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Oral history interview with Joe Feddersen

Interviewee:
Feddersen, Joe, 1958-  Search this
Interviewer:
Ganteaume, Cécile R.  Search this
Names:
Leon Polk Smith Native American Oral History Project  Search this
Extent:
2 Items ((2 hrs., 30 min.), digital, mp4)
47 Pages (Transcript)
Culture:
Colville  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Video recordings
Date:
2021 April 29 and May 6
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Joe Feddersen conducted 2021 April 29 and 2021 May 6, by Cecile Ganteaume for the Archives of American Art, at Feddersen's home in Omak, Washington.
Biographical / Historical:
Joe Feddersen (1953–) is a Colville artist who uses print, photography, glass, and craft; he is active in Omak, WA. He is especially known for the integration and reimagining of traditional Native motifs and techniques in his work. He has taught at Evergreen State College.
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. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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 recording 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 recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (State)  Search this
Mixed-media artists -- Washington (State)  Search this
Topic:
Native American artists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Video recordings
Identifier:
AAA.fedder21
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c342c7f7-2e42-41d6-84c1-8bccf8a1a0c0
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-fedder21
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Margaret Tomkins, 1984 June 6

Interviewee:
Tomkins, Margaret, 1916-2002  Search this
Interviewer:
Guenther, Bruce  Search this
Subject:
FitzGerald, James  Search this
Artists Gallery (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Margaret Tomkins, 1984 June 6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12308
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212455
AAA_collcode_tomkin84
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_212455
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Tom Robbins

Interviewee:
Robbins, Tom  Search this
Interviewer:
Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this
Names:
Kendrick, William Philip  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956  Search this
Extent:
47 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1984 March 3
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Tom Robbins conducted 1984 March 3, in La Conner, Wash., by Martha Kingsbury, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.
Robbins speaks of his youth; the importance of his first trips to New York; meeting Barnett Newman and William Philip Kendrick; the influence of Oriental art; his drug experience; his research on Jackson Pollock; coming to Washington State and working as an art critic; the impact of the 1962 World's Fair on art; and style versus content in art.
Biographical / Historical:
Tom Robbins (1936- ) is a writer and critic from LaConner, Wash.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 28 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Art critics -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art criticism  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Authors -- Washington (State) -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.robbin84
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ed46c84e-57c7-47bf-a4d8-5a9ca62a3383
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-robbin84
Online Media:

Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers

Creator:
Knight, Gwendolyn  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this
Names:
Bearden, Romare, 1911-1988  Search this
Bocour, Leonard, 1910-1993  Search this
Dintenfass, Terry, 1920-  Search this
Eichenberg, Fritz, 1901-1990  Search this
Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this
Halpert, Edith Gregor, 1900-1970  Search this
Extent:
25.35 Linear feet
0.001 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Photographs
Date:
1816
1914-2008
bulk 1973-2001
Summary:
The papers of African American painter and educator Jacob Lawrence and his wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight measure 25.35 linear feet and 0.001 GB date from 1914 to 2008, with one item from 1816 and the bulk of the material dating from 1973 to 2001. The collection includes biographical material; correspondence including condolence letters to Gwendolyn Knight after Jacob Lawrence's death; writings by Jacob Lawrence and others; printed and digital material; photographs; personal business records; artwork; records from the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project; materials related to the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation; professional files; and material related to awards and honors received by Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of African American painter and educator Jacob Lawrence and his wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight measure 25.35 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from 1914 to 2008, with one item from 1816 and the bulk of the material dating from 1973 to 2001. The collection includes biographical material; correspondence including condolence letters to Gwendolyn Knight after Jacob Lawrence's death; writings by Jacob Lawrence and others; printed and digital material; photographs; personal business records; artwork; records from the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project; materials related to the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation; professional files; and material related to awards and honors received by Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

Biographical material includes appointment and address books; education and personal identification certificates and documents; awards, certificates, curriculum vitae, and chronologies; biographical material related to other individuals, including identification documents and memorial programs; and transcripts of interviews with Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

The correspondence series includes extensive personal and professional correspondence with family, friends, artists, admirers (including students in a number of elementary and middle schools), university students, government agencies, art schools, galleries, museums, publishing houses, and others. Included in this series are condolence letters received by Gwendolyn Knight after Jacob Lawrence's death in 2000.

Writings include published and unpublished writings by and about Jacob Lawrence, as well as writings by others. These writings include speeches, notes, essays, articles, lists, and short stories. Also included is a visitor comment book from the Los Angeles County Museum exhibition of Jacob Lawrence's Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass series.

Printed material includes books; brochures; business cards; clippings; exhibition and event announcements, invitations, catalogs, and programs; magazines; newsletters; posters; post cards; and press releases. Books in this collection may include illustrations by Jacob Lawrence or have personal inscriptions from the author to Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

Photographs include photographs of Jacob Lawrence artwork, photographs and reproductions of Gwendolyn Knight artwork, and photographs of Jacob Lawrence, Gwendolyn Knight, and other individuals. Also included in this series are photographs and reproductions of work by others.

Personal business records include a ledger; consignment, financial, and shipping records related to the Terry Dintenfass Gallery; contracts and agreements; and estate documents.

Artwork includes sketches by Jacob Lawrence, a blank sketchbook inscribed by Jacob Lawrence to Gwendolyn Knight, and artwork by other artists.

Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project Records include materials generated by the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project, a non-profit created with the goal of producing a catalogue raisonné (and later, a digital archive) of Jacob Lawrence's work. These records include address books and phone logs; copies of Jacob Lawrence's CV; founding documents, bylaws, and meeting minutes; correspondence; writings, including draft pages of the catalogue raisonné; business records, including employment files, contracts, invoices, insurance, and tax information; printed and digital material; and photographs and artwork.

The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation and Related Material series includes founding documents and foundation bylaws, correspondence, financial documents, reports, and proposals. Found within this series are materials related to the Lawrence Center for the Visual Arts, a subsidiary foundation of the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation.

Professional files include material related to projects and exhibitions, teaching files and inclusion in curricula, files regarding possible fake Jacob Lawrence works, and gallery files.

The honors series is divided into two subseries: awards and certificates, and government honors. Awards and certificates includes honorary degrees, arts prizes, and any other honors awarded to Jacob Lawrence or Gwendolyn Knight. Government honors include resolutions, proclamations, and keys to cities. Also included in this series are correspondence related to awards and honorary degrees, commencement programs, plaques, and medals.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in 11 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1914-2005 (Boxes 1, 11, 26, OV 10; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1943, 1952-2005 (Boxes 1-5, 12-14, 26; 7.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1954-1959, 1973-2005, undated (Boxes 5-6, 14-15; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1816, 1926, 1937, 1945-2008 (Boxes 6-9, 15-17, 26, OV 30, OV 31; 6.8 linear feet)

Series 5: Photographs, circa 1970-1997, undated (Boxes 9, 17, OV 10; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1962-2005 (Boxes 9, 17; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, 1984, 1990-1994, undated (Boxes 9, 18, 26; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 8: Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonne Project Records, 1982-2002 (Boxes 18-23, Box 26; 5.1 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)

Series 9: Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation and Related Material, 1997-2005 (Box 23; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 10: Professional Files, 1964-2004 (Boxes 23-24; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 11: Honors, 1948, 1966-2005 (Boxes 24-25, 27-29, OV 30; 2.3 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Modernist painter and educator Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was born in 1917 as Jacob Armstead Lawrence in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He began his art studies at the Utopia Children's Center in New York City's Harlem district where he studied under the painter Charles Alston. Lawrence dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen to continue his art instruction with Alston, this time at the Harlem Art Workshop, where he met several artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance including the sculptor Augusta Savage.

Gwendolyn Knight (1913-2005) was born in Barbados and moved to New York City with her adoptive parents when she was seven. She attended New York's Wadleigh High School and later Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she studied fine arts with Lois Mailou Jones and James Porter. Forced to leave her studies at Howard because of the Depression, Knight returned to Harlem and continued her artistic pursuits in Augusta Savage's workshop. In 1935, Knight joined the Harlem Mural Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) working under Selma Day and Charles Alston. Lawrence and Knight met in Savage's workshop and married in the summer of 1941.

During the Depression, Lawrence also joined the WPA Federal Arts Project in Harlem. Finding WPA murals overwhelming, Lawrence concentrated on traditional painting instead. He produced his first major works in the late 1930s, most notably the Toussaint L'Ouverture series, images that document the life of the revolutionary hero and Haiti's struggle for independence. Other significant works include visual narratives of the lives of abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. In 1940, Lawrence received the prestigious Julius Rosenwald Fellowship, which made it possible for him to purchase his first art studio on 125th Street in the heart of Harlem. He soon portrayed Harlem street life in paintings that became commentaries on the role of African Americans in United States society with highly developed themes of resistance and social opposition. That same year, Lawrence began his most celebrated series, The Migration of the American Negro, multiple tempera panels depicting the exodus of African American sharecroppers in the south to northern industrial cities in search of better employment and social opportunities. Edith Halpert exhibited the works in their entirety at her Downtown Gallery in 1941, establishing Lawrence as the first African American artist to exhibit in a top New York gallery. The following year, New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC each bought half of the sixty panels in the series, helping to further Lawrence's career within the larger world of American art.

In the summer of 1946, the artist Joseph Albers invited Lawrence to teach at North Carolina's Black Mountain College. It was the first in a series of teaching positions in prestigious art schools including Pratt Institute (1956-1971), Brandeis University (1965), The New School (1966), the Art Students League (1967), and others. During the 1950s and 1960s, Lawrence's work continued to focus on racism and political activism but in the late 1960s shifted to themes of racial harmony.

Both Lawrence and Knight continued independent careers in art. Knight pursued her art studies at the New School in New York and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. In the mid-1960s, she collaborated with other female artists to form the Studio Gallery in New York City. Knight's main body of work consists of portraits and still-lifes that incorporate expressions of African sculpture, Impressionism, dance, and theater. Focusing on gesture, her art is described as light and airy with a minimum of lines allowing empty space to define the work. In 1970, Lawrence traveled to Seattle to teach as a visiting artist at the University of Washington. He was hired on a permanent basis the following year and remained on staff until his retirement in 1986.

Jacob Lawrence died June 9, 2000, in Seattle, Washington at the age of 83. Gwendolyn Knight continued to paint and exhibit her work around the country until her death on February 18, 2005 in Seattle, Washington at the age of 92.
Related Material:
Also found at the Archives of American Art are an oral history interview with Jacob Lawrence conducted by Carroll Greene (1968 October 26), interviews conducted by Avis Berman (1982 July 20-August 4), and an oral history interview with Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight conducted by Paul Karlstrom (1998 November 18). The Archives of American Art also holds a collection of Jacob Lawrence papers, available on microfilm only, reels D286 and 4571-4573. Originals reside at Syracuse University Library, Special Collections.
Provenance:
The Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in five accretions between 1979 and 1997. Additional papers were donated in 2012 by the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation via Barbara Earl Thomas, representative.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Educators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
African American artists  Search this
Women artists  Search this
African American art -- African influences  Search this
African American educators  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers, 1816, 1914-2008, bulk 1973-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.lawrjaco
See more items in:
Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97b5bfd17-13f8-4cb6-ab12-22124f7d1fee
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-lawrjaco
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Frank S. Okada

Interviewee:
Okada, Frank S. (Frank Sumio), 1931-2000  Search this
Interviewer:
Johns, Barbara  Search this
Names:
Cornish School of Allied Arts (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this
Cranbrook Academy of Art -- Students  Search this
Northwest Asian American Project  Search this
University of Oregon -- Faculty  Search this
Bunce, Louis, 1907-1983  Search this
Charles, Ray, 1930-2004  Search this
Chin, Frank, 1940-  Search this
Davis, Sammy, 1925-  Search this
Derbyshire, Leon  Search this
Dusanne, Zoe, 1884-1977  Search this
Horiuchi, Paul, 1906-  Search this
Inada, Lawson Fusao  Search this
Ivey, William, 1919-1992  Search this
Jones, Quincy, 1933-  Search this
Kusama, Yayoi, 1929-  Search this
Martin, David Stone  Search this
Nomura, Kenjiro, 1896-1956  Search this
Okada, John  Search this
Peck, James Edward, 1907-  Search this
Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Tsutakawa, George  Search this
Extent:
87 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1990 Aug. 16-17
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Frank Okada conducted 1990 Aug. 16-17, in Seattle, Wash., by Barbara Johns, for the Archives of American Art Northwest Asian American Project. Okada discusses his parents' background; his family including his brothers, John, author of "No-No Boy," and Charlie, a graphic designer; traveling to Japan for the Pacific Northwest Artists and Japan exhibition; being in an internment camp; painting in Eugene, Ore. and Seattle, Wash.; his painting techniques; studying under Leon Derbyshire; his connection with the jazz scene in Seattle in the late 1940s and 1950s including musicians Sammy Davis, Ray Charles, and Quincy Jones; attending Cornish School of Art, Seattle; meeting Mark Tobey; comparision of his painting style to Tobey's; his stint in the Army; attending Cranbrook Academy of Art and studying with painter Fred Mitchell; his Whitney fellowship in New York; study of Japanese, Chinese, and Zen paintings; working for Boeings in the early 1960s; traveling to France on a Guggenheim; teaching at University of Oregon in Eugene; his minimalist work; influence of Japanese art in his painting. Okada mentions Lawson Inada (Asian American poet), Frank Chin (Asian American playwright), artists David Stone Martin, James Edward Peck, Yayoi Kusama, George Tsutakawa, Paul Horiuchi, Ben Shahn, Kenjiro Nomura, Louis Bunce, Bill Ivey, and art gallery owner Zoe Dusanne.
Biographical / Historical:
Frank S. Okada (1931-2000) was a Japanese American painter based in Seattle, Washington. He taught at University of Oregon from 1969-1999.
General:
Originally recorded on 5 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 38 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are 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.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- United States  Search this
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Japanese American art  Search this
Japanese American artists  Search this
Painting, Japanese  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Painting, Chinese  Search this
Asian American painters  Search this
Asian American sculptors  Search this
Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment -- 1942-1945  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.okada90
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ff6868c7-38fd-4e50-9323-474b69e03b8e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-okada90
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Frank S. Okada, 1990 Aug. 16-17

Interviewee:
Okada, Frank S. (Frank Sumio), 1931-2000  Search this
Interviewer:
Johns, Barbara  Search this
Subject:
Bunce, Louis  Search this
Charles, Ray  Search this
Chin, Frank  Search this
Davis, Sammy  Search this
Derbyshire, Leon  Search this
Dusanne, Zoe  Search this
Horiuchi, Paul  Search this
Inada, Lawson Fusao  Search this
Ivey, William  Search this
Jones, Quincy  Search this
Kusama, Yayoi  Search this
Martin, David Stone  Search this
Nomura, Kenjiro  Search this
Okada, John  Search this
Peck, James Edward  Search this
Shahn, Ben  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Tsutakawa, George  Search this
Cornish School of Allied Arts (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this
University of Oregon  Search this
Cranbrook Academy of Art  Search this
Northwest Asian American Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Frank S. Okada, 1990 Aug. 16-17. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Japanese American art  Search this
Japanese American artists  Search this
Painting, Japanese  Search this
Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Painting, Chinese  Search this
Asian American painters  Search this
Asian American sculptors  Search this
Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment -- 1942-1945  Search this
Theme:
Asian American  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11693
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)216548
AAA_collcode_okada90
Theme:
Asian American
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_216548
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight

Interviewee:
Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000  Search this
Knight, Gwendolyn  Search this
Interviewer:
Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this
Extent:
82 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1998 November 18
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight conducted 1998 November 18, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, in the artists' home in Seatle, Washington.
Biographical / Historical:
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was a painter and educator in Seattle, Washington and New York, New York. Gwendolyn Knight (1914-2005) was the wife of Lawrence, as well as an artist, herself and lived in New York, New York and Seattle Washington.
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:
Use requires an appointment.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.lawren98
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9c4cfd632-d284-4160-826b-182cd12bfc23
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-lawren98

Oral history interview with Andrew Chinn

Interviewee:
Chinn, Andrew, 1915-1996  Search this
Interviewer:
Bestor, Dorothy K., 1913-  Search this
Creator:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
Federal Art Project (Wash.)  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Chong, Fay  Search this
Cumming, William  Search this
Elshin, Jacob Alexander, 1891-1976  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this
Extent:
47 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 May 24
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Andrew Chinn conducted 1965 May 24, by Dorothy Bestor, for the Archives of American Art. Chinn speaks of his memories of the Federal Art Project in Washington state; how the program affected Seattle as an art center; and he recalls other artists involved in the project: Fay Chong, William Cumming, Jacob Elshin, and Morris Graves.
Biographical / Historical:
Andrew Chinn (1915-1996) was a Chinese American painter based in Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 2 min.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Art and state -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Asian American art  Search this
Asian American artists  Search this
Chinese American art  Search this
Chinese American artists  Search this
Asian American painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.chinn65
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9769c1f32-ba11-4013-8a5f-6bfb201c031a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-chinn65
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Viola Patterson

Interviewee:
Patterson, Viola, 1898-1984  Search this
Interviewer:
Kingsbury, Martha, 1941-  Search this
Names:
Group of Twelve (Seattle, Wash.)  Search this
Archipenko, Alexander, 1887-1964  Search this
Orozco, José Clemente, 1883-1949  Search this
Patterson, Ambrose, 1877-1966  Search this
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this
Extent:
57 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1982 Oct. 22-29
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Viola Patterson conducted 1982 Oct. 22-29, by Martha Kingsbury, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project, in the artist's home in Seattle, Wash.
Patterson speaks of her education; family background; her early interest in art; studying at the University of Washington art department; the influence of Japanese artists; teaching art to children; her husband, Ambrose Patterson, and his life and career; and working on murals with Jose Clement Orozco and Diego Rivera. She recalls Alexander Archipenko. Patterson was a member of the Seattle area progressive artists' collective known as the "Group of Twelve."
Biographical / Historical:
Viola Patterson (1898-1984) was a painter from Seattle, Wash.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 33 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.patter82
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90149e58a-5439-4922-aadb-4c5546e44592
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-patter82
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Marijane Warren

Interviewee:
Warren, Marijane  Search this
Interviewer:
Bestor, Dorothy K., 1913-  Search this
Creator:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Extent:
19 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 November 12
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Marijane Warren conducted 1965 November 12, by Dorothy Bestor, for the Archives of American Art New Deal and the Arts Project.
Biographical / Historical:
Marijane Warren was a mural painter from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Transcript is missing 5 pages.
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 40 min.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Restrictions:
Use requires an appointment.
Occupation:
Muralists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Mural painting and decoration  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.warren65
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e8d2d762-4bed-446f-82d4-796f8fcc92b8
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-warren65

Mark Tobey papers

Creator:
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Names:
Willard Gallery  Search this
Ashton, Dore  Search this
Dahl, Arthur L., 1942-  Search this
Elmhirst, Dorothy Payne Whitney Straight  Search this
Feininger, Lyonel, 1871-1956  Search this
Hallsten, Pehr, d. 1965  Search this
Hauberg, Anne Gould  Search this
Hauberg, John H. (John Henry), 1916-  Search this
Hillman, Kay  Search this
Holty, Carl, 1900-1973  Search this
Leach, Bernard, 1887-1979  Search this
Ritter, Mark  Search this
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this
Seliger, Charles, 1926-2009  Search this
Willard, Marian, 1904-  Search this
Extent:
11 Microfilm reels
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
[ca. 1920]-1977
Scope and Contents:
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
Bahai Faith  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.tobemark2
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw90fac0bce-dc54-4b2a-ba63-d45cca8069f6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-tobemark2

Oral history interviews with Robert Bruce Inverarity

Creator:
Inverarity, Robert Bruce, 1909-1999  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Interviewer:
Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this
Names:
Federal Art Project (Wash.)  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Extent:
4 Sound tape reels (Sound recordings (1 hour 30 min.), 7 in.)
75 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound tape reels
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1964 Oct. 29-Nov. 4
Scope and Contents:
Interviews of Robert Bruce Inverarity conducted 1964 Oct. 29-Nov 4. by Harlan Phillips for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, lecturer, state director of the Federal Art Project; Seattle, Wash. Studied at the University of Washington, Fremont University and with Kazue Yamagishi and Mark Tobey. Exhibited in one-man shows and group exhibitions in the U.S. and Canada. Directed the Museum of International Folk Art, the Adirondack Museum, and the Philadelphia Maritime Museum. Wrote and illustrated BLOCKPRINTING AND STENCILLING and A MANUAL OF PUPPETRY.
General:
Sound quality is poor.
The conclusion of the interview was over-recorded by another interview.
An interview of Audrey McMahon conducted by H. Phillips, 11/4/64 is also on this tape.
An interview of Gordon M. Smith conducted by H. Phillips, 11/4/64 is also on this tape.
An interview of Julius Davidson conducted by H. Phillips is also on tape 2.
An interview of Lincoln Rothschild conducted by H. Phillips is also on one tape.
An interview of Henry Billings conducted by H. Phillips is also on one tape.
An interview of Peter Pollack conducted by H. Phillips is also on one tape.
Provenance:
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.invera64
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92b60d8c4-755d-4d18-969c-b6730a256e54
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-invera64

Oral history interview with Robert Sperry

Interviewee:
Sperry, Robert, 1927-1998  Search this
Interviewer:
Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this
Names:
Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this
Extent:
75 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 August 11
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Robert Sperry conducted 1983 August 11, by LaMar Harrington, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.
Sperry speaks of his family background; his army service; his education; his early career in ceramics; the Oriental influence in his work; folk art; his contemporaries in ceramics; and his current plans. He recalls Peter Voulkos.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Sperry (1927-1998) was a ceramist from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 4 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Topic:
Folk art  Search this
Ceramics  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Ceramicists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.sperry83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9fd38aa8c-f062-4663-b0f0-b2781bf2ec26
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-sperry83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Dorothy Malone

Interviewee:
Malone, Dorothy, 1912-  Search this
Interviewer:
Ragen, Suzanne  Search this
Names:
Seattle Art Museum  Search this
Anderson, Guy, 1906-1998  Search this
Callahan, Kenneth, 1905-1986  Search this
Fuller, Richard E. (Richard Eugene), 1897-1976  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
32 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 Jan. 27
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Dorothy Malone conducted 1983 Jan. 27, by Suzanne Ragen, at the Seattle Art Museum in Seattle, Wash., for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project. Malone speaks of her association with the Seattle Art Museum since its founding in 1933; working as Dr. Richard Fuller's secretary; Fuller's policies and administration; major shows at the Museum; the "Northwest School" and some of its members, including Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson.
Biographical / Historical:
Dorothy Malone (1912- ) was a secretary from Seattle, Wash. She worked for Richard E. Fuller, director of the Seattle Art Museum.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 19 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Topic:
Northwest school of artists  Search this
Art -- Northwestern States  Search this
Function:
Art museums -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.malone83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96b6b19c0-5491-4ae8-8a09-b99161712713
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-malone83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Joanna Eckstein

Interviewee:
Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983  Search this
Interviewer:
Ragen, Suzanne  Search this
Names:
Seattle Art Museum  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
56 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 April 7
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Joanna Eckstein conducted on 1983 April 7, by Suzanne Ragen, in Seattle, Washington, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project.
Eckstein speaks of her family background; education; the development of her art and poetry interests; the Seattle art scene prior to the opening of the Seattle Art Museum; the Museum's collecting policy and administration; art in public and private places; and her thoughts on aging well. She recalls the painter Mark Tobey. The interview is followed by Eckstein's speech on the history of the Seattle Art Museum delivered to the Docent Council at the Museum.
Biographical / Historical:
Joanna Eckstein (1903-1983) was an art patron from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav file. Duration is 3 hr., 22 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington, and Montana.
Topic:
Art patronage -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art patrons -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Function:
Art museums -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.eckste83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw937242987-564d-4016-9166-852eebee48df
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-eckste83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with William Ivey

Interviewee:
Ivey, William, 1919-1992  Search this
Interviewer:
Johns, Barbara  Search this
Names:
Bunce, Louis, 1907-1983  Search this
Corley, Ward  Search this
Gilkey, Richard C. (Richard Charles), 1925-  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this
Extent:
6 Sound cassettes (Sound recording)
75 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound cassettes
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 May 24-31
Scope and Contents:
An interview of William Ivey conducted 1983 May 24-31, by Barbara Johns, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project,
This interview took place at the artist's studio in Seattle, Wash. Ivey speaks of his family background and education, including law school; studying at the California School of Fine Arts; studying under Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko; working at the Seattle Art Museum and the Henry Gallery; working as artist-in-residence at Reed College; founding the Artists' Gallery (Seattle, Wash.); exhibiting at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Gallery Arnaud in Paris and the Seattle Art Museum; collectors of his work; his methods and style; the current art scene; and his future plans. He recalls Ward Corley, Louis Bunce, Richard Gilkey and others.
Biographical / Historical:
William Ivey (1919-1992) was a painter from Seattle, Wash.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Topic:
Artists -- Northwestern States -- Interviews  Search this
Art, Modern -- Northwestern States  Search this
Art, American -- Northwestern States  Search this
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.ivey83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9bffe0a83-4c5c-4e7d-9378-242ec0e8edd7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-ivey83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Ruth Penington

Interviewee:
Penington, Ruth, b. 1905  Search this
Interviewer:
Harrington, LaMar, 1917-2005  Search this
Names:
Northwest Printmakers  Search this
Rohde, Gilbert, 1894-1944  Search this
Extent:
63 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 Feb. 10-11
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Ruth Penington conducted 1983 Feb. 10-11, by LaMar Harrington, at the artist's home in Seattle, Wash., for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project. Penington speaks of her family background; her early interests; her education; the beginnings of the Northwest Printmakers; teaching at the University of California; the change in the definition of art in universities; the influence of Gilbert Rohde; her philosophy of teaching, of art, and of commercialism; various shows and exhibitions she has been involved in; her work methods and her current work.
Biographical / Historical:
Ruth Penington (1905-1998) was an educator, metalworker, and printmaker from Seattle, Wash.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 48 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Occupation:
Educators -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Printmakers  Search this
Metal-workers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Printmakers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Decorative arts  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.pening83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a08785dc-f4d9-4f7a-bfc8-b17486d344be
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-pening83
Online Media:

Oral history interview with James W. Washington Jr

Interviewee:
Washington, James W., 1911-2000  Search this
Interviewer:
Bestor, Dorothy K., 1913-  Search this
Creator:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Extent:
15 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 October 13
Scope and Contents:
An interview of James W. Washington, Jr. conducted 1965 October 13, by Dorothy Bestor, for the Archives of American Art.
Washington discusses his participation in the Mississippi Art Project, the effect it had on his career, and government sponsorship of the arts in general. He recalls segregation in the Mississippi art world.
Biographical / Historical:
James W. Washington Jr. (1911-2000) was a painter and sculptor from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 31 min.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Topic:
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Sculpture, American  Search this
African American artists  Search this
Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Sculptors -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.washin65
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw926bec870-50c2-4c36-835d-02ff356b836d
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-washin65

Oral history interview with Jan Thompson

Interviewee:
Thompson, Jan Newstrom  Search this
Interviewer:
Prince, Sue Ann  Search this
Names:
Callahan, Harry M.  Search this
Callahan, Kenneth, 1905-1986  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910-  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
67 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1983 September 6-November 16
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Jan Thompson conducted 1983 September 6-1983 November 16, by Sue Ann Kendall, for the Archives of American Art's Northwest Oral History Project at the artist's home in Seattle, Washington.
Thompson speaks of her association with Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan and others; women in Northwest art; her lack of interest in figurative painting; and abstract expressionism and pop art. She recalls John Cage.
Biographical / Historical:
Jan Newstrom Thompson is an arts patron from Seattle, Washington.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 11 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Northwest Oral History Project, begun in 1982 to document the Northwest artistic community through interviews with painters, sculptors, craftsmen, educators, curators, and others, in Oregon, Washington and Montana.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Art patrons -- Washington (State) -- Seattle  Search this
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Art patronage  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women art patrons  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.thomps83
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9438ad656-5731-4ea0-aef8-9464045994ca
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-thomps83
Online Media:

Robert Bruce Inverarity papers

Creator:
Inverarity, Robert Bruce, 1909-1999  Search this
Names:
Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Ill.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Iowa)  Search this
Federal Art Project (N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Or.)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Utah)  Search this
Federal Art Project (Wash.)  Search this
Museum of International Folk Art (N.M.)  Search this
Deutsch, Hilda, 1911-  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968 -- Photographs  Search this
Graves, Morris, 1910- -- Photographs  Search this
Morris, Carl, 1911-1993  Search this
Ray, Man, 1890-1976 -- Photographs  Search this
Tobey, Mark  Search this
Extent:
13.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Drawings
Place:
United States -- Economic conditions, 1918-1945 -- Washington (State)
Date:
circa 1840s-1997
Summary:
The papers of artist, photographer, museum director, anthropologist, and writer Robert Bruce Inverarity are dated circa 1840s-1997 and measure 12.7 linear feet. Biographical information, correspondence, writings and notes, subject files, art work, scrapbooks, sound recordings, printed material and photographs are found within the papers. They document Inverarity's work as Director of the Federal Art Project in Seattle and Director of the Art and Craft Project for the State of Washington, as well as his other professional work. Nineteenth century material consists of a Japanese print, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of artist, photographer, museum director, anthropologist, and writer Robert Bruce Inverarity are dated circa 1840s-1997 and measure 13.8 linear feet. Biographical information, correspondence, writings and notes, subject files, art work, scrapbooks, sound recordings, printed material and photographs are found within the papers. They document Inverarity's work as Director of the Federal Art Project in Seattle and Director of the Art and Craft Project for the State of Washington, as well as his other professional work. Nineteenth century material consists of a Japanese print, printed material, and photographs.

Among the biographical information are awards and certificates, biographical and genealogical notes, and educational records. Correspondence concerns Inverarity's activities as Director of the WPA Federal Arts Project in Washington State, 1936-1941. Additional personal and professional correspondence, 1929-1993, documents his activities as a museum director, consultant, collector, and writer. Among the friends and colleagues with whom he corresponded are: Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning, Rockwell and Sally Kent, Stanton MacDonald-Wright, Wolfgang Palen, Juliet and Man Ray, Mark Tobey, Edward Weston, and various individuals associated with the WPA.

Manuscripts of a few of Inverarity's many articles on topics such as anthropology, museology, and information storage and retrieval are among his writings and notes. Also included are the manuscript of an unpublished book, Tobey Remembered, along with drafts, notes, correspondence, research materials, and photocopies of Tobey's letters to him and others. Other writings consist of book reviews, children's books, a catalog of the Inverarity Collection, and a copy of his 1946 master's thesis, "The Social-Economic Position of the American Artist." Several journals, 1928-1966, survive, including one that records his 1932 trip to study the Haida Indians of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Subject files include general subjects such as "Folk Art" and "Preservation." Files on the museums where Inverarity was the director contain some official records as well as general information. Art work by Inverarity includes eight volumes of sketch books, 1928-1942, commercial work for Boeing, notes and drawings for book designs. Among the work by other artists are drawings, paintings and prints by friends. Of particular interest are display panels for a small exhibit on airbrush stencil prints produced by the Washington State WPA Federal Art Project. Other noteworthy items are pencil sketches and a watercolor by Mark Tobey, and prints by Hiroshige and Jan Matulka.

Five scrapbooks, 1928-1979, contain newspaper clippings, miscellaneous printed items, and a small number of photographs and letters. Three volumes document his career as an artist and museum director. One consists of biographical information and items designed by Inverarity, and another concerns publication and marketing of his monograph Art of the Northwest Coast Indians.

Sound recordings consist of interviews and conversations. An extensive interview with Inverarity about his life and career was conducted by Craig Gilborn in 1990. Bruce and Jane Inverarity in conversation with former colleague Ernie Johnson and his wife Helen about his departure from the Museum of International Folk Art were recorded in 1980. Also included is a 1981 conversation with Grace T. Stevenson containing references to Mark Tobey and Morris Graves.

Printed material includes many items about or produced by the WPA Federal Art Project. Among the items written by Inverarity are many articles on a wide variety of topics, his book Art of the Northwest Coast Indians, and two published portfolios. Printed material by other authors includes articles, books and reports about or mentioning Inverarity, and books designed or illustrated by him. Among the miscellaneous printed items are catalogs and brochures of the schools where Inverarity taught and studied, and a few ephemeral items designed by him.

Photographs are of art work, people, places, the Washington State WPA Federal Art Project, and miscellaneous subjects. All photographs known to be by Inverarity are clearly marked. Art work includes views of Inverarity's collection of his own work and that of other artists hanging in his home. Photographs of people include artists, friends, colleagues, and various groups. Of special interest are Inverarity's portraits of artists, among them Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Morris Graves, Hilaire Hiler, Rico Le Brun, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Man Ray, Dorothea Tanning, and Mark Tobey. Photographs of places include the museums where Inverarity was director, places in which he lived, and travel pictures. Of note are a large group of photographs (copy prints) taken in 1932 while studying the Haida Indians in British Columbia. Nineteenth century photographs of family homes, Europe, and South America may have been taken by his father. Photographs of the Washington State WPA Federal Arts Project are of individual works of art, exhibition installations, mosaic procedures and local art centers. Many, probably intended for display, are mounted in groups on large cardboard panels. Miscellaneous subjects include art photographs by Inverarity and the microreader he invented.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series. Correspondence is in chronological order, Biographical Information and Subject Files are arranged alphabetically by folder title. Other series have been organized into subseries and arrangement is as described in the Series Descriptions/Container List below. Unless noted otherwise, material within folders is arranged chronologically.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1934-1997, undated (Box 1, OV 18; 0.25 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1928-1993, undated (Box 1; 0.75 linear ft.)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1928-1993, undated, (Boxes 2-3; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 4: Subject Files, 1938-1990, undated (Boxes 3-6, OV 19-20; 2.5 linear ft.)

Series 5: Art Work, circa 1840s-1969, undated (Boxes 6, 12, 16, OV 21; 1.3 linear ft.)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1928-1991, undated (Boxes 7-8; 1.1 linear ft.)

Series 7: Sound Recordings, 1980-1990 (Box 8; 3 folders)

Series 8: Printed Material, 1902-1995, undated (Boxes 8-13, OV 22; 3.4 linear ft.)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1870s-1990, undated (Boxes 11, 14-17, OV 23; 3.0 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Robert Bruce Inverarity (1909-1999) showed artistic leanings as a boy, and from an early age was fascinated by puppetry and Northwest Coast native culture. During much of his youth, Inverarity's family lived in Canada, but returned to their native Seattle when he was a teenager. After graduating from high school, he made a 500 mile journey on foot along the coasts of the Vancouver Islands, collecting Indian artifacts and studying the area's tribal legends.

He studied briefly with Mark Tobey in Seattle, where the two shared a studio; when Tobey departed for Chicago, Inverarity succeeded him as an art teacher at the Cornish School. He spent the next few years in California working as an artist, exhibiting, and occasionally teaching. From there, he moved to Vancouver where he was Director of the School of Creative Art. In 1932, Inverarity made a three month trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, for the purpose of studying the Haida Indians.

Upon his return to the United States in 1933, Inverarity joined the University of Washington Drama School as a puppetry instructor; in 1938 he published a highly regarded Manual of Puppetry. During 1936-37, he took a leave of absence from the university to assume the position of State Director of the Federal Art Project, where he remained until 1939. He then became State Director of the Art and Crafts Project (1939-1941). The U.S. Navy appointed Inverarity Chief of Design for Camouflage (1941-1943) and he later served as an Official Navy War Artist (1943-1945).

During his early years as a teacher and administrator, Inverarity continued making art and participated in a wide variety of exhibitions. He published a portfolio, 12 Photographs by R. B. Inverarity (1940). In the following year, Movable Masks and Figures of the North Pacific Coast Indians, a portfolio of his watercolors reproduced as silkscreen prints, appeared. Although Inverarity stopped exhibiting in 1941, he continued to produce art; notable work of this period includes photographic portraits of a number of artist friends (Max Ernst, Dorothea Tanning, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray).

After World War II, Inverarity completed his formal education. He earned a Bachelor's degree in art and anthropology from the University of Washington (1946), and then studied with Hilaire Hiler at Freemont University in Los Angeles, where he was awarded a Master's degree in fine arts (1947) and a Ph.D. (1948).

Inverarity began his museum career in 1949 when he was appointed the first director of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a position that combined his interest in, and knowledge of, anthropology and art. While in Santa Fe, he published Art of the North West Coast Indians (1950). During his five year tenure as director, the museum participated in a pilot study for coding visual files, a project of the anthropological group, Human Resources Area Files, Inc. When Inverarity was dismissed from the Museum of International Folk Art in 1954, most of the staff resigned in protest, and the American Association of Museums investigated the situation.

Inverarity then became the first director of the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York, where he remained for eleven years. In addition to planning the museum's building, and developing collections and programs, Inverarity continued his involvement with the visual files project of the Human Resources Area Files, Inc., studying information storage and retrieval, developing a "microreader," and publishing Visual Files Coding Index (1960). In addition, he published many articles on a variety of topics and was active in organizations for anthropologists and museum professionals.

After his 1965 departure from the Adirondack Museum, Inverarity went to California and worked as an illustrator and book designer at the University of California Press. He returned to the east coast in 1969 to assume the directorship of the Philadelphia Maritime Museum. During this period, he remained active in professional associations and traveled to study museums abroad. He retired in 1976 and moved to La Jolla, California.

Robert Bruce Inverarity died in 1999.
Separated Material:
Originals of most of the drawings and sketches loaned by Mr. Inverarity were returned to him after filming and were not subsequently donated. This material is available on 35 mm microfilm reel D/NDA/I, frames 392-409.
Provenance:
Robert Bruce Inverarity donated his papers to the Archives in several installments between 1965 and 1993. Additional papers were received from his estate in 1999. He also loaned a small number of additional drawings and sketches for microfilming which were returned to him. A few of these drawings were included with the papers he subsequently donated to the Archives of American Art.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use 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:
Arts administrators  Search this
Painters  Search this
Topic:
Puppet theater  Search this
New Deal, 1933-1939 -- Washington (State)  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Federal aid to the arts -- Washington (State)  Search this
Art and state -- Washington (State)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Sketchbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Drawings
Citation:
Robert Bruce Inverarity papers, circa 1840s-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.inverobe
See more items in:
Robert Bruce Inverarity papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9460b503e-0657-430a-9244-ead53bd5066f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-inverobe
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