Search Results

Photographer:

Davies, Diana, 1938-  Search this

Gahr, David  Search this

Performer:

Bread and Puppet Theater  Search this

Everly Brothers  Search this

New Lost City Ramblers  Search this

Pentangle (Musical group)  Search this

The Pennywhistlers (Musical group)  Search this

The Young Tradition (Musical group)  Search this

Andersen, Eric  Search this

Bikel, Theodore  Search this

Brand, Oscar  Search this

Cameron, John A.  Search this

Chandler, Len  Search this

Collier, Jimmy  Search this

Collins, Judy, 1939-  Search this

Fuller, Jesse  Search this

Gerrard, Alice, 1934-  Search this

Guthrie, Arlo  Search this

Hartford, John  Search this

Hjorth, Ole  Search this

Joplin, Janis  Search this

Kennedy, Norman, 1934-  Search this

Kershaw, Doug  Search this

Killen, Louis  Search this

Kirkpatrick, Frederick Douglass  Search this

Koerner, John  Search this

McGhee, Brownie, 1915-1996  Search this

Mitchell, Joni  Search this

Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996  Search this

Muddy Waters, 1915-1983  Search this

Ochs, Phil  Search this

Perkins, Carl  Search this

Proffitt, Frank, Jr., 1946-2005  Search this

Rachell, Yank  Search this

Raim, Ethel  Search this

Ramsey, Frederic, 1915-1995  Search this

Reagon, Bernice Johnson, 1942-  Search this

Rinzler, Ralph  Search this

Sainte-Marie, Buffy  Search this

Seeger, Mike, 1933-2009  Search this

Stabi, Björn  Search this

Sykes, Roosevelt, 1906-1983  Search this

Taylor, James  Search this

Traum, Artie  Search this

Traum, Happy  Search this

Watson, Doc  Search this

Watson, Merle  Search this

White, Elaine (Vocalist)  Search this

Wiseman, Mac  Search this

Names:

Newport Folk Festival  Search this

Philadelphia Folk Festival  Search this

Asch, Moses  Search this

Chandler, Nancy  Search this

Dunson, Josh, 1941-  Search this

King, Coretta Scott, 1927-2006  Search this

Silber, Irwin, 1925-2010  Search this

Young, Izzy, 1928-2019  Search this

Musician:

Bosco, John  Search this

Extent:

3.83 Cubic feet (8 binders containing contact sheets, slides, and prints; 7 boxes (8.5"x10.75"x2.5") of 35 mm negatives; 2 binders of 35 mm and 120 format negatives; and 1 box of 11 oversize prints.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Contact sheets

Slides (photographs)

Black-and-white negatives

Photographic prints

Place:

New York (N.Y.)

Saint Simons Island (Ga. : Island)

Date:

1963-2009

Summary:

The Diana Davies photographs consist of images taken by Diana Davies at various stages of her career. Locations include the Festival of American Folklife, the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's Campaign, various peace and protest marches and outdoor performances, New York City, and the Georgia Sea Islands. The collection includes contact sheets, negatives, photographic prints, and slides. Original photographs, negatives, and color slides taken by Diana Davies. Materials date from 1963-2009. Bulk dates: Newport Folk Festival, 1963-1969, 1987, 1992; Philadelphia Folk Festival, 1967-1968, 1987.

Scope and Contents:

The Diana Davies photographs, 1963-2009, consist of black and white negatives, contact sheets and prints, as well as color slides and negatives. The bulk of materials depict major festivals and protest movements (including the Poor People's March of 1968) documented by Diana Davies (located in Series 1: Newport Folk Festival, Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival, Series 6: Festival of American Folklife, and Series 11: Social Justice). Also well-represented are non-festival performances (in locations such as clubs, concert halls, and homes), recording sessions, and other music-related images, mainly of notable figures in the American folk music revival (located in Series 3: Broadside Magazine, Series 4: Sing Out! Magazine Concerts, Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People, Series 7: Recording Sessions, Series 8: Instruction Book Shots, and Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians). Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands consists of photographs depicting the culture, environment, and daily life of these coastal islands in 1966. Series 12: New York City Scenes contains photographs taken on the street depicting everyday life in NYC in the 1960s and 1970s. The collection also contains related papers in Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence.

Arrangement note:

Each item in the Diana Davies Photographs has been assigned an accession number, and like materials have been put together such as the Newport Folk Festival photographs, in a chronological sequence as much as possible. Materials in the three more recent donation batches (1998, 2004, and 2006) were numbered and integrated into the collection. In some series, the accession numbers are in numerical order, and in others, the numbers are random because like items with different number sequences were pulled together in a series for subject coherence. The best way to find occurrences of a particular subject is to use the ctrl+F function. Please consult the archivists if you have any questions about the collection contents.

Contact sheets, slides, and prints arranged in 8 binders; negatives and oversize prints are stored separately.

Arranged in 14 series:

Series 1: Newport Folk Festival

Series 2: Philadelphia Folk Festival

Series 3: Broadside Magazine

Series 4: -- Sing Out! -- Magazine Concerts

Series 5: Miscellaneous Concerts and People

Series 6: Festival of American Folklife

Series 7: Recording Sessions

Series 8: Instruction Book Shots

Series 9: Jazz, Blues, and Salsa Musicians

Series 10: Georgia Sea Islands

Series 11: Social Justice

Series 12: New York City Scenes

Series 13: Miscellaneous Papers and Correspondence

Series 14: Oversize Materials

Biographical/Historical note:

Diana Davies is a well-known photographer of folk performers and festivals. Davies photographed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in its earlier years. Born in 1938, Davies grew up in Maine, the Catskills, New York City, and Boston. Her grandparents were local union organizers and Debs socialists; one grandfather was a gandy dancer with the railroad, and her grandmother was a textile worker in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Davies finds that her family background was later expressed in her own activist efforts.

Davies left high school at 16, and worked sweeping out coffeehouses, which gave her the opportunity to listen to music while she worked. She became interested in theater and music. In Greenwich Village, she began doing some sound technician work, and then got interested in photography. She taught herself how to develop and print photographs in a darkroom, and began photographing in theaters, shooting from behind the scenes. Her theater photos are at Smith College in Northampton, where she presently lives. In the early 1960s, she began working with the editors of Broadside Magazine, Sis Cunningham and Gordon Friesen. She developed an interest in human rights work, which grew from her contact with Sis and Gordon, and also her own family background. She also worked as a photographer in a wide range of settings, including night clubs, weddings, and doing portrait photography. This led her to work for major national and international media including the New York Times, covering such events as the war in Biafra, and traveling to Mexico, Cuba, and Portugal on assignment.

Davies' folk photographs represent about one-quarter of her body of work; her other major photographic work includes the Civil Rights Movement, the Peace Movement, and theater. Davies began photographing at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, which she covered for a number of years. She knew Ralph Rinzler, and found him a vibrant, alive person excited by all aspects of culture. He introduced her to Bessie Jones from the Georgia Sea Islands, and in 1966 she made a photographic journey to the islands. Her work from this trip is included in the collection. Davies has also been a musician. She became involved with the punk rock movement of the 1970s, and felt that there was a connection between the hard-hitting songs from the punk world and the songs being published in Broadside Magazine. In 1975, she became part of a folk/punk women's band in Boston, and later moved to Western Massachusetts. In addition to being a photographer and musician, Davies is also a writer. She wrote a play entitled "The Witch Papers" in 1980, which was produced in Boston and other locations. The play was a vehicle for her human rights activism, comparing the technology of inquisition with labor sweatshops. In 1998, her play "The War Machine" was produced in Amherst, Mass. She lives in Northampton, and enjoys and participates in street performance, which she describes as the "most essentially communicative stuff you can come up with."

General note:

All contact sheets from the collection are digitized and accessible through this finding aid. Series-level slideshows accessible through this finding aid represent a small sampling from the collection.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Provenance:

The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired portions of the Diana Davies Photograph Collection in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Ms. Davies photographed for the Festival of American Folklife. More materials came to the Archives circa 1989 or 1990. Archivist Stephanie Smith visited her in 1998 and 2004, and brought back additional materials which Ms. Davies wanted to donate to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. These two more recent donations of additional photographs (contact sheets, prints, and slides) consisted of documentation of the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Poor People's March on Washington, the Civil Rights Movement, the Georgia Sea Islands, and miscellaneous personalities of the American folk revival. In a letter dated 12 March 2002, Ms. Davies gave full discretion to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to grant permission for both internal and external use of her photographs, with the provison that her work be credited in any use.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Peace movements  Search this

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., 1963  Search this

Civil rights -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Contact sheets

Slides (photographs)

Black-and-white negatives

Photographic prints

Citation:

Diana J. Davies photographs, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

or

Photo by Diana J. Davies. Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and COllections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.DAVIE

See more items in:

Diana Davies photographs

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk59fa9fef6-8287-4b3c-8f47-119c519dd318

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-davie

Creator:

Morrison, Joan, -2010  Search this

Morrison, Robert K.  Search this

Beirne, Barbara T.  Search this

Names:

Gold Star Mothers, Inc.  Search this

Peace Corps (U.S.) -- 1960-1970  Search this

Moore, Harold (Gold Star parent)  Search this

Moore, Irma (Gold Star parent)  Search this

Extent:

6 Cubic feet (20 boxes )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiocassettes

Transcripts

Black-and-white photographic prints

Oral history

Audiotapes

Date:

1985 - 1987

Scope and Contents:

The collection is comprised of 139 audiocassettes (original copies only), 80 transcripts and tape summaries, and photographs (including some negatives). The transcripts and photographs also exist in single copies only, but they may be used with care by researchers.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in four series.

Series 1: Original Audio Cassette Tapes, 1983-1986

Series 2: Transcripts/Tape Summaries, 1984-1986

Series 3: Photographs, 1984-1986

Series 4: Reference Tapes and CDs, undated

Biographical / Historical:

In 1985, Joan and Robert Morrison conducted approximately 100 oral history interviews with a wide variety of Americans about their experiences during the 1960s. They also collected photographs of each of their interviewees—one taken during the 1960s and the other taken at the time of the interview. Portions of fifty-nine of those interviews were published in their 1987 book, From Camelot to Kent State: The Sixties Experience in the Words of Those Who Lived It (Times Books). Some of the new photographs, which were taken by Barbara Beirne, also were exhibited at The New School in 1989.

The interviewees include civil rights activists, anti-war activists, Vietnam War soldiers, Gold Star mothers, Peace Corps members, Weathermen, black leaders, and counter culture figures. Some of the narrators are members of the rank-and-file, others played leading roles. The in-depth interviews focus on three main questions: 1) What motivated you to act as you did in the Sixties? 2) What actions did you take and what were the results? 3) How did your experiences in the Sixties affect the way your life has developed since then?

Source Information taken from memo to National Museum of American History Collections Committee.

Provenance:

The Morrison's donated this collection of audiocassettes, transcripts, and photographs to the National Museum of American History Archives Center in 1989.

Restrictions:

Tape recordings not available for playback until researcher copies are made; researchers must use transcripts until then.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Some original interviews have restrictions; these have been withheld by the Morrisons' until they can get clearances from the interviewees.

Topic:

African Americans -- Civil rights  Search this

United States -- History -- 1960-1990  Search this

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest Movements  Search this

Peace movements -- 1960-1970  Search this

Soldiers -- 1960-1970  Search this

Civil rights  Search this

Portraits -- 1960-1970  Search this

Civil rights workers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiocassettes

Transcripts

Black-and-white photographic prints -- Silver gelatin -- 1950-2000

Oral history

Audiotapes

Citation:

Joan and Robert K. Morrison Collection, 1983-1987, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0359

See more items in:

Joan and Robert K. Morrison Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep822fab27b-07fb-46f8-90e2-3cdf43e1aabc

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0359

Collection Photographer:

Davies, Diana, 1938-  Search this

Extent:

1 Photocopy (black and white; high quality)

1 Photograph album (black and white)

Type:

Archival materials

Photocopies

Photograph albums

Date:

1965

Collection Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Collection Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Collection Citation:

Diana J. Davies photographs, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

or

Photo by Diana J. Davies. Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and COllections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.DAVIE, File FP-DAVI-BWPR-0428-16

See more items in:

Diana Davies photographs

Diana Davies photographs / Series 11: Social Justice: Peace Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Poor People's March, United Farm Workers, Women's Rights

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk59d021659-ba3f-49a2-af96-1c678ffbdbaa

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-cfch-davie-ref997

Creator:

Rivers, Charles, 1904-1993  Search this

Names:

Chrysler Building (New York, N.Y.) -- Pictorial works  Search this

Empire State Building -- Construction--1929-1930  Search this

Pathe News  Search this

Bates, Ruby  Search this

Extent:

0.5 Cubic feet (4 boxes )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Albums

Place:

New York (N.Y.) -- 1920-1930

Washington (D.C.) -- 1960-1970

Date:

1929-1963

bulk 1929-1930

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains: twenty-nine silver gelatin photoprints mounted on Fome-Core, Masonite, and cardboard, ranging in size from 5-1/2" x 9-1/4" to 10-11/16" x 13-13/16"; three 5" x 7" unmounted silver gelatin photoprints; a scrapbook which originally contained 56 silver gelatin photoprints, ranging in size from 2" x 3" to 7-1/2" x 9-1/2"; and silver gelatin film negatives (presumably acetate) for the prints. The scrapbook includes a New York Daily News clipping about Rivers: "Builds a Bridge to Students" by Anthony Burton (dated May 12, 1970 by Rivers) with a photograph showing him speaking to a crowd, Most of the photographs depict the construction of the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings--iron workers on the job and relaxing during breaks, and pictures of the buildings at various stages of completion. Other subjects are: a demonstration to prevent World War II (1935), a color photoprint of the Civil Rights March and Demonstration in Washington, D.C. (1963), and two magazine clippings from a Soviet publication, New Times, in which Rivers's prize-winning "Self Portrait" (1930) was reproduced.

Most of these prints were made by Charles Rivers many years after the creation of the original negatives, probably ca.1970s 1980s. The collection is in generally good condition, except that many of the print surfaces are scratched.

Biographical / Historical:

Charles Rivers created a certain amount of confusion about his origins, whether accidentally or intentionally. Born Constantinos Kapornaros[1] (or Kostandinos Kapernaros)[2] in the small town of Vahos in Mani, an isolated area in the southern Peloponnesian region of Greece, on May 20, 1904, he emigrated to the United States as a child of five or six with his parents. His school record showed that he was enrolled in 1911 at the age of seven.[3] The family lived in Maine or New Hampshire, then Massachusetts, and later other locations in New York state. It is believed that his new name was derived from the Charles River in Boston.[4] The change may have been occasioned by a need to conceal his deep involvement in left-wing political and union activities.[5] Mr. Rivers settled in New York City in 1950 and resided there until 1993.[6] He sometimes identified his birthplace as Denver, Colorado,[7] but this may have been a fabrication or simplification, based on the fact that Greek church baptismal records were kept in Denver.[8] His sons James and Ronald believe that he never became an official American citizen. Late in life, in order to visit his birthplace, he was issued a passport, based on his school records, which stated that he was born in Denver. Rivers photographed the construction of the Chrysler Building (1929) and the Empire State Building (1930) in New York City. He was inspired to take up photography by seeing the work of the influential documentary photographer Lewis Hine, whose famous images of working children helped win passage of protective child labor laws. Rivers and Hine both photographed the Empire State Building and the men building it, yet Rivers apparently was unaware until years later that his idol had been present. Employed as an iron worker, Rivers traded his pail of tools for a Zeiss Ikon[9] camera during his lunch hour or when photographic opportunities arose. While the workers depicted in some of the photographs clearly are aware of the photographer's presence, Rivers's project presumably was conducted more or less surreptitiously. It is not known for certain if the paths of Rivers and Hine ever crossed, but his son Ron considers it unlikely: Hine photographed only the Empire State Building in connection with his "Men at Work" project,[10] not the earlier Chrysler Building, and Rivers did not work on the Empire State Building for a very long period. His self-portrait on the Empire State Building, "The Bolter-Up," may have been intended as a memento during one of his last days on that job.[11]

Rivers became unemployed in the Depression and consequently became involved in national efforts to create Social Security, unemployment insurance, and housing programs. These experiences apparently encouraged his active participation in politically leftist activities, as coverage about him in Soviet publications attests. A pacifist, in 1935 he was involved in demonstrations aimed at preventing World War II, and in the 1960s he took part in anti-Vietnam demonstrations and encouraged young people to continue such resistance.

In the 1950s Rivers worked in steel fabrication, in a chemistry lab as a technician, and briefly as a legislative aide for a New York state senator.

In 1986 Rivers submitted his 1930 self-portrait, posed on the Chrysler Building, to the International Year of Peace art contest sponsored by the New Times, published in Moscow: it was awarded a prize and diploma.

Mr. Rivers died in 1993, only two weeks after moving to Arlington, Texas to enter a nursing home near his sons' homes.

1. The page on Rivers in New York University=s Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives web site (http://laborarts.org/collections/item.cfm?itemid=82) --noted 5 June 2002), claims Rivers was born in 1905 and changed his name Ato resemble those of the Mohawk Indians working on the high steel of New York City=s skyscrapers and bridges".

2. This spelling is given in an e-mail from James Rivers to Helen Plummer, Aug. 19, 2002.

3. Ibid.

4. Telephone conversation between Ron Rivers and the author, 6 June 2002. Additional information was provided by Ron Rivers in electronic mail messages, 5 June and 12 June 2002.

5. James Rivers, op. cit.

6. Telephone conversation with Ron Rivers, 6 June 2002.

7. In a biographical statement for the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art (copy supplied by Helen Plummer), Charles Rivers called Denver his birthplace. The George Eastman House photographer database also included this apparently erroneous information, probably derived from the Amon Carter statement (telephone conversation with Helen Plummer, 3 June 2002).

8. Ron Rivers, telephone conversation, 6 June 2002.

9. Identified by Charles Rivers as the camera used in the skyscraper photographs: interview by Carol Sewell, "Photographer looked at U.S. from high view," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dec. 27, 1986. Rivers also used a Rolleiflex, according to Ron Rivers (see note above), but the folding Zeiss Ikon camera would have been a more convenient addition to a lunchbox than the bulkier Rolleiflex. The collection negatives are not in the Rolleiflex square format, moreover.

10. See Judith Mara Gutman, Lewis W. Hine and the American social conscience. New York: Walker, 1967.

11. Ron Rivers, telephone conversation, 6 June 2002.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Smithsonian Institution

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Included Rivers's self-portrait, "The Bolter Up," in its summer 2002 exhibition, "Metropolis in the Machine Age," in the form of a new print made from a digital copy of the Archives Center's original negative. The author discussed the new print from the Rivers negative and other photographs in this exhibition in an invited gallery lecture, "The Skyscraper Photographs of Lewis Hine and Charles Rivers," Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, June 6, 2002.

Materials at Other Organizations

Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

See Barbara McCandless and John Rohrbach, Singular moments: photographs from the Amon Carter Museum, with select entries by Helen Plummer. Reproduction of a Rivers photograph, with description and analysis, p. 30. Additional information has been generously supplied by Ms. Plummer, curatorial associate, and Barbara McCandless, curator of photography, Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth Texas.

Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University

Museum of the City of New York

Some of his photographs were included in the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art exhibition, "Looking at America: Documentary Photographs of the 1930s and 1940s," December 1986.

Provenance:

The collection is a gift from Mr. Charles Rivers, 1989.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Archives Center claims copyright. Rights were conveyed to the Archives Center through a Deed of Gift signed by the donor.

Topic:

Self-portraits, American  Search this

Iron and steel workers -- 1920-1930 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Construction workers -- 1900-1950 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Structural steel workers -- 1920-1930 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Labor unions  Search this

Civil rights demonstrations -- 1960-1970  Search this

Skyscrapers -- 1920-1930 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Civil rights  Search this

Peace movements -- 1960-1970  Search this

Peace movements -- 1930-1940  Search this

Scottsoro boys case  Search this

Fires  Search this

Scottsboro Trial, Scottsboro, Ala., 1931  Search this

Self-portraits  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 1900-1950

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Albums

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1970-1990

Citation:

Charles Rivers Photographs, 1929-1963, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0360

See more items in:

Charles Rivers Photographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep82c2fc0d6-34f9-422b-b6e3-c1d1072e975f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0360

Collection Creator:

Nakashima, George, 1905-1990  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 10

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1983

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

Collection Citation:

George Nakashima papers, 1950-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

George Nakashima papers

George Nakashima papers / Series 2: Correspondence

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9be4ca27f-98cb-42fe-8410-d979a7624894

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-nakageor-ref33

Extent:

1 Sound cassette

Container:

Box 6, Cassette 8

Type:

Archival materials

Audio

Sound cassettes

Date:

1986 November 17

General:

2012.79.3.186.1a

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

The NMAAHC Media Preservation team can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes.

Collection Citation:

Pearl Bowser Collection, National Museum of African American History and Culture

See more items in:

Pearl Bowser Audiovisual Collection

Pearl Bowser Audiovisual Collection / Series 3: Audio Tape / 3.1: Interviews

Archival Repository:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io3b71b156c-e831-4504-85b7-b89ce66e46f9

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmaahc-a2012-79-av-ref54

Contributer:

Best, Makeda 1975-  Search this

Interviewee:

Bright, Sheila Pree  Search this

Evans, Terry 1944-  Search this

Gilbertson, Ashley  Search this

Hanson, David T  Search this

Kranitz, Stacy 1976-  Search this

Lee, Jin  Search this

Misrach, Richard 1949-  Search this

Norfleet, Barbara P  Search this

Palacio, Oscar  Search this

Host institution:

Harvard Art Museums  Search this

Physical description:

x, 180, 46, 21 pages, 4 unnumbered pages color illustrations, facsimiles, portraits 26 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Pictorial works

Interviews

Expositions

Ouvrages illustrés

Entretiens

Exhibition catalogs

Exhibition, pictorial works

History

Catalogues d'exposition

Place:

United States

États-Unis

Date:

2021

Topic:

Landscape photography--History  Search this

War--Environmental aspects  Search this

Military bases--Environmental aspects  Search this

Art and war  Search this

Peace movements--History  Search this

Environmentalism--History  Search this

Photographers  Search this

Artists  Search this

Photographie de paysages--Histoire  Search this

Guerre--Aspect de l'environnement  Search this

Bases militaires--Aspect de l'environnement  Search this

Art et guerre  Search this

Photographes  Search this

Artistes  Search this

Mouvements pacifistes--Histoire  Search this

PHOTOGRAPHY--General  Search this

Peace movements  Search this

Environmentalism  Search this

Landscape photography  Search this

War--Environmental aspects--Pictorial works  Search this

Military bases--Environmental aspects--Pictorial works  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1159997

Interviewee:

Ben Tré, Howard, 1949-2020  Search this

Interviewer:

Shea, Josephine, 1958-  Search this

Creator:

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Names:

Appalachian Center for Craft  Search this

Brooklyn College -- Students  Search this

Brooklyn Technical High School (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Cristallerie Daum  Search this

Hadler/Rodriguez Gallery  Search this

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty  Search this

Missouri Valley College -- Students  Search this

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this

Pilchuck School  Search this

Portland State University -- Students  Search this

Rhode Island School of Design -- Students  Search this

Venceremos Brigade  Search this

Aycock, Alice  Search this

Brychtová, Jaroslava, 1924-  Search this

Chihuly, Dale, 1941-  Search this

Dailey, Dan, 1947-  Search this

Hampson, Ferdinand  Search this

LaMonte, Karen, 1967-  Search this

Labino, Dominick  Search this

Libenský, Stanislav, 1921-2002  Search this

Littleton, Harvey K.  Search this

Onorato, Ronald J.  Search this

Parker, Anthony  Search this

Polander, Steve  Search this

Scanga, Italo, 1932-2001  Search this

Extent:

63 Pages (Transcript)

3 Sound discs (Sound recording (4 hr., 3 min.), digital, 2 5/8 in.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound discs

Interviews

Sound recordings

Place:

Cuba -- Description and Travel

Europe -- description and travel

Date:

2007 July 7

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Howard Ben Tré conducted 2007 July 7, by Josephine Shea, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's studio, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Ben Tré speaks of his childhood in Rockaway Park, New York; his Polish immigrant father who was a woodworker and artist; inheriting a particular aesthetic and sense of hard work from his father; attending Brooklyn Technical High School to play football but not graduating; moving to Marshall, Missouri to attend Missouri Valley College for one year; attending Brooklyn College; becoming involved in Students for a Democratic Society, the antiwar movement and civil rights movement of the 1960s; traveling to Cuba as part of the first Venceremos Brigade to cut sugarcane in 1969; meeting his first wife, Gay, in Cuba and returning to New York with her; organizing a food co-op and community events in Brooklyn; moving to Portland, Oregon; working in construction for the city before going back to school to study veterinarian medicine at Portland State University; discovering the glass studio in a garage at Portland State; meeting Dale Chihuly and working at Pilchuck Glass School; utilizing the foundry skills learned from Brooklyn Technical High to work with glass in casting and cope and drag methods; his series Burial Boxes and the influence of ancient architecture and ceremonial Chinese bronzes; the rise of the studio glass movement as symptomatic of socio-political-economic times, not just the pioneering efforts of Harvey Littleton and Dominic Labino; traveling throughout Europe with Gay; visiting Stanislav Libenský and Jaraslava Brychtová in Czechoslovakia; visiting Dan Dailey at Cristallerie Daum in France; attending Rhode Island School of Design [RISD]; his first show at Hadler/Rodriguez Gallery in 1980; teaching experiences at Haystack Mountain School of Craft and Appalachian Center for Craft; building and installing an oven at Blenko Glass in Milton, West Virginia and at Super Glass in Brooklyn; working with Mold Melted Glass Studio in Pelechov, Czech Republic; the history of glass and early glass-working techniques; his many commissions, including sited public projects such as Post Office Square in Boston; the adoption of his name, Ben Tré; return visits to Cuba; working with RISD to create a winter study session in Havana; and his view of artists as artists, not defined by medium. Ben Tré also recalls Anthony Parker, Italo Scanga, Ron Onorato, Alice Aycock, Ferdinand Hampson, Steven Polander, Karen LaMonte, among others.

Biographical / Historical:

Howard Ben Tré (1949- 2020) was a glass artist from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Josephine Shea is a curator from Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.

General:

Originally recorded 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 3 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.

Occupation:

Glass artists  Search this

Topic:

Art commissions  Search this

Civil rights -- United States  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Peace movements  Search this

Glass art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Interviews

Sound recordings

Sponsor:

Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.bentre07

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9d4615d25-e2f4-4f9f-8c8b-9587cb029302

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-bentre07

Collector:

Odell, Scott, 1935-  Search this

Names:

Bread and Puppet Theater  Search this

Festival of American Folklife  Search this

Smithsonian Folklife Festival  Search this

Porter, Burt, 1937-  Search this

Former owner:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Musical History  Search this

Extent:

18 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Field notes

Audiotapes

Posters

Reports

Correspondence

Photographs

Place:

Appalachian Region

North Carolina

Virginia

Vermont

Date:

1964-1977

Summary:

The J. Scott Odell folk music collection (1945-2016, inclusive) contains AV recordings, photographs, correspondence, writings, and other materials relating to Odell's career at the Smithsonian as a musical instrument conservator and researcher of American music traditions. The collection largely consists of materials relating to Odell's research trips (often combined with personal visits) throughout the Eastern United States. Research strengths of the collection include the history of the Appalachian dulcimer and banjo, the Smithsonian Folkways project "Black Banjo Songsters," musician and poet Burt Porter, and the Bread and Puppet Theater.

Scope/Contents note:

The J. Scott Odell Folk Music Collection, which includes materials dating from 1945-2016, documents the research, professional work, and personal relations of J. Scott Odell (b. 1935). Odell worked at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) as a musical instrument conservator and traveled throughout the Eastern United States documenting a variety of musical instruments and traditions. The collection reflects his research trips and other travels; the development of exhibits and performance of music and dance at the Smithsonian; and the relationships Odell developed with the musicians, craftspeople, informants, and other people he worked with throughout his career.

Research strengths of this collection include notes, photographs, and recordings from Odell's fieldwork; extensive documentation of Odell's work on the Smithsonian Folkways project Black Banjo Songsters, in collaboration with folklorist Cecelia Conway; and materials pertaining to the Bread and Puppet Theater (based in Glover, Vermont). Significant places documented include southwest Virginia (Galax), nearby North Carolina (Shelton-Laurel), the surrounding tri-state area, and Vermont (Glover). Significant individuals represented in the collection include Odell, Burt Porter, Ralph Rinzler, and other well-known musicians. The most prominent instrument information in the collection relates to the banjo and the Appalachian dulcimer, although the American fiddle tradition and other instruments are also represented. Materials include photographs (negatives and prints), field notes, trip reports, correspondence, slides, writings, and AV materials. This collection may also be of interest to researchers of AV history and evolution. The wide variety of formats found in the collection maps the development of popular recording media. The collection includes open-reel tapes, Hi-8 tapes, DATs, mini-DV tapes, Betacam and Betacam SP tapes, VHS and SVHS tapes, cassettes, optical discs, mini-discs, and Zip discs.

This collection was initially established in 2008, when it was transferred from Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives & Collections (RRFAC), Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH). (NMAH Archives Center had received the collection from the Division of Musical History.) Since 2008, the collection has been significantly expanded, more than doubling in size between 2008 and 2016. (These additional materials can be found in Series 8, Accruals.) With these deposits, the scope of the collection expanded beyond Odell's Appalachian dulcimer research and instrument conservator duties to include his banjo research, travels, relationships with musicians (particularly Burt Porter), and involvement with the Bread and Puppet Theater.

Arrangement note:

The collection is arranged in eight series as follows: (1) Correspondence, 1963-1978; (2) Folk Instruments Research; (3) Collected Publications and Ephemera; (4) Collecting Trips; (5) Publications; (6) Sound Recordings; (7) Oversize Materials; and (8) Accruals. Within each series and subseries, folders are arranged thematically, alphabetically, and/or chronologically.

Series 1-7 reflect the order of the original transfer from the Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Series 8 (Accruals) encompasses several deposits made by Scott Odell of additional materials between 2011 and 2017. Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives staff, in collaboration with Odell, imposed order upon Series 8.

Researchers should note that, when performing research in Series 8 (Accruals), they might need to consult multiple boxes, even when working within a single subseries where the intellectual arrangement in the finding aid does not always align with the physical arrangement of the materials. This separation between the intellectual and physical arrangement is due in part to the order in which RRFAC received each deposit, the format of the materials (i.e., papers vs. photographs vs. AV items), and earlier digitization efforts.

Biographical/Historical note:

Jay Scott Odell (b. 1935) was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Adalberta Lavoie Odell and Jay Geddes Odell. The family moved frequently throughout his childhood, resulting in Odell having lived at fourteen different addresses and attending seven different schools by the time he graduated high school in 1953. When the family settled in Mamaroneck, New York, in 1950, Odell met poet Peter Kane Dufault, and musician and poet Burt Porter, two figures who would go on to strongly influence his personal and professional development. It was on the advice of Dufault, for example, that Odell apprenticed with harpsichord-maker William Dowd after college.

Odell attended Middlebury College where he met his future wife, Dorothy "Dottie" Hiebert. After graduating in 1957, Hiebert moved to France and Odell took a position on the boat of Dutch writer Jan DeHartog before joining Hiebert to travel Europe. By 1959, they had returned to the United States (Boston, Massachusetts) and married. It was at this point in their lives that they became active in the peace movement and the early Folk Revival. Odell's relationship with Burt Porter continued, and he developed contacts with other musicians including Peter and Polly Gott, Tom "Tom Banjo" Azarian, Mike Seeger, and Tracy Schwartz. The Odells also became involved with the Bread and Puppet Theater group, founded by Peter and Elka Schumann, which established its primary location in Glover, Vermont, near Porter's property.

Odell is particularly notable for his work in musical instrument conservation at the Smithsonian Institution and his involvement in the development of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. In 1963, following his harpsichord apprenticeship with William Dowd, Odell was hired by the Smithsonian as a musical instrument conservator. Under Cynthia Hoover and C. Malcolm Watkins, he established a restoration workshop for musical instruments at the National Museum of History and Technology, now the National Museum of American History. Over the course of his career, Odell served not only as a conservator but also as head of a technical laboratory and, eventually, as the first director of conservation at the National Museum of American History.

Odell was a key figure in the shifting philosophy of the musical instrument department regarding its collections and acquisition practices. With Hoover, Odell helped establish and facilitate a concert series with the mission of "[taking] the instruments out of their cases and [letting] them sing" – a major innovation in museum programming. Odell's commitment to bringing music history and traditions to life manifested in the expansion of the Smithsonian concert series, his relationship with Ralph Rinzler, and his early involvement with the Festival of American Folklife, now the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Although his professional training was in working with historical keyboard instruments, Odell's lifelong interest in traditional and regional music had a significant impact on his career. Between 1964 and 1977, when Odell was head of the laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution's Division of Musical Instruments, he undertook a series of collecting trips throughout the Eastern United States to expand the Division's collection of traditional American instruments.

In 1964, Odell and Porter attended the Annual Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention. Following this initial trip, Hoover and Watkins supported Odell's efforts to, in addition to acquiring objects for the collection, research and record the cultural contexts of those instruments. Over the course of these trips, Odell built personal relationships with many of the musicians and craftspeople with whom he worked, including the Melton-Russell family, Tommy Jarrell, and Fred Cockerham.

Odell retired in 1993, but continued contract work at the Smithsonian. Working for the National Museum of American History, he assisted with the care and description of the Museum's banjo collection, as well as the acquisition of the Grimes and Jeffries dulcimer collection. He has also maintained associations with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. In 1998, Odell co-produced a record through Smithsonian Folkways with folklorist Cecelia Conway titled "Black Banjo Songsters," which focused on the African American banjo tradition and featured many of the artists with whom Odell had built relationships.

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Related Materials note:

Materials relating to Odell's career at the Smithsonian can also be found in the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA), particularly in the records of the NMAH Musical History Division.

Materials relating to the Bread and Puppet Theater can also be found in the archives of the Bread and Puppet Theater (via the Internet Archive); the University of Vermont; and the University of California, Davis.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Folk music—United States  Search this

Stringed instruments  Search this

Fiddle  Search this

Mouth bow  Search this

Folk music  Search this

Musicians  Search this

Banjo  Search this

Appalachian dulcimer  Search this

Folklore  Search this

Genre/Form:

Field notes

Audiotapes

Posters

Reports

Correspondence -- 1930-1950

Photographs -- 1960-1980 -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin

Citation:

J. Scott Odell folk music collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.ODEL

See more items in:

J. Scott Odell folk music collection

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5e8174ac9-2f64-4526-96d0-228a548d9788

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-odel

Collection Creator:

Gellert, Hugo, 1892-1985  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 47

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1931-1977

Collection Restrictions:

The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Hugo Gellert papers, 1916-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

See more items in:

Hugo Gellert papers

Hugo Gellert papers / Series 4: Organizational Records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b43f411a-ec23-447f-ba39-4ad89ba58d2a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-gellhugo-ref126

Interviewee:

Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this

Interviewer:

Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-  Search this

Extent:

53 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Date:

circa 1964

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Ad Reinhardt conducted circa 1964, by Harlan Phillips, for the Archives of American Art.

Reinhardt speaks of his time spent working for the easel division of the WPA; his involvement with the American Abstract Artists (AAA); his admiration for Stuart Davis (despite his lack of involvement with the AAA; his time with the New York School in the forties; his desire for an objective Art History; the under-recognition of the abstract artists during their formative period; his feelings towards political cartoons and the social power/potential of art; his role as editor of the Columbia Jester; his unique position in the art world as an alumni of a liberal arts college rather than arts school; his time spent at the Institute of Fine Art studying under Alfred Salmony; the changing image of the artist as an intellectual (Motherwell, Rothko, Holty, Greene); de Kooning and Pollock's attempts to be the romantic artist; his bad feelings toward German and Italian Expressionists; futurists and some of the Fauve painters; his belief in collage as an anti-art; the position of art as the 'non-useful;' the exploration of meaninglessness by Kierkegaard, Kulick, and Sartre; his writing "Twelve Rules for the New Academy", "The Artist in Search of an Academy", "Art is Art Dogma", "Ten Rules for a Code of Ethics;" the importance of an aesthetic Morality; the Student Peace Movement (James Wexler, Thomas Merton); Artists' Union, American Artists' Congress, and the WPA; disapproval for the art market of the fifties and his preference towards artists with a salary making art for museums; the debate on the part of the Artists' Congress as to whether or not to support the Russian invasion of Finland; his dislike for the Bauhaus and the American carry-overs (Brooklyn Art scene); the article "ABC Art" in Art in America which claimed that he belongs to a whole new geometric ethic of imageless painting; his disapproval of Clement Greenberg's exploitation of the artist; his time spent studying with Francis Kriss; his year in the National Academy; his interest in Islamic art; his disconnect with Hofmann; his association with the Club and the Waldorf Cafeteria; his ideological opposition to de Kooning; the problems of treating art as a living; his feelings towards "The Shape of Time"; the recent mistake of art historians documenting the thirties without fulling embracing the abstract artists; the confusion of fine art and cultural pieces; the idea that Abstract Art is not a vase that you pour meaning into; his belief that the three most important artistic statements in recent years have come from Clive Bell, Focillon, Kubler; the relationship between religion and art; the importance of perseverance despite lack of praise; and his speech at the Club "What's Wrong." The interview is conducted in a way that facilitates more of an artistic statement, rather than a historical/ personal question and answer session.

Biographical / Historical:

Ad Reinhardt (1913-1967) was a painter from New York, N.Y.

General:

Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 52 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:

Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

Identifier:

AAA.reinha64

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e67c16fe-87a7-4b67-ae82-c7c5d30f92d9

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-reinha64

Collection Creator:

Bowditch, Nancy Douglas  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 21

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1911-1915

Collection Restrictions:

Use of originals requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Nancy Douglas Bowditch and Brush family papers, circa 1860-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

See more items in:

Nancy Douglas Bowditch and Brush family papers

Nancy Douglas Bowditch and Brush family papers / Series 3: Correspondence / 3.1: Nancy Douglas Bowditch Correspondence

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9936b20f5-374a-41c9-82f9-3ec3a5e228fa

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-bowdnanc-ref42

Interviewee:

Barr, Victoria  Search this

Interviewer:

Cummings, Paul  Search this

Extent:

222 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1977 January 11-February 18

Scope and Contents:

An interview of Victoria Barr conducted 1977 January 11-February 18, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.

Barr recalls how she became very interested in theater set and lighting design; the thrill of learning about Greek history and myths and her painting being influenced by dance; studying graphic design and advertising at Parsons School of Design and Cy Sillman as a teacher; at Yale, Neil Welliver influencing her to become a painter; her first trip to Europe with her parents at the age of 14 and spending time with Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Henri Matisse; fellow Yale students Victor Moscoso, Eva Hesse, Sylvia Mangold, Bob Mangold, and Louise Nevelson; moving to Aspen, Colorado in 1961 and how her brief experience with marijuana influenced her painting more than anything previously; the family friendship with Philip Johnson and building the Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; spending time with Johnson, Meis van der Rohe and Phyllis Lambert during the construction of the Seagram Building in Montreal, Canada; Vincent Scully and Bill McDonald as teachers at Yale; visiting Peggy Guggenheim in Venice; going to Budapest, Hungary 1963, right after the Cuban Missile Crisis, to make a film; being awarded the Fulbright to go to France in 1964; her trip to Greece on scholarship and how at home she felt; that it is no longer relevant to paint from nature; meeting Lillian Lynn and becoming great friends; moving back to New York in 1966 and working for the Museum of Natural History in the exhibits department; her work becoming less painterly, more abstract; beginning her teaching career at Barnard College in 1967; the upheaval of student riots at Columbia University and her involvement in the Peace Movement; moving to stain painting; vacationing in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the hippie culture there; how her trip to India in 1971 influenced her to use more color and primitive motifs in her work; embracing the Women's Liberation Movement; summers in Long Island and her trip to Bali. Barr also recalls Gwen Davies, John McAndrew, Alexander Calder, Chick Austin, Sydney Friedberg, Leo Steinberg, Peggy Guggenheim, Diana Cowan, Bob Chamberlain, Joey Cabell, Peter Blum, Marino Marini, Ben Shahn, Mark Rothko, Jack Tworkov, Fritz Bultman, Alice Katz, Jim Brooks, Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Mark Rauschenberg, Jim Rosenquist, Claes Oldenburg, Bernard Berenson, Millard Meiss, Sydney Freedburg, Aline Saarinen, John Johansen, Jim Sobey, Nancy Graves, Richard Serra, Robert Fiore, Philip Glass, Peter Worshall, Michael Helminski, Marcia Tucker, Elke Solomon, Joan Snyder, Nancy Azara, Jane Kaufman, Pat Steir, Susan Hall, and John Giorno.

Biographical / Historical:

Victoria Barr (1937- ) is a set designer and painter from New York, New York.

General:

Originally recorded on 6 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 12 digital wav files. Duration is 10 hr., 6 min.

Sound quality is poor.

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 others.

Restrictions:

This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Set designers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Women artists  Search this

Women painters  Search this

Women designers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.barr77

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a75a1389-fdf3-459e-a79b-fc4234a33973

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-barr77

Collection Creator:

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Container:

Reel 5197, Frame 994-996

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1958

Scope and Contents note:

(books, politics, social issues, peace movement, and McCarthyism)

Collection Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Rockwell Kent papers

Rockwell Kent papers / Series 1: Alphabetical Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw951ccab13-3503-4874-a3e2-c5991aac774f

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-kentrock-ref2034

Collection Creator:

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Container:

Reel 5197, Frame 997-1539

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1948-1961

Scope and Contents note:

(correspondence about: World Congress for Peace, national and international politics, Kahn's writings and passport case, International Workers Order insurance problems, peace movement, news of problems, peace movement, news of family and friends, Rietta's "Mistone" garden sculpture business, trips to the USSR, and Kent gift of paintings to Friendship House; manuscripts of Kahn articles; clippings)

Collection Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Rockwell Kent papers

Rockwell Kent papers / Series 1: Alphabetical Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw982518140-8706-4fe9-90d6-a46478c21ffa

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-kentrock-ref2036

Collection Creator:

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Container:

Reel 5210, Frame 326-713

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1950-1970

Scope and Contents note:

(correspondence with Australian friend about politics, peace movement, McCarthyism, family news; manuscript of her play, The Land of Morning Calm; see also: Sweeties)

Collection Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Rockwell Kent papers

Rockwell Kent papers / Series 1: Alphabetical Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw906c5c86d-0dca-478b-85f5-badaa2c6486e

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-kentrock-ref2393

Collection Creator:

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Container:

Reel 5219, Frame 80-250

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1959-1966

Scope and Contents note:

(correspondence with Russian fan mentioning exhibition of Kent's work at the Pushkin Museum, Kent's activities in the peace movement, customs problems; Nikiforov's bookplates and watercolor; clippings; greeting cards; see also: Russian Correspondence)

Collection Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Rockwell Kent papers

Rockwell Kent papers / Series 1: Alphabetical Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97fd078b2-2f0a-4e13-8d53-fa6064075024

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-kentrock-ref2794

Collection Creator:

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Container:

Reel 5220, Frame 1001-1542

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1948-1970

Scope and Contents note:

(correspondence, mainly with Mac [Robert] McIntyre of Macbeth Galleries and Kent patron J. J. Ryan, about purchases considered and made by Ryan from Kent directly or through Macbeth; correspondence with Ryan also concerns peace movement, civil rights, politics, plans for the Great Kent Collection, and letters of introduction; correspondence about Abbott Thayer Centennial, requests by museums for loans and background information on Kent works in museum collections, conservation problems of older. Kent paintings; general inquiries from prospective purchasers; lists of consignments; invitations to exhibit; see also: Pictures)

Collection Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Rockwell Kent papers

Rockwell Kent papers / Series 1: Alphabetical Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw955b2b688-ab35-487d-bd4d-abd1e42205ed

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-kentrock-ref2884

Collection Creator:

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Container:

Reel 5222, Frame 139-164

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1951

Scope and Contents note:

(correspondence with Herbert Pell and James F. Lincoln about their letters to the editors of the New York Times and Cleveland Press, and peace pamphlet published by Pell)

Collection Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Rockwell Kent papers

Rockwell Kent papers / Series 1: Alphabetical Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99d03216a-1c4d-4535-8fd8-f69f2fceb2fe

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-kentrock-ref2930

Collection Creator:

Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971  Search this

Container:

Reel 5194, Frame 1377-1542

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1956-1970

Scope and Contents note:

(fan letters, and correspondence about Kent's books, politics, social issues, peace movement, and McCarthyism)

Collection Restrictions:

The microfilm of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Use of material not microfilmed or digitized requires an appointment.

Collection 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.

Collection Citation:

Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Rockwell Kent papers

Rockwell Kent papers / Series 1: Alphabetical Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw99ad2857b-a7c1-4fc0-b257-3c5f9a96d106

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-kentrock-ref1969