Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Kay Sekimachi [Stocksdale], 2001 July 26-August 6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Norma Minkowitz, 2001 September 17 and 2001 November 16. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Helena Hernmarck, 2010 July 28- August 31. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of fiber artist Norma Minkowitz (1937- ) measure 3.1 linear feet and date from 1926 to 2022 with the bulk of the papers dating from 1970 to 2022. The collection comprises biographical materials consisting of family photographs and papers, interviews with Minkowitz, awards, and a sketchbook; professional files that include gallery records, files for grant and book projects, and other professional activity files; files for the exhibitions Fiber R/Evolution (1986), Weaving the World: Contemporary Art of Linear Construction (1999), Inside the Void, Drawing and Collage by Norma Minkowitz (2014), and several others; printed materials consisting of clippings, announcements and catalogs for Minkowitz's exhibitions, flyers, a few magazines featuring crochet items by Minkowitz, and press releases; and photographic materials containing photographs, slides, negatives and transparencies of Minkowitz's works of art, as well as photographs of Minkowitz with her artwork, her mother, Joan Mondale, Lloyd Herman, and a few others.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of fiber artist Norma Minkowitz (1937- ) measure 3.1 linear feet and date from 1926 to 2022 with the bulk of the papers dating from 1970 to 2022. The collection comprises biographical materials consisting of family photographs and papers, interviews with Minkowitz, awards, and a sketchbook; professional files that include gallery records, files for grant and book projects, and other professional activity files; files for the exhibitions Fiber R/Evolution (1986), Weaving the World: Contemporary Art of Linear Construction (1999), Inside the Void, Drawing and Collage by Norma Minkowitz (2014), and several others; printed materials consisting of clippings, announcements and catalogs for Minkowitz's exhibitions, flyers, a few magazines featuring crochet items by Minkowitz, and press releases; and photographic materials containing photographs, slides, negatives and transparencies of Minkowitz's works of art, as well as photographs of Minkowitz with her artwork, her mother, Joan Mondale, Lloyd Herman, and a few others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 5 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1926-2015 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Professional Files, 1977-2022 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes1, 5
Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1985-2022 1961 (0.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1970-2016 (0.8 linear feet; Box 2, OV 6)
Series 5: Photographic Material, circa 1972-circa 2010 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 2-4)
Biographical / Historical:
Norma Minkowitz (1937- ) is a fiber artist in Westport, Connecticut.
Minkowitz was born in New York, N.Y. She attended Music and Art High School, then graduated from Cooper Union Art School in 1958. She is known for using crochet techniques in her artwork. Her work has been exhibited internationally in Poland through the U.S. Art in Embassies Program and the 9th International Triennial of Tapestry Invitational (1998), Japan, Finland, and throughout the U.S. In 2009 she received the Master of the Medium Award from the James Renwick Alliance and is a fellow of the American Craft Council.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Norma Minkowitz conducted by Patricia Malarcher on September 17, 2001 and November 16, 2001 for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Minkowitz's home in Westport, Connecticut.
Provenance:
The Norma Minkowitz papers were donated in 2016 and 2023 by Norma Minkowitz.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
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.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Names:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Extent:
40 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2001 September 17 and 2001 November 16
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Norma Minkowitz conducted 2001 September 17 and 2001 November 16, by Patricia Malarcher, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Minkowitz's home in Westport, Connecticut.
Minkowitz speaks of her early childhood and what it was like growing up in a musical household in which her father was a concert pianist, her grandfather a composer, and her uncle a violinist; her relative's escape from Russia before the Russian revolution, how her parents met and what life in the Bronx was like; her relationships with different family members, specifically how close she was to her mother throughout her life; her first crocheting experience, making doilies with her mother; how she was drawn to drawing; her education in art, attendance at the Music and Art High School and then Cooper Union; her most rewarding experience at Cooper Union with her two-dimensional teacher Stefano Cusamano; her first paid job as a book illustrator for a children's dictionary; making designs to send to Woman's Day and Family Circle after the birth of her second child in 1963; the difference between a fiber artist and a craftsperson, trying to distinguish herself as an artist and how she would like to be recognized on a fine arts level; how time consuming making "wearables" or clothing was; the galleries she exhibited at including Elements in New York; her shows at the American Craft Museum, curator Paul Smith; the different museums where her work has been displayed including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, the De Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco and the Kwang Ju Museum in Korea; her teaching experiences at the various craft schools; her different experiments within her work and how her work has changed since she began in the 1960s; her different studio spaces and how most times she can work right on her lap; how her children became artists; the meaning of several works to her and how viewers could interpret them differently, specifically, "Get Thee Up" and "Goodbye Mother;" how much home means to her; the many different pieces she has collected by other artists, including John McQueen, Richard Devore, and Ruth Duckworth; her other activities including running in three New York Marathons; how she has bronzed two pieces and what that was like; her four grandchildren, and making art and being a successful grandmother at the same time. Minkowitz also recalls Andrea Miller-Keller, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lenore Tawney, Sheila Hicks, Alex Katz, Kathleen Whitney, Pat Hickman and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Norma Minkowitz (1937-) is a fiber artist from Westport, Connecticut. Patricia Malarcher is also a fiber artist from Englewood, N.J.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 27 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
An interview of Kay Sekimachi [Stocksdale] conducted 2001 July 26-August 6, by Suzanne Baizerman, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Sekimachi's home in Berkeley, California.
Sekimachi speaks of her family and early childhood in Berkeley; a trip to Japan when she was four, during which her older brother died of dysentery; what it was like growing up in a Japanese community in Berkeley; the death of her father when she was ten years old; learning Japanese culture through her mother's cooking and traditions; the relocation of her family during WWII; learning to paint and draw at the relocation center in Tanforan; moving to Utah, then Cincinnati before finally returning to Berkeley; her trip to Japan in 1974 and how it felt like she really belonged there, and falling in love with the Japanese aesthetic; trips to London, and consequently meeting Ann Sutton and Peter Collingwood; studying and working with Trude Guermonprez; teaching for Mary Woodard Davis in Santa Fe, N.M.; her first trip to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.; how the community groups and guilds provided support and many friendships, including Claire Weaver; some of the magazines she subscribes to, and the numerous books that influenced her during her career, by Anni Albers, Mary Atwater, and others; how her work started out as functional and gradually became non-functional; the many different types of her artwork, monofilament, paper bowls, and hornets nests; the limitations of the loom, and learning to experiment with fiber; difficulty of selling her craft; the numerous places she has exhibited and sold her work, including but not limited to Local Color, Nanny's (both in San Francisco), the Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, and Brown Grotta Gallery in Wilton, Connecticut; how she doesn't like to deal with agents, and dealers; her marriage to Bob Stocksdale; her studio and the studio of her husband; all of the artwork in her dining room and living room area; and how she is still weaving, but is not as frequent in her studio because she has been taking care of Bob. Sekimachi also recalls Kenneth Trapp, Marguerite Wildenhain, Lee Nordness, Loiuse Allrich, Jack Lenor Larsen, Dominic DiMare, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Kay Sekimachi (1926- ) is a Japanese American fiber artist based in Berkeley, California. Suzanne Baizerman is a curator at the Oakland Museum in Oakland, California. Sekimachi is also known as Kay Sekimachi Stocksdale. She is married to wood-turner Bob Stocksdale.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 21 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:
Fiber artists -- California -- Berkeley Search this
An interview of Helena Hernmarck conducted 2010 July 28 and August 31, by Matilda McQuaid, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Hernmarck's home and studio, in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Biographical / Historical:
Helena Hernmarck (1941-) is a tapestry artist in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Matilda McQuaid is deputy curatorial director, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 memory cards. Reformatted in 2010 as 11 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 6 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.
Three programs on Curtis shown on Fairfield, Conn. cable television, 1983 and 1984, including an interview of Curtis in her Easton, Conn. studio by Channel 12 News; a tour with Curtis of her installation at the Connecticut College Art Gallery, New London, including a discussion with David Smalley, chair of the Art Dept.; and visits to Richard Bergmann Architects, New Canaan Library, and University of Connecticut Babbige Library to view Curtis' work.
Biographical / Historical:
Fiber artist; Easton, Conn.
Provenance:
Donated 1985 by Dolly Curtis.
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.