The papers of New York painter and educator Marcia Marcus measure 8.42 linear feet and .389 gigabytes (1 computer file), and date from 1928-2016, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1950-2000. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings (including two diaries), project files, personal business records, printed material, photographic material, eight sketchbooks, and artwork. Extensive personal and professional correspondence is with her husband and close friends, galleries, museums, and other arts organizations. Notable correspondents include Sally Avery, Dody Müller, and Robert (Bob) Richenburg, and, to a lesser extent, Dorothy Gill Barnes, Elaine Benson, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, and Myron Stout. Photographic material includes photographs of Marcus at all stages of her life and photographs and slides documenting her paintings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York painter and educator Marcia Marcus measure 8.42 linear feet and .389 gigabytes (1 computer file), and date from 1928-2016, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1950-2000. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, interviews, writings (including two diaries), project files, personal business records, printed material, photographic material, eight sketchbooks, and artwork.
Biographical material includes address books, diplomas, certificates, identification documents, resumes, and other material.
Extensive personal and professional correspondence is with Marcia Marcus's husband and close friends, galleries, museums, and other arts organizations. Notable correspondents include Sally Avery, Dody Müller, and Robert (Bob) Richenburg, and, to a lesser extent, Dorothy Gill Barnes, Elaine Benson, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, and Myron Stout.
Interviews include 2 sound cassettes and a few transcripts. Writings by Marcia Marcus consist of diaries, artist statements, notebooks, notes, lists and poems. There are also a few writings by others about Marcus. Project files mostly consist of grant applications, a mail art project, information on exhibitions curated by Marcus, and other material.
Personal business records include receipts, ledgers, prices lists, leases, and other documentation. Photographic material includes photographs of Marcus at all stages of her life and photographs and slides documenting her paintings. There are eight sketchbooks and artwork, mostly in the form of small sketches and watercolors.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as ten series
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1928-2000s (0.7 linear feet; Box 1, OV 9)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1948-2016 (4.0 linear feet; Box 1-5)
Series 3: Interviews, 1970s-1980 (3 folders; Box 5)
Series 4: Writings, 1970s-2014 (0.3 linear feet; Box 5)
Series 5: Project Files, 1962-circa 2000 (0.2 linear feet; Box 5-6)
Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1960s-2000s (0.3 linear feet; Box 6)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1950s-1990s (0.8 linear feet; Box 6-7, OV 10-11)
Series 8: Photographic Material, 1950s-1990s (1.3 linear feet; Box 7-8)
Series 9: Sketchbooks, circa 1954-2000 (0.3 linear feet; Box 8)
Series 10: Artwork, 1950s-1990s (0.4 linear feet; Box 8, OV 12)
Biographical / Historical:
Marcia Marcus (1928- ) is a figurative painter working in New York, New York.
Born in New York City, Marcus earned her bachelor's degree in fine arts from New York University in 1949, studied at the Cooper Union from 1950-1952, and studied at the Art Students League with Edwin Dickinson in 1954. In 1951, Marcus exhibited her first painting in a group exhibition at Roko Gallery in New York City. Since then, she has been the subject of over a dozen solo shows and participated in many group exhibitions.
Marcus had an exhibition of self-portraits (1960) at the Delancey Street Museum, where the artist Red Grooms, one of her many friends in the art world, was one of the founders. She also directed and performed a "Happening" there. In 1961, Marcus studied Byzantine and fresco painting in Florence, Italy. She then traveled to France from 1962-1963 on a Fulbright fellowship, and was the recipient of many other grants throughout her career including a Esther and Adolph Gottlieb grant and a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Marcus has taught as a visiting artist at a number of colleges and universities, including Vassar College, New York University, and Purdue University.
Marcus married Terrence (Terry) Barrell in 1959 and they have two children, Kate and Jane.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Marcia Marcus conducted by Paul Cummings in 1975.
Provenance:
Marcia Marcus donated her papers in multiple increments between 1974-1984. Her daughter Kate Prendergast donated additional papers in 2016.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Marcia Marcus papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Women painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Interviews
Citation:
Marcia Marcus papers, 1928-2016, bulk 1950-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the family of Marcia Marcus, and the Lily and Earle M. Pilgrim Art Foundation.
Included are administrative files; MOTA's archive of correspondence art, artists' books, and other small-press art publications; publications of MOTA including catalogs, its newsletter "Art Ink," and "MOTA" (Museum of Temporary Art Magazine); photographs and slides of exhibitions and events; and audio recordings.
Biographical / Historical:
Museum of Temporary Art (MOTA), an artist-run alternative space founded in Washington, D.C. in 1974, aimed to foster contemporary art, and focused on the melding of literary and visual art and thrived on its connection to an international network of correspondence artists and other alternative spaces. It was located first at 716 11th Street, NW, and from 1981 until its closing in 1982, at 1206 G Street NW. Its executive director was Janet Bell Schmuckal.
Provenance:
Donated 1995 by Janet Bell Schmuckal, former director of MOTA.
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.
