An interview with Andrea Zittel conducted 2018 January 8 and 9, by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, for the Archives of American Art, at the artist's studio in Joshua Tree, California.
Zittel discusses life as an artist and designer at her studio and production company A-Z West in Joshua Tree; growing up in Escondido, California and visiting her grandparents' ranch in El Centro, California as a child and the attraction she felt to the desert; her year in Germany as a schoolchild; her rebellious years as a teenager; her undergraduate work at San Diego State University, her studies of photography and art there and the influence of the photographer Walter Cotten; her subsequent graduate work at the Rhode Island School of Design; her work on the staff at Pat Hearn Gallery; her purchase of a building in Brooklyn and the establishment of A-Z East; her work with breeding animals and insects in her apartment and her living spaces and the first Breeding Unit; the creation of her first self-contained Living Unit; her work with custom-designed uniforms meant for long-term wear; and her early success with significant mid-'90s shows at galleries and museums in the United States and Europe.
Zittel also describes her relocation from New York to Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert; her relationship with the artist Allan McCollum; her expanding series of sculptural furniture and living pieces including Fleds, Ottoman Furniture, Travel Trailers and the Management and Maintenance Unit; life in the Mojave Desert and the historical impact of the post-war Homestead Act on her part of San Bernardino County; her son Emmett and his father David Dodge; her partner, the musician Katy Davidson; the integration of textiles and handcraft in her work; her work with the arts organization High Desert Test Sites; her clothing production effort Smockshop; and her thoughts about having A-Z West be self-sustaining and creating a legacy.
Zittel also recalls Gillian Theobald; Janet Cooling; Rob Storr; Peter Watson; Andrea Rosen; Dan Wineman; Rainer Ganahl; Craig Kalpakjian; Mike Ballou as well as Klaus Biesenbach; Sebastian Clough; Shaun Regen; Kip Fjeld; Judith Solodkyne; and Brooke Hodge, among others.
Biographical / Historical:
Andrea Zittel (1965- ) is a multimedia artist based in Joshua Tree, California and New York, New York. Hunter Drohojowska-Philp is a writer in Los Angeles, California.
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:
The transcript and audio recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview with Paul Ramírez Jonas conducted 2020 July 7, by Josh Franco, for the Archives of American Art's Pandemic Oral History Project at Ramírez Jonas' home in Brooklyn, New York.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul Ramírez Jonas (1965- ) is a social practice artist in Brooklyn, New York. Ramírez Jonas was born in Pomona, California and raised in Honduras. He is active in Brooklyn, New York, and has taught at Hunter College since 2007.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Paul Ramírez Jonas papers.
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:
This interview is open for research.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Multimedia artists -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn Search this
An interview with Chitra Ganesh conducted 2020 September 1, by Benjamin Gillespie, for the Archives of American Art's Pandemic Oral History Project, at Ganesh's home in Brooklyn, New York.
Biographical / Historical:
Chitra Ganesh (1975 - ) is an multimedia artist in Brooklyn, New York. Ganesh examines feminine and queer representation in mythology and pop culture through media including digital collage, comics, sculpture, and murals.
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:
This interview is open for research.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Multimedia artists -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn Search this
An interview with Cory Arcangel conducted 2020 August 14, by Jacob Proctor, for the Archives of American Art's Pandemic Oral History Project, at Arcangel's home in Stavanger, Norway.
Biographical / Historical:
Cory Arcangel (1978- ) is a multi-disciplinary artist in Stavanger, Norway and Brooklyn, New York. Arcangel is well-known for his modifications of popular video games.
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:
This interview is open for research.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Multimedia artists -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn Search this
The papers of New York multimedia artist and educator Paul Ramírez Jonas, measure 6.3 linear feet and 19.73 GB and date from circa 1989-2014. The collection documents the work of this social practice artist through correspondence, exhibition and project files, and professional files, and provides relatively thorough coverage of Ramírez Jonas's work and development to late mid-career.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York multimedia artist and educator Paul Ramírez Jonas, measure 6.3 linear feet and 19.73 GB and date from circa 1989-2014. The collection documents the work of this social practice artist through correspondence, exhibition and project files, and professional files, and provides relatively thorough coverage of Ramírez Jonas's work and development to late mid-career.
Correspondence and personal files include greeting cards and postcards sent to Ramírez Jonas from individuals and galleries, and includes the artist's file arrangement lists documenting his organization of the records prior to donation to the Archives of American Art. Extensice email correspondence remains unprocessed.
Exhibition files provide a comprehensive survey of Ramírez Jonas's participation in group and solo exhibitions over more than two decades. Files include correspondence, notes, sketches, and printed, photographic and digital material for multiple exhibitions, and record Ramírez Jonas's relationships with gallery owners as well as the evolution and execution of many installations.
Project files provide a relatively comprehensive record of over two decades of projects, including large scale public art installations and smaller, more intimate projects, that trace evolving themes in Ramírez Jonas's work. Files include correspondence, architect's plans and schematic drawings, artist notes, financial and contractual records, printed and digital material, and photographs.
Professional files document other professional activities in which Ramírez Jonas was involved, such as boards and committees, conferences, panels, and seminars. Also found are a few files relating to teaching appointments, including documentation of his Combined Media Class at Hunter College.
Arrangement:
Prior to donation, Ramírez Jonas organized the bulk of his archives chronologically and thereafter into three categories which he titled "Shows," "Work," and "Other." This core arrangement has been maintained in the series Exhibition Files (Shows), Project Files (Work) and Professional Files (Other). A few additional files that did not fall into these three categories are arranged at the beginning of the collection as Series 1: Correspondence and Personal Files.
Series 1: Correspondence and Personal Files, 1991-circa 2014 (0.25 linear feet; Box 1, 2.20 GB; ER10)
Series 2: Exhibition Files, 1990-2009 (3.05 linear feet; Boxes 1-4, OV 7, 14.99 GB; ER01-ER05)
Series 3: Project Files, 1990-2014 (2.4 linear feet; Boxes 4-6, OVs 8-9, 2.54 GB; ER06-ER09)
Series 4: Professional Files, circa 1989-2014 (0.6 linear feet; Box 6, OV 8)
Biographical / Historical:
Paul Ramírez Jonas (1965-) is a multimedia artist and educator in New York, New York.
Ramírez Jonas was born in Pomona, California and raised in Honduras. He earned a BA in Studio Art and an MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1989. As a social practice artist Ramírez Jonas explores definitions of art and the public and seeks to engage active audience participation in much of his work. He uses pre-existing texts, models, and materials in work ranging from monumental sculpture to smaller and more intimate projects involving drawings, textiles, musical instruments, video and performance art, and other media.
Ramírez Jonas has had an ongoing association with Creative Time, a public arts organization in New York City which funded, amongst other projects, his 2010 project Key to the City, in which he replaced locks around the city with new locks that could be opened with keys he distributed. Keys have had an important role in Ramírez Jonas's work; his Taylor Square park project in Cambridge, for example, juxtaposes the locked gates of the public space with 5000 keys he distributed to the public to be duplicated endlessly, as a symbol of "this relationship between public space and the public."
Ramírez Jonas is an educator who has taught at institutions including the Rhode Island School of Design and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He is currently an Associate Professor at Hunter College, City University of New York.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2015 and 2017 by Paul Ramírez Jonas.
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.
Occupation:
Educators -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn Search this
Multimedia artists -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn Search this
The papers of Dominican Republic born multimedia artist, designer, and educator Scherezade Garcia measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1975 to 2015. The bulk of the collection is comprised of printed materials that include art reproductions, a book and calendar, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and posters from Garcia's childhood and career as an adult. Other material includes awards and certificates, a photograph of Garcia painting, and school documents from Altos de Chavon School of Design; correspondence with her sister iliana emilia garcia, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and others; and sketches and mockups for Angeles Caídos [Fallen Angels] and other projects.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Dominican Repbublic born multimedia artist, designer, and educator Scherezade Garcia measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1975 to 2015. The bulk of the collection is comprised of printed materials that include art reproductions, a book and calendar, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and posters from Garcia's childhood and career as an adult. Other material includes awards and certificates, a photograph of Garcia painting, and school documents from Altos de Chavon School of Design; correspondence with her sister iliana emilia garcia, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and others; and sketches and mockups for Angeles Caídos [Fallen Angels] and other projects.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as four series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1984-circa 2000 (Box 1, 3; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1986-2015 (Box 1; 1 folder)
Series 3: Printed Materials, 1975-2015 (Box 1-3, OV 4; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 4: Artwork, circa 1990, undated (Box 2, OV 4; 0.2 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Scherezade Garcia (1966- ) is a multimedia artist, designer, and educator in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Garcia was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She attended the Altos de Chavon School of Design and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School of Design in 1988. She also earned a Master of Fine Arts in 2011 from City College of New York. At Parsons she received the Parsons Institutional Scholarship and Dana Foundation Work Program. In 2015 Garcia was awarded the Joan Mitchell Foundation grant.
She is a founding member of the printmaking collective Dominican York Proyecto Grafica. Garcia has taught workshops at Altos de Chavon and El Museo del Barrio. She has also been a lecturer at Parsons School of Design and St. Francis College.
Related Materials:
Also found at the Archives of American Art are the papers of iliana emilia garcia, sister of Scherezade Garcia.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2015 and 2017 by Scherezade Garcia.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Designers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The papers of Dominican Republic born multimedia artist and designer iliana emilia garcia measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1987 to 2014. The collection is comprised of art reproductions, an annotated book, booklets and pamphlets for events and organizations, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and clippings that relate to garcia along with some material related to her sister Scherezade Garcia. The collection also includes one photograph of garcia's Paid/Received installation and student documents from Altos de Chavon.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Dominican Republic born multimedia artist and designer iliana emilia garcia measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1987 to 2014. The collection is comprised of art reproductions, an annotated book, booklets and pamphlets for events and organizations, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and clippings that relate to garcia along with some material related to her sister Scherezade Garcia. The collection also includes one photograph of garcia's Paid/Received installation and student documents from Altos de Chavon.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as one series.
Series 1: iliana emilia garcia Papers, 1987-2014 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
iliana emilia garcia (1970- ) is a multimedia artist and designer in Brooklyn, New York. She was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and attended the Altos de Chavon School of Design before receiving a scholarship to the Parsons School of Design's summer program in 1988. In 1989 she was awarded the Ruth Vanderpool Parsons Institutional Scholarship for Portfolio Excellence. In 1991 garcia went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design from Parsons. She is also one of the founding members of the printmaking collective Dominican York Proyecto Grafica.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the papers of Scherezade Garcia, the sister of iliana emilia garcia.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2015 by iliana emilia garcia.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Topic:
Designers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
