Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The Philippine folk artists who participated in the 1998 Festival shared a common involvement in elaborate systems of exchange, reciprocity, and gift-giving that characterize Filipino society - a theme that was chosen to structure the Festival program. Their lives could be read as essays on gift-giving: mentors of younger generations, diplomatic representatives to worlds outside their communities, custodians of artistic creation, performers and makers of the implements of celebrations. They represented the spirit of pahiyas, a word that collects notions of gem-like treasures and blessings. Pahiyas is a shower of gifts and blessings in the celebratory abundance of a harvest. Through these artists, the Philippines celebrated the centennial of its declaration of independence by asserting its freedom to construct the future with the culture of gift-giving.
At the start of work on the Philippine Festival program, the first order of business was to define an approach that engaged not only how intricately Filipinos articulate identity and reweave tradition with 20th-century passions, but also how they do so while simultaneously expressing delight and dignity, vivacity and solemnity. The demand for accuracy of representation was extraordinarily high. The project was negotiated by the Philippine Centennial Commission with the Smithsonian in the context of the Philippine Centennial celebrations in the Philippines and of the associated events planned in many cities in the United States.
It was clear to the project team from the outset that during these celebrations, Filipinos wished to signal their arrival at a juncture in history where they could enjoy a complex understanding of the deepest sources of cultural pride. The project's goal was to express a sophisticated sense of the dynamics of folklife in a national formation. Thus, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the implementing agency for the project on the Philippine side, assembled a project team of independent cultural workers and worked with the Smithsonian to create a Festival concept - pahiyas - and corresponding presentation to communicate that sense of arrival and to register that refined understanding.
The 80 Philippine master artists honored by the Smithsonian Institution and their nation have in common - aside from their levels of achievement - a strength of character that has enabled them to meet the challenge of modernity by accepting and reworking certain aspects of it. Many of the artists were savvy about recordings and other forms of documentation, marketing techniques, alliances with other communities and countries, public presentations, discussions, and political action. Individually and as a group they laid to rest the weary stereotypes of the primitive or the abject rural peasant. Although many of them were poor by the standards of urban society, they all projected to Festival visitors a grace, a pride, and a sense of assurance that seemed to issue from the aesthetic pleasure and wisdom inherent in their chosen art forms.
Richard Kennedy and Marian Pastor Roces were Curators, with Ramon Obusan as Program Director and Eva Mari G. Salvador and Andrea Yangas as Program Coordinators. Flora Elena R. Mirano was Research Director and Ricardo Trimillos was Research Associate.
The Philippines program was produced in collaboration with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Centennial Commission and was supported by the American International Group, Inc., The Starr Foundation, Bell Atlantic, the Asian Cultural Council, and the Philippine Centennial Foundation/USA.
Researchers:
Marialita Yraola (supervising researcher), Edna Marcil M. Martinez (senior researcher), Eduardo Borbon, Ricardo Cruz, Leonido Gines, Jr., Maria Patricia B. Silvestre, Dennis Julio Y. Tan
Presenters:
Paulo Alcazaren, Carmencita J. Bernardo, Eduardo Borbon, Joseph Cristobal, Ricardo Cruz, Frank I. Depakakibo, Leonido Gines, Jr., Pacita O. Ignacio, Amelio B. Manzano, Edna Marcil M. Martinez, Jojo Mata, Flora Elena Mirano, Oliver Patino, Maria Patricia B. Silvestre, Dennis Julio Y. Tan, Marialita Yraola, Consuelo Zapata
PASIKING (KALINGA ENSEMBLE), KALINGA-APAYAO PROVINCE -- PASIKING (KALINGA ENSEMBLE), KALINGA-APAYAO PROVINCEBenicio D. Sokkong, leader, Kalinga-Apayao Province, PhilippinesDamaso L. Balway, Kalinga-Apayao Province, PhilippinesCalixto B. Cabannag, Kalinga-Apayao Province, PhilippinesInocencio L. Damagon, Kalinga-Apayao Province, PhilippinesJose Marie K. Felipe, Jr., Kalinga-Apayao Province, PhilippinesImelda S. Polittude, Kalinga-Apayao Province, PhilippinesBenedicto L. Damagon, dancer, Kalinga-Apayao Province, PhilippinesFidel P. Tayawa, dancer, Kalinga-Apayao Province, Philippines
TALAANDIG ENSEMBLE, BUKIDNON PROVINCE -- TALAANDIG ENSEMBLE, BUKIDNON PROVINCEVictorino Saway, leader, Bukidnon Province, PhilippinesJean S. Gangga, Bukidnon Province, PhilippinesMarlon P. Necosia, Bukidnon Province, PhilippinesAdolino L. Saway, Bukidnon Province, PhilippinesRodelio L. Saway, Bukidnon Province, PhilippinesLiza L. Saway, Bukidnon Province, PhilippinesOrlanda P. Saway, Bukidnon Province, PhilippinesNarita T. Sihagan, Bukidnon Province, Philippines
Chapel
CHORAL ENSEMBLE, BACONG, NEGROS ORIENTAL PROVINCE -- CHORAL ENSEMBLE, BACONG, NEGROS ORIENTAL PROVINCEExuferio V. Tinguha, choirmaster & parol maker, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, PhilippinesGlenn S. Aurea, parol-makingassistant, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, PhilippinesLeona R. Aurea, cantora, soprano, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, PhilippinesSimplicia V. Baro, cantora, soprano, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, PhilippinesCatalina T. Gajilomo, cantora, soprano, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, PhilippinesAngel M. Honculada, parol-making assistant, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, PhilippinesGenoveva T. Sagarino, cantora, alto, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, PhilippinesSylvia T. Vendiola, cantora, soprano, Bacong, Negros Oriental Province, Philippines
MUSICONG BUMBONG, -- BULACAN PROVINCE -- MUSICONG BUMBONG, BULACAN PROVINCEAlfredo C. Anastacio, snare drum, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesAntonio A. Anastacio, harmonica, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesRodrigo C. Anastacio, bass drum, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesAntonio D. Bautista, trombone, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesRoberto C. Capiral, trumpet, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesEmesto B. de Dios, trombone, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesRoderic C. Garcia, cymbals, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesMelchor F. Gimenez, clarinet, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesBernabe A. Ignacio, bamboo bass, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesZosimo B. Miday, trumpet, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesRizalino A. Remigio, saxophone, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesDomingo M. Rosco, saxophone, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesRoman A. Santa Ana, bamboo bass, Bulacan Province, PhilippinesMaximo C. Santiago, harmonica, Bulacan Province, Philippines
RONDALLA MARIKINA, MARIKINA CITY, MANILA -- RONDALLA MARIKINA, MARIKINA CITY, MANILAMarcial R. de Jesus, Marikina City, Manila, PhilippinesArcadio R. dela Cruz, Marikina City, Manila, PhilippinesEdgardo G. Labrado, Marikina City, Manila, PhilippinesRodolfo T. Poblea, Marikina City, Manila, PhilippinesMontano M. Santos, Marikina City, Manila, PhilippinesTeofilo M. Santos, Marikina City, Manila, Philippines
SUBLI -- ENSEMBLE, BATANGAS PROVINCE -- SUBLI ENSEMBLE, BATANGAS PROVINCEAbdon O. Cruzat, leader, Batangas Province, PhilippinesRufina V. Boongaling, dancer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesBeda M. Dimayuga, dancer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesBibiana C. Escalona, dancer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesMiguela C. Maquimot, dancer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesSimeon C. Maquimot, dancer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesLeonardo E. Valdez, dancer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesFelix C. Cruzat, drummer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesSeverino D. Cruzat, drummer, Batangas Province, PhilippinesJose E. Manalo, drummer, Batangas Province, Philippines
Collection Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1998 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of contemporary and folk art curator, historian, and consultant Dorothy C. Miller measure 34.6 linear feet and date from 1853-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920 to 1996. The papers primarily concern Miller's private art consulting work outside of her curatorial work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Found are scattered biographical materials, extensive correspondence and subject files, and project files for her art consulting work for the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the World Trade Center, and other miscellaneous corporate and private clients. Miller's work as a trustee and committee member of various public and private boards and commissions is also represented here. Additionally, the papers contain Miller's research files on Edward Hicks and folk art, and a small number of files of her husband Holger Cahill about his work as Director of the Federal Art Project. There is a scattered documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center. Also found is Dorothy Miller's collection of artists' Christmas cards and photographs of Miller and others. An addition to the papers includes biographical material; family papers; correspondence; professional files; art collection and client files; printed material; and photographic material. While a small number professional files are included, the majority of the addition relates to her personal life, including correspondence with her husband Holger Cahill, and files pertaining to her personal art collection.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of contemporary and folk art curator, historian, and consultant Dorothy C. Miller measure 34.6 linear feet and date from 1853-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920 to 1996. The papers primarily concern Miller's art consulting work outside of her curatorial work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York city. Found are scattered biographical materials, extensive correspondence and subject files, and project files for her art consulting work for the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and other miscellaneous corporate and private clients. Her work as a trustee and committee member of various public and private boards and commissions is also represented here. Additionally, the papers contain Miller's research files on Edward Hicks and folk art, and a small number of files related to Miller's husband Holger Cahill and his work as Director of the Federal Art Project. There is important documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center. Artwork includes scattered sketches and drawings enclosed with correspondence and original Christmas cards sent to Miller by various artists. Photographs of Miller date from 1926 - circa 1950.
Scattered biographical material mostly concerns Miller's education at Smith College and awards and honorary degrees that she received. Extensive correspondence and subject files document her professional and personal relationships with family, friends, colleagues, museums, art dealers and artists, as well as her research interests. Individual files may contain a mix of correspondence with, as well as about, the person or subject, compiled research documents, printed materials, and scattered photographs. Files are found for Lewin Alcopley, Alfred Barr, Betty Parsons Gallery, Cahill family members, Lee Bontecou, James Byars, Holger Cahill, Alexander Calder, Christo, Chryssa, Calvert Coggeshall, John Canaday, Maryette Charlton, Stuart Davis, Jay DeFeo, Lorser Feitelson, Arshile Gorky, Peggy Guggenheim, Grace Hartigan, Will Horwitt, Jasper Johns, Julien Levy, Pierre Matisse, Louise Nevelson, Barnett Newman, Isamu Nauchi, Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, Kay Sage, Charles Sheeler, Hedda Sterne, travel, Clyfford Still, William Scharf, among many others.
Detailed records of Miller's art consulting and advisory work for the Rockefeller family include correspondence with Nelson A. Rockefeller and David Rockefeller about building their personal collections of contemporary and folk art, meeting notes and minutes, research notes and writings, and printed materials. The largest group of records concerns the writing and publication of The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art. Miller's curatorial work for David Rockefeller and the Rockefeller University's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall art collection is documented in Series 4 through curatorial files, correspondence, printed materials, photographs and slides, artists files, and design records.
Series 5 contains files relating to Miller's work as the first art consutant to the Chase Manhattan Bank and the building of the corporation's extensive collection of contemporary art. There is a draft of Miller's text for the bank's published catalog, Art At Work: Chase Manhattan Bank Collection. A smaller set of records is found in Series 6 documenting Miller's work on the Art Committee of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, including files about selecting artwork for the World Trade Center during the early 1970s. Files concerning Miller's advisory work with additional public and private clients, boards, and commissions are arranged in Series 7 and 8 and concern the Amstar Corporation, Fidelity International Bank, First National Bank of Tampa, First National City Bank, Inmont Corporation, Pepsico, United Mutual Savings Bank, the Empire State Plaza Art Commission, the Hancock Shaker Village, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Mark Rothko Foundation, the Museum of American Folk Art, and the Smith College Museum of Art.
Miller's papers include a small group of files relating to the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP)created by her husband Holger Cahill when he was director of the FAP, Holger Cahill. A small series is devoted to Miller's work with Eleanore Price Mather researching and writing Edward Hicks: His Peaceable Kingdom and Other Paintings. A series of general research files contain miscellaneous research notes and photographs related to Miller's interests in early American art and folk art. Series 12 contains important documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center.
Works of art are primarily in the form of Christmas cards sent to Miller by various artists including Elise Asher, Lyonel Feininger, Bernard Karpel, and Irene Rice Pereira. A small group of photographs includes photographs of Miller from 1926-circa 1950 and a few photographs of others.
The addition includes biographical material; family papers; correspondence; professional files; art collection and client files; printed material; and photographic material. While a small number of professional files are found here, the majority of material relates to Miller's personal life, including correspondence with her husband Holger Cahill, and files pertaining to her personal art collection. Scattered correspondence, inventories, research, and notes created by curator and donor of the papers, Wendy Jeffers, are found throughout the collection. These materials date from the 1980s-2000s.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 15 series:
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-1986 (Box 1; 0.3 linear ft.)
Series 2: Correspondence and Subject Files, circa 1912-1992 (Boxes 1-8, OV 27; 7.2 linear ft.)
Series 3: Rockefeller Family Art Collections, circa 1949-1985 (Boxes 8-12, 25; 3.9 linear ft.)
Series 4: Rockefeller University Collection, 1923-1984 (Boxes 12-13, OV 27; 1.0 linear ft.)
Series 5: Chase Manhattan Bank Collection, 1959-circa 1985 (Boxes 13-14, 26; 1.4 linear ft.)
Series 6: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Art Committee, circa 1965-1987 (Boxes 14-15, OV 27; 0.8 linear ft.)
Series 7: Other Corporate and Private Clients, 1968-1984 (Boxes 15-16; 1.3 linear ft.)
Series 8: Other Boards, Committees and Commissions, 1925, 1949-1985 (Boxes 16-20; 3.6 linear ft.)
Series 9: Works Project Administration Federal Art Project Files, 1935-1979 (Box 20, OV 27; 0.5 linear ft.)
Series 10: Edward Hicks Catalog, 1934-1984 (Boxes 20-22; 1.5 linear ft.)
Series 11: Research Files, 1930s-1980 (Boxes 22-23; 0.8 linear ft.)
Series 12: Exhibition Files, 1932-1986 (Box 23; 0.6 linear ft.)
Series 13: Works of Art, circa 1924-circa 1982 (Boxes 23-25; 1.5 linear ft.)
Series 14: Photographs, 1926-circa 1970s (Boxes 24-25; 0.3 linear ft.)
Series 15: Addition to the Dorothy C. Miller Papers, 1853-2003, bulk 1920-1996 (Boxes 28-38, OVs 39-41; 9.9 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Dorothy Canning Miller (1904-2003) worked in New York City as a highly influential curator of contemporary and folk art at the Museum of Modern Art and as the first curator of the museum. Later, she was the primary art consultant for Nelson A. Rockefeller, the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, and the Port Authority of and New Jersey. Dorothy Miller was also married to Holger Cahill, director of the WPA Federal Art Project.
Dorothy C. Miller was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts in 1904 and received her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 1925. She was first introduced to modern art through classes at the Newark Museum taught by John Cotton Dana and Holger Cahill. Miller joined the curatorial staff of the Newark Museum in 1926. The museum was one of the first to organize exhibitions of American folk art, American Primitives (1930-1931) and American Folk Sculpture (1931-1932). Miller worked with Cahill and others on the exhibition and developed a life-long interest in folk art.
After four years at the Newark Museum, Miller moved to New York city, hoping to get involved with the newly opened Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and, likely, to be with Holger Cahill, with whom she lived with on 8th Street prior to their marriage in 1938. Between 1930 and 1932 she took odd jobs and worked with Mrs. Henry Lang cataloging, researching and installing Lang's collection of Native American art Lang donated to the Montclair Art Museum. At the same time, Holger Cahill was serving as Acting Director of the Museum of Modern Art during an absence of Director Alfred H. Barr. In 1932, Cahill asked Miller to assist him with curating the American Painting and Sculpture, 1862-1932 exhibition at MoMA, and together they also curated the First Municipal Art Exhibition, 1934 at the Rockefeller Center.
In 1934, Barr hired Miller as his assistant and one year later appointed her as MoMA's first curator. Miller spent the next 35 years organizing many of this country's most important exhibitions of contemporary art and building personal relationships with new artists and photographers, as well as the collections of MoMA. Miller retired from MOMA in 1969 and focused more on her art consulting work begun in the late 1950s.
Dorothy Miller's most notable client was Nelson A. Rockefeller. She assisted and advised Rockefeller as he acquired a vast personal collection of modern art - some of which was later donated to MoMA. Just prior to her retirement, Miller organized a large exhibition of Rockefeller's collection. The exhibition catalog written by Miller was the basis for the book she worked on with Rockefeller up until and following his death in 1979, ultimately published as The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art. In the preface, Rockefeller credited Miller with being one of the four people to whom he was indebted "for the understanding and endless joy I have found in the collecting of modern art in all forms."
Miller also served as the primary art consultant for projects to furnish federal spaces, including Henry Kissinger's State Department office suite, and the official Vice-Presidential residence at the Admiral's House in Washington D.C.
In 1959 Miller was invited to join the art collection committee of the Chase Manhattan Bank and served on the committee until the mid-1980s, contributing her expertise to the development of one of this country's oldest and largest corporate collections of modern and contemporary art.
Miller was also an advisor to other members of the Rockefeller family, including David Rockefeller, and assisted with developing the art collections of Rockefeller Institute/University. From 1960 through the late 1980s Miller was a member of the art committee for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANJY) and was responsible for selecting much of the artwork for the World Trade Center in the 1970s. She served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Hancock Shaker Village, the Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Empire State Plaza in Albany, Smith College Museum of Art, and the Museum of American Folk Art. She also became a member of the Mark Rothko Foundation Board of Directors after the litigation following Rothko's death between Rothko's executors and his daughter.
In the mid-1970s Miller assisted the Whitney Museum of American with planning an exhibition and supporting catalog of the work of folk artist Edward Hicks. Although the exhibition and catalog were only partially realized in 1980, Miller and Eleanore Price Mather compiled and published a book on Hicks, Edward Hicks: His Peaceable Kingdoms and Other Paintings, published in 1983.
In 1982-1983 Miller received the Art Dealers Association Special Award, an honorary degree from Williams College, and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture governor's award. In 1984 she was named honorary trustee of the Museum of Modern Art. In 1985 the Smith College Museum of Art honored her important contributions to museum connoisseurship with the exhibition Dorothy C. Miller: With An Eye to American Art.
Dorothy Miller died in 2003 at the age of 99 at her home in Greenwich, New York.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art holds two oral history interviews with Dorothy C. Miller. The first was conducted by Paul Cummings between May 26, 1970 and September 28, 1971, and details Miller's life from childhood up to, and including, her years at the Museum of Modern Art. The second was conducted by Avis Berman on May 14, 1981 and covers Miller's relationships with Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still. Also found among the holdings of the Archives are the papers of Holger Cahill, Dorothy Miller's husband and colleague.
The Museum of Modern Art Achives holds Dorothy Miller's papers related to her curatorial work at the museum.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Dorothy C. Miller via Wendy Jeffers between 1986 and 1997, and Reid White, Executor of Miller's estate, in 2004. Two subsequent additions were donated by Wendy Jeffers in 2014 and 2015.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers 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:
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview of Jack Savitsky conducted 1990 July 9, by Jack Lindsey, for the Archives of American Art.
Savitsky speaks about his family background; his early life as a miner and its effect on his life; his work, including subjects, materials, style, and gallery exhibitions; Sterling Strauser's promotion of his work, and other collectors. He recalls Justin McCarthy.
Biographical / Historical:
Jack Savitsky (1910-1991) was a folk artist and painter from Lansford, Pa.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr.
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.
Occupation:
Folk artists -- Pennsylvania -- Interviews Search this
An interview of William Dawson conducted 1990 April 11-23, by Betty Blum, for the Archives of American Art.
Dawson speaks of his childhood in Alabama; coming to Chicago in 1923; working as a porter and janitor; the beginnings of his art career after retiring in 1965; making carvings from found objects; the process of discovering and creating forms; his first exhibition at the Lincoln Park Public Library; his first sales to collectors, including Phyllis Kind and Roger Brown; gaining exposure through collectors and eventually getting discovered; the beginning of his work in painting; his exhibition at the Corcoran in 1982; work methods; and inspirations and ideas.
Biographical / Historical:
William Dawson (1901-1990) was a self-taught painter and sculptor from Chicago, Illinois. Dawson was born in 1901 in Huntsville, Alabama, came to Chicago in 1923, and after retiring from a career as a janitor and porter, he began sculpting and painting. He died July 1, 1990.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 58 min.
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews Search this
Folk artists -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews Search this
The Willem Voklersz interviews measure 2.6 linear feet and date from 1975-1985. The collection consists of twenty-nine sound cassettes containing thirty-one interviews of folk artists conducted by Volkersz for a personal research project, a monologue, and readings by Volkersz of notes on individual artists. Subjects include folk artists such as Howard Finster, Jesse Howard, and St. EOM (Eddie Owens Martin). Also found are thirty-seven transcripts of the recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The Willem Voklersz interviews measure 2.6 linear feet and date from 1975-1985. The collection consists of twenty-nine sound cassettes containing thirty-one interviews of folk artists conducted by Volkersz for a personal research project, a monologue, and readings by Volkersz of notes on individual artists. Subjects include folk artists such as Howard Finster, Jesse Howard, and St. EOM (Eddie Owens Martin). Also found are thirty-seven transcripts of the recordings.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Willem Volkersz is a teacher, collector, and sculptor of Bozeman, Montana, who was born in Holland and came to the United States following World War II. He completed his education at the University of Washington in 1965, and completed a Masters of Fine Art at Mills College in 1967.
Volkersz began researching and collecting work by visionary and naive artists while a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute. His collection is now at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and the Missoula Art Museum, in Missoula, Montana.
Provenance:
Sound recordings of the Willem Volkersz interviews were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1986 by Willem Volkersz, who made them primarily for his own use as a researcher, collector and teacher of folk art. They were transcribed in 1989 for the Archives of American Art by Toni Reineke.
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 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.
Willem Volkersz interviews, 1975-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institute.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
An interview of Howard Finster conducted 1984 June 11, by Liza Kirwin, for the Archives of American Art at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Finster speaks of his early childhood; his earliest vision; working as a preacher and a repairman; the construction of his GARDEN OF PARADISE; his mission in life; dealers and exhibitions; and his Chapel of the World's Folk Art Church, Inc.
Biographical / Historical:
Howard Finster (1916-2001) was a self-taught visionary artist and minister from Georgia. Full name: William Howard Finster.
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 available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of Walter Clemmons conducted 1990 July 26, by Jack Lindsey for the Archives of American Art Philadelphia Project.
Clemmons speaks about the development of his wire art beginning with his work as a child; individual pieces created throughout his career including subjects and their sources; technical issues such as materials and methods; and his exhibition history.
Biographical / Historical:
Walter Clemmons (1956- ) is a sculptor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 27 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:
Sculptors -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
Folk artists -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Search this
An indexed transcript of an interview of Fleming conducted by Bousquet at Fleming's home in New Creek, W.Va., Apr. 18 and July 17-18, 1990 (144 p.); Bousquet's notes from a telephone conversation with Fleming, Sept. 24, 1990; 18 photographs, 1989-1992, of Fleming and his works of art; a copy of an "environment field survey form" on Fleming's folk art environment prepared by Bousquet for SPACES (Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments) in Los Angeles, California; and copies of articles written by Bousquet on Fleming for the Goldenseal, and for the Appalachian Journal, 1992.
In his interview, Fleming describes his wood carvings and constructions, his techniques, materials and sources of information, and his encounters with folk art collectors and curators.
Biographical / Historical:
Bousquet is chair, Environmental Studies Program at Warren Wilson College, N.C. whose teaching included Appalachian region issues. Fleming is a woodcarver, New Creek, W. Va.
Provenance:
Donated 1990 by Woodward S. Bousquet.
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.
Murry, J. B. (John B.), 1908-1988 (John B.) Search this
Smith, Mary T. (Mary Tillman), 1904-1995 Search this
Extent:
0.4 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Interviews
Slides (photographs)
Video recordings
Date:
circa 1984-1986
Summary:
The videos and slides on African American folk artists Dilmus Hall, Mary T. Smith, and J.B. Murry measure 0.4 linear feet and date from circa 1984 to 1986. The collection includes recorded interviews conducted by art historian Judith McWillie with the artists about their lives and work, and color slides of Dilmus Hall and Mary T. Smith with their work.
Scope and Contents:
The videos and slides on African American folk artists Dilmus Hall, Mary T. Smith, and J.B. Murry measure 0.4 linear feet and date from circa 1984 to 1986. The collection includes recorded interviews conducted by art historian Judith McWillie with the artists about their lives and work, and color slides of Dilmus Hall and Mary T. Smith with their work.
The materials related to Dilmus Hall include a 1984 interview (dubbed in 1986) in which Hall covers many topics ranging from his childhood to religious influences in his work, as well as 41 color slides of Hall, his home, and his work.
Materials related to Mary T. Smith and J.B. Murry include an interview with Mary T. Smith in December 1986 and one with J.B. Murry in May 1986, both dubbed onto the same tape. Also included are 10 color slides of Mary T. Smith and her artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in two series.
Series 1: Material Related to Dilmus Hall, circa 1984-1986 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 2: Material Related to Mary T. Smith and J.B. Murry, 1986 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Judith McWillie is an artist, art historian, and professor emeritus of drawing and painting at the Lamar Dodd School of Art of the University of Georgia. Much of her work focuses on African American artists.
Dilmus Hall (1900-1987) was a self-taught African American artist. Born in Georgia in 1900, he joined the United States Army Medical Corps in 1917 and served in Europe as a stretcher-bearer during World War I. After he returned to Georgia, he worked as a waiter and a fabricator of concrete blocks, retiring in 1961 to devote himself to art. Hall decorated his house and yard in Athens, Georgia with sculpted animals, devils, and humans, often based on biblical themes. He has also produced hundreds of drawings in a cartoon-like style.
Mary Tillman Smith (1904-1995) was an African American self-taught painter in Mississippi. Her work was often created on readily-available materials such as plywood and corrugated tin. Her work is included in collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
J.B. (John Bunion) Murry (also Murray) (1908-1988) was a self-taught African American artist in Georgia. He worked as a sharecropper for the majority of his life. At the age of 70 he experienced a religious vision and began painting, producing an extensive body of work in ten years. Murry was illiterate, but developed his own script, which he incorporated into his paintings. His work is included in collections at the American Folk Art Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are J.B. Murray drawings, 1985 on microfilm reel 3667.
Provenance:
Videos and slides on Dilmus Hall, Mary T. Smith, and J.B. Murry were donated to the Archives of American Art by Judith McWillie in 1986 and 1987.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of audiovisual recordings with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Rights:
Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Judith McWillie. 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.
