An interview of John Marshall conducted 2001 April 5, by Lloyd Herman, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Edmonds, Washington.
Marshall speaks of his childhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; participating in an educational program with the Carnegie Museum; his exposure to art while in grade school and throughout his education; joining the army after high school; spending time in Germany with the army and experiencing the metalwork of that area; learning to work hard from his father; his family background; attending Grove City College, then working in construction during the day and going to classes at Carnegie Tech during the night; finally attending Cleveland Institute of Art; some of his teachers at the Institute, Kenneth Bates, Toshiko Takaezu, and John Clague; his first experiences with metal, Fred Miller, and learning how to design metal pieces; getting a job as head of the metals department at Syracuse and completing his MFA there; meeting Paul Smith and Lee Nordness, and participating in Objects: USA; his travels throughout Europe; the many commissions he has done for churches, everything from baptismal bowls, chalices, and crosses; Patrick Lannan, and how instrumental he was in Marshall's career, his collection of work that Lannan bought and where it all is now located; the different types of communities in the different areas he lived; commissions and how they were important to his career; how he challenges himself with new ideas and creations; the Handy and Harman Workshop; the difference between a university trained artist and one who has learned his/her craft outside academia; his students and how much satisfaction he has received from teaching; the decline in metal working programs at the university level; the influence of other faculty members on his work, such as Lee DuSell; the critics of metalwork, Bruce Metcalf and Gary Griffin; his involvement in the Society of North American Goldsmiths; and his two sons. Marshall also recalls John Paul Miller, Winifred Lutz, Ramona Solberg, Ruth Penington, Michael Scott, Don Bacorn, Annie Hauberg, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
John Marshall (1936- ) is a jeweler and metalsmith from Edmonds, Washington. Lloyd Herman (1936- ) is the former director of the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 2 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.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with John Marshall, 2001 April 5. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of artist James W. Washington, Jr. measure 2.3 linear feet and date from 1938 to 1989. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, professional records, material related to the Artists Equity Association, printed material, and photographic material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of artist James W. Washington, Jr. measure 2.3 linear feet and date from 1938 to 1989. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, professional records, material related to the Artists Equity Association, printed material, and photographic material.
Biographical material includes resumes, a short biographical sketch, and the transcript of an interview conducted by Cindy Huetter.
Correspondence makes up the bulk of this collection and consists of letters to Washington from family and friends expressing admiration for his work, writings, and lectures. Also documented is his involvement in organizations including the Pacific Arts Center, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Correspondents include Kenneth Callahan, Anne Gould Hauberg, Val M. Laigo, and George Tsutakawa. This series also includes a file of correspondence related to Washington's articles for the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
Writings include articles for Zionews, the Mt. Zion Baptist Church newsletter; the Seattle Post Intelligencer; and the Puget Sounding related to Washington's artwork; his thoughts on race; his teacher, Mark Tobey; and his strong religious beliefs. Also included are an unidentified editorial and assorted notes.
Professional records include material related to committees and professional groups, financial records, materials related to commissions and sculptures, materials related to Mark Tobey works loaned for exhibition, teaching files, and legal files.
Artists Equity Association files consist of correspondence, membership information, constitution and by-laws, reports and meeting minutes, proposals, newsletters, and clippings.
Printed material includes exhibition announcements, exhibition catalogs, newsletters and bulletins, magazine and newspaper clippings, programs, and religious material.
Photographic material consists of photographs of artwork, photographs of Washington with his work, and one oversized portrait of Washington.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in seven series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1970-1989 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1938-1988 (Boxes 1-2; 1.4 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1958-circa 1986 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 4: Professional Records, 1950-1983 (Box 2; 7 folders)
Series 5: Artists Equity Association Files, 1948-1963 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1946-1989 (Boxes 2-3; 0.3 linear feet, OV 4)
Series 7: Photographic Material, 1951, 1964-1969, 1980s (Box 3; 2 folders, OV 4)
Biographical / Historical:
James W. Washington, Jr. (1909-2000) was an African American painter and sculptor prominent in the Seattle, Washington art community. Religion was an important part of his life and he considered his art to be a spiritual undertaking. In addition to being active in his church community, he was a member of the Artists Equity Association, serving as the Seattle Chapter secretary from 1950 to 1960, and then as the president from 1960 to 1962. In 1990 the City of Seattle's Historic Landmark and Preservation Board designated Washington's home and studio at 1816 26th Avenue a cultural landmark.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with James W. Washington, Jr., one conducted by Dorothy Bestor, October 13, 1965, the other by Paul Karlstrom, June 29, 1987.
Provenance:
The James W. Washington, Jr. papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by James. W. Washington, Jr. in two accessions in 1984 and 1989.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle Search this
Sculptors -- Washington (State) -- Seattle Search this
Biographical material; correspondence; financial records; Baha'i material; music; writings; art works; printed material; and photographs.
Biographical material includes diaries with sporadic entries, undated and 1958-1959; address books; membership cards, and honorary titles. Correspondents include Stephen Andrus, Dore Ashton, Arthur G. Barnett, John and Betty Bowen, Adelyn Breeskin, Cliffa Carson (niece), Thomas A. Chew, Lillian Clark, Paul Cummings, Arthur Dahl, Shoghi B. Effendi, Dorothy Elmhirst, Claire Falkenstein, Lyonel Feininger, Janet Flanner, John Ford,Miriam Gabo, Colin Graham, Pehr Hallsten, Pamela Harkins, Nina Harwood, John and Anne Hauberg, Kay Hillman, Joseph Hirshhorn, David Hofman, Carl Holty, Herbert Hoover, Leroy and Silvia Ioas, Berthe P. and Claire Jacobson, Nina Kandinsky, Helen Kendall, Carolyn Kizer, Katharine Kuh,Rene Lauby, Bernard Leach, Gerald Lieberman, Andre Masson, Marjory Masten, George Mathieu, N. Richard Miller, Joan Miro, Axel Mondell, Alfred Neumeyer, Ben Nicholson, Vincent Price, Mark Ritter, Diego Rivera, Nancy W. Ross, John Russell, Henry Seldis, Charles Seliger, Otto Seligman, Art Smith, James Speyer, Michel Tapie, Miriam Terry, Roland Terry, Juliet Thompson, Kenneth Tyler, Charmion Von Wiegand, Heloise Wardall, Ulfert Wilke, and Marian Willard of the Willard Gallery.
Also found are: notes taken while studying French; financial, legal and medical records; material relating to Baha'i, including credential for Tobey for the Baha'i World Congress, 1963, class notes, photographs, prayer books, and printed material; music, including sheet music by Tobey, recital program, and music by Harold Budd, John Sundsten,and Debussey; writings and poetry by Tobey and Dahl; writings on Tobey; a transcript of an interview of Tobey conducted by William Seitz; sketches and sketchbooks by Tobey and by others, including Bernard Leach; printed material on Tobey, including reproductions of work, exhibition catalogs and announcements, magazine articles, and clippings; and printed material on others, including Hallsten, Leach, Seliger, Feininger, Abraham Walkowitz, Alberto Burri, and Jules Pascin.
Also included are photographs of: Tobey, Tobey with family and friends, exhibition installations, works of art, an album containing photos, sketches and notes, ca. 1920-1950, an album of photos of Tobey's Seattle studio taken after his death by Kenneth Tomlinson, 1976, and miscellaneous photographs.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter; Abstract Expressionist. Also worked as fashion illustrator, portrait painter. Born in Wisconsin, December 11, 1892. Died 1976. Worked in Chicago, Seattle, Basel, Switzerland; New York, N.Y., Dartington Hall, Devonshire, England, and Paris. Convert to Baha'i religion.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1984 by the Seattle Art Museum.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle Search this
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- History Search this
