at the New School in New York and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. In the mid-1960s, she collaborated with other female artists to form the Studio Gallery in New York City. Knight's main body of work consists of portraits and still-lifes that incorporate expressions of African sculpture, Impressionism, dance, and theater. Focusing on gesture, her art is described as light and airy with a minimum of lines allowing empty space to define the work. In 1970, Lawrence traveled to Seattle to teach as a visiting artist at the University of Washington. He was hired on a permanent basis the following year and remained on staff until his retirement in 1986.

Jacob Lawrence died June 9, 2000, in Seattle, Washington at the age of 83. Gwendolyn Knight continued to paint and exhibit her work around the country until her death on February 18, 2005 in Seattle, Washington at the age of 92.

Related Material:

Also found at the Archives of American Art are an oral history interview with Jacob Lawrence conducted by Carroll Greene (1968 October 26), interviews conducted by Avis Berman (1982 July 20-August 4), and an oral history interview with Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight conducted by Paul Karlstrom (1998 November 18). The Archives of American Art also holds a collection of Jacob Lawrence papers, available on microfilm only, reels D286 and 4571-4573. Originals reside at Syracuse University Library, Special Collections.

Provenance:

The Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in five accretions between 1979 and 1997. Additional papers were donated in 2012 by the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation via Barbara Earl Thomas, representative.

Restrictions:

Use of 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.

Occupation:

Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

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

Educators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Topic:

Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

African American artists  Search this

Women artists  Search this

African American art -- African influences  Search this

African American educators  Search this

African American painters  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers, 1816, 1914-2008, bulk 1973-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the 2007 processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Funding for the 2018 processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.lawrjaco

See more items in:

Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97b5bfd17-13f8-4cb6-ab12-22124f7d1fee

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-lawrjaco

Creator:

Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this

Interviewer:

Greene, Carroll  Search this

Extent:

92 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Interviews

Date:

1968 October 26

Scope and Contents:

Interview of Jacob Lawrence conducted 1968 October 26, by Carroll Greene, for the Archives of American Art.

Biographical / Historical:

Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was a painter and educator in Seattle, Washington and New York, New York.

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:

This interview transcript is open for research. No audio exists. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

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

Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Educators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

African American artists  Search this

African American educators  Search this

African American painters  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Identifier:

AAA.lawren68

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c2dd67c2-e43b-40cd-b1ba-ed4c18fac2a0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-lawren68

Creator:

Inverarity, Robert Bruce, 1909-1999  Search this

Subject:

Deutsch, Hilda  Search this

Ray, Man  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel  Search this

Graves, Morris  Search this

Morris, Carl  Search this

Tobey, Mark  Search this

Federal Art Project (Wash.)  Search this

Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this

Federal Art Project (Utah)  Search this

Federal Art Project (Iowa)  Search this

Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this

Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this

Federal Art Project (Ill.)  Search this

Museum of International Folk Art (N.M.)  Search this

Type:

Scrapbooks

Sound recordings

Sketchbooks

Interviews

Photographs

Drawings

Place:

United States -- Economic conditions, 1918-1945 -- Washington (State)

Citation:

Robert Bruce Inverarity papers, circa 1840s-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Puppet theater  Search this

New Deal, 1933-1939 -- Washington (State)  Search this

Works of art  Search this

Federal aid to the arts -- Washington (State)  Search this

Art and state -- Washington (State)  Search this

Theme:

New Deal  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6796

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208923

AAA_collcode_inverobe

Theme:

New Deal

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208923

Creator:

Linda Farris Gallery  Search this

Farris, Linda  Search this

Subject:

Nevelson, Louise  Search this

Lucero, Michael  Search this

Markovitz, Sherry  Search this

Landfield, Ronnie  Search this

Luce, Charles  Search this

Pepper, Beverly  Search this

Bruskin, Grisha  Search this

Noah, Barbara  Search this

Clough, Charles  Search this

Barry, Lynda  Search this

Type:

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Lectures

Photographs

Sound recordings

Visitors' books

Citation:

Linda Farris Gallery records, 1969-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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

Theme:

Art Gallery Records  Search this

Art Market  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6612

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215921

AAA_collcode_lindfarr

Theme:

Art Gallery Records

Art Market

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215921

Creator:

Sperry, Robert H., 1927-1998  Search this

Subject:

Warashina, Patti  Search this

University of Washington  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Type:

Motion pictures (visual works)

Transcripts

Interviews

Sketches

Drawings

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Videotapes

Citation:

Robert Sperry papers, 1951-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Works of art  Search this

Filmmakers  Search this

Potters -- Japan  Search this

Ceramicists -- Washington (State)  Search this

Ceramics -- Study and teaching  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Lives of artists  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)11125

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)247192

AAA_collcode_sperrobe

Theme:

Craft

Lives of artists

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_247192

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.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care Pool Fund.

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

Interviewee:

Hu, Mary Lee, 1943-  Search this

Interviewer:

Riedel, Mija, 1958-  Search this

Subject:

Baldridge, Mark S.  Search this

Choo, Chunghi  Search this

Christensen, Hans  Search this

Dingeldein, Otto  Search this

Eikerman, Alma  Search this

Farafol, Daphne  Search this

Fenster, Fred  Search this

Fike, Phillip G.  Search this

Halper, Vicki  Search this

Ho, Ron  Search this

Kidman, Hero  Search this

Kington, L. Brent (Louis Brent)  Search this

Marshall, John  Search this

Matsukata, Miye  Search this

Matzdorf, Kurt  Search this

McMurray, James  Search this

Moty, Eleanor  Search this

Noffke, Gary  Search this

Pujol, Eleanor  Search this

Seppä, Heikki  Search this

Turner, Gary  Search this

Warashina, Patti  Search this

American Craft Council  Search this

Cleveland Institute of Art  Search this

Cranbrook Academy of Art  Search this

Lawrence Arts Center  Search this

Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Society of North American Goldsmiths  Search this

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale  Search this

University of Washington  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Place:

Afghanistan -- Description and travel

Australia -- description and travel

China -- description and travel

Indonesia -- description and travel

Iran -- description and travel

Nepal -- description and travel

Ohio -- Description and travel

Papua New Guinea -- Description and travel

Tibet (China) -- Description and travel

Turkey -- description and travel

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Mary Lee Hu, 2009 March 18-19. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Body adornment  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Jewelry making  Search this

Theme:

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)15659

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)282415

AAA_collcode_hu09

Theme:

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_282415

Interviewee:

Hu, Mary Lee, 1943-  Search this

Interviewer:

Riedel, Mija, 1958-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

American Craft Council  Search this

Cleveland Institute of Art -- Students  Search this

Cranbrook Academy of Art -- Students  Search this

Lawrence Arts Center  Search this

Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) -- Students  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Society of North American Goldsmiths  Search this

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale -- Students  Search this

University of Washington -- Faculty  Search this

Baldridge, Mark S., 1946-  Search this

Choo, Chunghi  Search this

Christensen, Hans, 1924-1983  Search this

Dingeldein, Otto  Search this

Eikerman, Alma  Search this

Farafol, Daphne  Search this

Fenster, Fred, 1934-  Search this

Fike, Phillip G., 1927-1997  Search this

Halper, Vicki  Search this

Ho, Ron  Search this

Kidman, Hero  Search this

Kington, L. Brent (Louis Brent), 1934-2013  Search this

Marshall, John, 1936-  Search this

Matsukata, Miye, 1922-1981  Search this

Matzdorf, Kurt  Search this

McMurray, James  Search this

Moty, Eleanor  Search this

Noffke, Gary  Search this

Pujol, Eleanor  Search this

Seppä, Heikki  Search this

Turner, Gary  Search this

Warashina, Patti, 1940-  Search this

Extent:

8 Items (Sound recording: 8 wav files (5 hr., 42 min.), digital)

163 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Place:

Afghanistan -- Description and Travel

Australia -- Description and Travel

China -- Description and Travel

Indonesia -- Description and Travel

Iran -- Description and Travel

Nepal -- Description and Travel

Ohio -- Description and Travel

Papua New Guinea -- Description and Travel

Tibet (China) -- Description and Travel

Turkey -- description and travel

Date:

2009 March 18-19

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Mary Lee Hu conducted 2009 March 18-19, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Hu's home and studio, in Seattle, Washington.

Hu speaks of growing up outside Cleveland, Ohio; her early interest in making objects; attending the Lawrence Art Center camp in Kansas at the age of 16 where she first experimented with metals; her like of working with tools in order to create something; taking metal smith classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art during high school; attending Miami University in Ohio for two years followed by two years an Cranbrook Academy of Art; working as a TA with L. Brent Kington at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale; her collaborative work in both textiles and metals while at Carbondale which lead to her first experimentation in weaving silver wire; creating a body of work for her Master's thesis in which all the pieces were woven wire; various works, their origins, when, where and why they were created, including her Neckpiece, Choker, Bracelet, Brooch and Ring series; her aesthetic interest in patterns, line and positive/negative space; a limited interest in and use of color in her work; the transition from silver to gold wire; a progressively larger interest in the history of jewelry and body adornment which eventually became a lecture at the University of Washington, where she taught for 26 years; numerous trips around the world to countries such as China, Tibet, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia; a strong interest in ethnic and native jewelry/body adornment practices; the various purposes which jewelry can serve in society; her involvement with the Society of North American Goldsmiths and the American Craft Council; her technique based teaching practices; the role that modern technology plays in teaching, learning, and making jewelry; the lack of support and funds for metals programs in universities around the country; her library, which includes aver 2,000 books about the history of jewelry and body adornment; her collection of jewelry from around the world; her want to create beautiful and functional jewelry; the public and private aspects to jewelry and it's role in museums; current projects and the importance to maintain interest of metals in younger generations. Hu also recalls Gary Turner, Hans Christensen, Otto Dingeldein, Heikki Seppä, Hero Kielman, Phil Fike, Patti Warashina, Gary Noffke, Elliott Pujol, Chonghi Choo, Daphne Farafo, Vicki Halper, Ron Ho, Miye Matsukata, Alma Eikermann, Mark Baldridge, Kurt Matzdorf, Eleanor Moty, Fred Fenster, John Marshall, James McMurray, and others.

Biographical / Historical:

Mary Lee Hu (1943- ) is a metalsmith in Seattle, Washington. Smith was educated at Cranbrook Academy of Art and Southern Illinois University. She teaches at the University of Washington.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 43 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:

Metal-workers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Educators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Topic:

Body adornment  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women educators  Search this

Jewelry making  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.hu09

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a23bb6bc-66a5-4900-9a0f-031b4e2ab83d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-hu09

Interviewee:

Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983  Search this

Interviewer:

Ragen, Suzanne  Search this

Subject:

Tobey, Mark  Search this

Seattle Art Museum  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Joanna Eckstein, 1983 April 7. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art patronage -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this

Art patrons -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this

Theme:

Art Collectors  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12765

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212428

AAA_collcode_eckste83

Theme:

Art Collectors

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212428

Interviewee:

Callahan, Kenneth L., 1905-1986  Search this

Interviewer:

Prince, Sue Ann  Search this

Subject:

Anderson, Guy  Search this

Graves, Morris  Search this

Tobey, Mark  Search this

Seattle Art Museum  Search this

Group of Twelve (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Kenneth Callahan, 1982 October 27-December 19. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this

Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this

Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12975

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212430

AAA_collcode_callah82

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212430

Interviewee:

Gerber, Anne  Search this

Interviewer:

Focke, Anne  Search this

Subject:

Henry Art Gallery  Search this

Seattle Art Museum  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Anne Gerber, 1983 Feb. 24-Apr. 21. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this

Art patronage -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this

Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this

Art patrons -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this

Theme:

Art Collectors  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)13276

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212433

AAA_collcode_gerber83

Theme:

Art Collectors

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212433

Interviewee:

Mason, Alden, 1919-2013  Search this

Interviewer:

Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this

Subject:

Anderson, Fred  Search this

Tobey, Mark  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Alden Mason, 1984 Jan. 13-Feb. 21. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12510

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212442

AAA_collcode_mason84

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212442

Interviewee:

Patterson, Viola, 1898-1984  Search this

Interviewer:

Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this

Subject:

Archipenko, Alexander  Search this

Orozco, José Clemente  Search this

Patterson, Ambrose  Search this

Rivera, Diego  Search this

Group of Twelve (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Viola Patterson, 1982 Oct. 22-29. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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

Theme:

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12618

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212443

AAA_collcode_patter82

Theme:

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212443

Interviewee:

Penington, Ruth E. (Ruth Esther), 1905-1998  Search this

Interviewer:

Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this

Subject:

Rohde, Gilbert  Search this

Northwest Printmakers  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Ruth Penington, 1983 Feb. 10-11. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Women artists  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Women printmakers  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Women  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12828

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212445

AAA_collcode_pening83

Theme:

Craft

Women

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212445

Interviewee:

Sperry, Robert H., 1927-1998  Search this

Interviewer:

Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this

Subject:

Voulkos, Peter  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Robert Sperry, 1983 August 11. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)13172

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212448

AAA_collcode_sperry83

Theme:

Craft

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212448

Interviewee:

Wehr, Wesley C., 1929-2004  Search this

Interviewer:

Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this

Subject:

Graves, Morris  Search this

Tobey, Mark  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Wesley C. Wehr, 1983 May 26-September 22. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Art -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this

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

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12660

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212458

AAA_collcode_wehr83

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212458

Interviewee:

Marshall, John, 1936-  Search this

Interviewer:

Herman, Lloyd E  Search this

Subject:

Bacorn, Don  Search this

Bates, Kenneth F. (Kenneth Francis)  Search this

Clague, John  Search this

DuSell, Lee  Search this

Griffin, Gary  Search this

Hauberg, Anne Gould  Search this

Lannan, J. Patrick  Search this

Lutz, Winifred  Search this

Metcalf, Bruce  Search this

Miller, Fred, (Decorative artist)  Search this

Miller, John Paul  Search this

Nordness, Lee  Search this

Penington, Ruth  Search this

Scott, Michael  Search this

Smith, Paul J.  Search this

Solberg, Ramona  Search this

Takaezu, Toshiko  Search this

Carnegie Institute of Technology  Search this

Carnegie Museum of Art  Search this

Cleveland Institute of Art  Search this

Grove City College  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Society of North American Goldsmiths  Search this

Syracuse University  Search this

Type:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Place:

Europe -- description and travel

Germany -- description and travel

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with John Marshall, 2001 April 5. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Decorative arts  Search this

Jewelers -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Metal-workers -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this

Religious articles  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)13311

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)226985

AAA_collcode_marsha01

Theme:

Craft

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_226985

Interviewee:

Seppä, Heikki, 1927-  Search this

Interviewer:

Herman, Lloyd E  Search this

Subject:

Cranbrook Academy of Art  Search this

Fabergé (Firm)  Search this

Society of North American Goldsmiths  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Heikki Seppä, 2001 May 6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Jewelers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this

Metal-workers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Metal-work  Search this

Theme:

Craft  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)12958

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)227015

AAA_collcode_seppa01

Theme:

Craft

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_227015