An interview of Ruth Duckworth conducted 2001 April 27, by Kenneth R. Trapp, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the studios of Smithsonian Productions, Washington, D.C.
Duckworth speaks of her early life and the time prior to her family leaving Germany; the decision to leave Germany in 1936 due to Hitler and the War; acclimating herself to England; attending Liverpool School of Art; WWII in England and the psychological effects of working in munitions factories; her nervous breakdown and seven years of therapy; her beginning to sculpt; her first exhibition of sculpture in London; her marriage and life with Aidron; difficulties in being an outsider in the world of art, specifically speaking about being a woman in sculpture; her first meeting with Lucie Rie; the devastation she felt after her brother died; attendance at the Hammersmith School of Art and not feeling her place there; switching to Central School of Arts and Crafts; her first job teaching ceramics at the Central School; learning the technique of glazing; visiting museums in London; how poetry nourished her during those early years, specifically the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke; the selling of her first pieces, "pieces that wouldn't sell"; the art scene in London; how the opportunity at the University of Chicago arose; her experience at the University of Chicago, an academic institution rather than a fine arts school; her first big show in the U.S. at the University in 1965; her graduate and undergraduate students; life as a foreigner in the U.S.; the opportunity to teach at the University of Iowa but becoming an associate professor at the University of Chicago instead; the cultural movement and ceramics movement in the U.S. during the 1960's; how her work changed from European influences to American influences; departments in art that were very unfriendly to women; her association with James and Nan McKinnell; her excursions and teaching trips across the U.S. as well as in Canada and Israel; her trip with Aidron across the U.S. and then their eventual separation; her friendship with Alice Westphal and the creation of the gallery Exhibit A; the unconscious changes in her work; her views on stoneware versus porcelain; Jack Lenor Larsen's summer show and the artists she met through that; her relationship with American museums versus European; unfortunate events at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; her continued feelings as an outsider but acceptance in later life as an artist, more so from the ceramic community than from the museum community; publications and catalogues of her work; the influences other artists have had upon her work; the limited use of color in her work; her collection of bones; her love of gardening; her sketches; the therapy coiling clay does for her; her projects at the moment; where she gets her ideas from; how she sees herself fitting in versus not fitting in; her speech at an international symposium in Amsterdam; what she would include in a retrospective of her artwork; her hopes to have her work be therapeutic to viewers and cause them to contemplate it; more thoughts on color; American culture; what matters most to her right now and that is saving the Earth; wishing to continue with her work and have a better relationship with museums. Ruth Duckworth recalls, Henry Moore, Bernard Leach, Nellie Barr, Virginia Ferrari, Hardy Schlick, Richard DeVore, Nicholas Vergette, Jane Goodall and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Ruth Duckworth (1919-2009) was a sculptor and clay artist from Chicago, Illinois. Kenneth Trapp (1943- ) is curator-in-charge at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 DAT tapes. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 29 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.
Topiary Garden at Old Deaf School Park (Columbus, Ohio)
United States of America -- Ohio -- Franklin County -- Columbus
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes a worksheet, landscape plan, artist's statement, color copy of article on Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on The Ille De La Grand Jatte," magazine article, histories of Deaf School Park, topiary plant list, and a survey.
General:
The 10-acre garden began in 1989 by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. It is a recreation in sculpted shrubbery (topiary) of French artist Georges Seurat's famous oil painting "A Sunday Afternoon on The Ile De La Grand Jatte" (1884-1886) owned by the Art of Chicago, Illinois. The topiary project was conceived, designed and executed by Columbus sculptor, James T. Mason, and assisted by his wife, Elaine. Mason matches sculpture from "Taxus" shrubs with Seurat's painting of eight boats, three dogs, a monkey, and fifty-four figures (the tallest is twelve feet). Trees, ponds, paths, benches, and a gate house have been added. The last armature was set in place in 1990. The wrought iron fence around the park once surrounded The State House of the State of Ohio.
Persons and firms associated with the property and garden include: John Allen (former owner, 1802-1809); Lyne Starling (former owner, 1809-1812); State of Ohio (former owner, 1829-1981); Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (owner); and James T. Mason (garden designer, 1888-1993).
Related Materials:
Topiary Garden at Old Deaf School Park related holdings consist of 1 folder (11 35 mm. slides)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
United States of America -- Illinois -- Lake County -- Lake Forest
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, site plans, historical information about the house and garden, photocopies of articles about the property and garden, reference images, and other information.
General:
The Carton Garden is a two and one-half acre property on a one hundred year flood plain, west of the natural ridge that extends from Chicago to Wisconsin, tiled land that was a marshy area of the original prairie. A contemporary house by architect Roy Binkley was built in 1984, with design elements derived from Bauhaus and New England saltbox. Large Palladian windows provide solar gain in the winter, and the garden maintenance regime is based on Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M.) to reduce the use of chemicals. The current Carton Garden and house were created after the owners subdivided their original holding of six acres. Landscape architect Anthony Tyznik, FALSA, began working with the owners in 1955 and on this property in 1984, and continues to consult with the owner.
Tyznik designed a semi-circular brick terrace to connect the house to the meandering lawn, which connects to all other parts of the rectangular property. There is a kitchen garden room, planted in both flowers and herbs, and a woodland garden of mature white pines under planted with deciduous trees, shrubs, and ferns and hostas on the garden floor. A shady area is used as an outdoor reading room in summer with the sculpture SeeSaw by Nenne van Dijk nearby which is the focal point of the garden; a secret garden next to the house has a treasured wooden mushroom from the garden of the Prince of Wales; the swimming pool and pool house in the modern international style were designed by Chicago architect Arthur Myhrum in the 1960's. A wall next to the pool house is criss-crossed by espaliered pear trees, and beyond the pool house there is a tennis court. A potager in the style of the 17th century has a fountain surrounded by medicinal herbs and raised beds for growing summer vegetables.
Anthony Tyznik designed a pond for one corner of the property, which attracts wild fowl and bullfrogs. A dog cemetery has inscriptions from Shakespeare and Whittier on its stones. There is an orchard of fruit trees and a campfire with rustic furnishings under spruce trees. The design extends to all four corners of the property, all of which has been thoughtfully planned, planted and tended.
In addition to the Carton Garden, Anthony Tyznik has designed The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois and The King Residence in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
Persons and firms associated with the garden include Corson and Roberta Ellis (previous owners, 1928-1950); Roy Binkley (architect, 1984); Anthony Tyznik, FALSA (landscape architect, 1955-2009); Julie Siegel (landscape designer); Nenne van Dijk (sculptress, 1992); Arthur Myhrum (architect of pool and pool house, circa 1960).
Related Materials:
The Carton Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (19 digital images + reference photographs)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.
The papers of portrait painter Carl Bohnen date from 1888-1977, and measure 3.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; correspondence among family, clients, and colleagues; scattered business records; a sketchbook and loose sketches; miscellaneous notes and writings; three scrapbooks of clippings and additional printed materials. Photographs are of Bohnen, family members, colleagues, views of Paris in the late 1920s, Native American models, portrait clients, and artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of portrait painter Carl Bohnen date from 1888-1977, and measure 3.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; correspondence among family, clients, and colleagues; scattered business records; a sketchbook and loose sketches; miscellaneous notes and writings; three scrapbooks of clippings and additional printed materials. Photographs are of Bohnen, family members, colleagues, views of Paris in the late 1920s, Native American models, portrait clients, and artwork.
Biographical material includes miscellaneous Bohnen family histories and chronologies of Bohnen's career, Bohnen's marriage certificate, school transcripts, and copies of his burial certificate.
Family correspondence consists of letters exchanged between Bohnen, his wife, siblings, and children. General correspondence is with colleagues including Carl Von Marr, and portrait clients including Constance Collier, John Erskine, Edna Ferber, and Frank B. Kellogg. The letters are often emotional and illustrate occasionally volatile relationships between Bohnen, his clients, and his children. Also included are condolence letters received by the family following Bohnen's death.
Business records include a contract for financial backing of artistic activities, insurance records, miscellaneous receipts, and a file concerning the elderly Bohnen's injuries on an American Airlines flight bringing him from California to live with his son in Chicago.
Artwork found within the papers consists of a sketchbook, miscellaneous sketches, hand-lettered signs for Bohnen's portrait business, etchings by Bohnen and others, a bronze plaque displaying a self-portrait of Bohnen, and etching plates. Scattered notes and writings include typescripts of speeches, plays, and poems.
Three scrapbooks of clippings and additional printed material consisting of loose clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and reproductions of artwork offer a good overview of Bohnen's career.
Photographs are primarily of Bohnen's artwork and protrait clients. Two photograph albums contain scattered photographs of Bohnen, family members, colleagues, and artwork. Other photographs are of Bohnen at his easel, family members, colleagues including sculptor Paul Dubois working in his studio, artist Grace Neal, and views of Paris. There are also photographs of Native American models in ceremonial headdresses. Photographs of clients include Sarah Bernhardt, William Jennings Bryan, Enrico Caruso, Fritz Feld, Mary Garden, and Helen Hayes, among others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series. Each series is arranged chronologically, with the exception of Series 8: Photographs. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1898-1952 (Box 1; 2 folders)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1892-1977 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Business Records, 1914-1952 (Box 1; 10 folders)
Series 4: Artwork, 1900-1935 (Box 1; 8 folders)
Series 5: Notes and Writings, 1917-1974 (Box 1; 8 folders)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1904-1962 (Boxes 1-2, OV 5; 15 folders)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1907-1977 (Boxes 2, 4; 19 folders)
Series 8: Photographs, 1888-1951 (Boxes 2-4, 6; 1.5 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Charles "Carl" Bohnen was born in October 1872 (according to the U.S. Census) in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Nicholas and Marie Jochin Bohnen, who had emigrated from Germany. The family moved to Meyer's Grove, Minnesota in the following year.
Carl Bohnen graduated from St. John's University at Collegeville, Minnesota in 1892, earning a diploma in "Bookkeeping and Penmanship." Soon afterwards, he met Jake Hohman who employed him in a business involving drawing portraits from photographs. In 1896, Bohnen established a studio in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he continued creating portraits from photographs. During this time, he met Charlotte Johnson, whom he married in 1898.
Bohnen moved his studio in 1902 and began painting portraits from life. Paul Manship's family were neighbors of the Bohnens at Bald Eagle Lake near St. Paul, Minnesota. Bohnen studied at the Minnesota School of Fine Arts in exchange for cleaning up the classrooms. He later made space available to Manship in his studio.
In 1904, Bohnen completed studies at the St. Paul Art Institute. He also did commercial work, including doing portraits of sports figures for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch. Through his newspaper connections, he did portraits of many other celebrities, later selling reproductions of these artworks. Eventually, he was hired as a portrait painter by a variety of prominent sitters, including R. A. Jackson, a railroad executive in St. Paul. An exhibition of Bohnen's portraits organized by Jackson resulted in additional commissions.
Through R. A. Jackson, several lumber millionaires helped finance a European trip for the Bohnen family in 1914. Bohnen studied at the Koenigliche Kunst Academie in Munich under Carl Von Marr and Angelo Jank, and established a studio in that city. Travel constraints resulting from the onset of World War I caused the family to remain in Munich for three years. During this time, Bohnen was a member of the American Artist Club that included E. Martin Hennings, Louis Grell, and Emil Frei.
Bohnen and his family returned to St. Paul, Minnesota in May 1918, where he established a studio. He moved to Chicago in the following year, opening a studio in the Fine Arts building where he remained until the 1930s. Bohnen created thousands of portraits primarily of notable people including Edward the Prince of Wales, Ethel Barrymore, Enrico Caruso, Helen Hayes, Charles Lindbergh, Douglas MacArthur, John McCormack, Cardinal Mundelein, and Lawrence Tibbett.
In 1928, Bohnen established a studio in Paris and worked there sporadically through 1933. In 1933, he returned to St. Paul, Minnesota, setting up his studio in the Ryan Hotel. In 1944, he retired to live in Los Angeles, California, with his son, actor Roman Bohnen. After his son's sudden death in 1949, Bohnen lived with his other son, Arthur, in Chicago.
Carl Bohnen died on December 31, 1951 in Willmette, Illinois.
Provenance:
The Carl Bohnen papers were donated in 1978 by the artist's daughter-in-law, Dorothy Clark Bohnen, and his granddaughter, Blythe Bohnen.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
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.
Biographical material, letters and copies of electronic mail, writings, artwork, photographs, audio visual material, printed material and miscellaneous material relating to Tony Hepburn's career as a sculptor and educator.
Biographical material includes school yearbooks and certificates. Letters and e-mails are from business associates, university colleagues, and friends. Writings include various notebooks, many of which include notes and sketches, typed transcripts of lectures and typed essays by Hepburn and daily notes. Photographs are of Hepburn and his artwork. Printed material includes journals and newspaper clippings of reviews, exhibition catalogs, and publications by the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Audio visual material includes three VHS tapes, one of a workshop in Tulane, La., 1989; another of a Symposium in San Jose, Calif., 1985, in which Hepburn participated; and one tape labeled "Tony Marsh Wall Project," undated. Miscellaneous material includes travel records, an address book, and pricing lists.
Biographical / Historical:
Sculptor, art teacher; Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; b. 1942
Provenance:
Donated in 2008 by Tony Hepburn.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Memorabilia from the International Exhibition of Modern Art in 1913, commonly known as the Armory Show, measures 0.02 linear feet and includes one button, two invitations, and 54 postcards primarily from the New York installation and also a few from the installations in Boston, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois.
Scope and Contents:
Memorabilia from the International Exhibition of Modern Art in 1913, commonly known as the Armory Show, measures 0.02 linear feet and includes one button, two invitations, and 54 postcards primarily from the New York installation and also a few from the installations in Boston, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, the Armory Show of 1913 (also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art), was the first large-scale modern art exhibition of modern art held in the United States. Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981) was an art collector and founding donor of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.
Provenance:
The Armory Show (International Exhibition of Modern Art) memorabilia, 1913, was donated by Olga Hirshhorn, widow of Joseph Hirshhorn in 1994.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Research material on sculptor John Henry Bradley Storrs compiled by Noel Frackman. Correspondence; writings; photographs and slides; and printed material. Frackman's correspondence with Edgar Miller concerning a 1952 exhibition at the "House at the End of the Street"; Frackman's published and unpublished writings on Storrs, 1981-2003; photographs of Storrs, his daughter Monique, and his home the Chateau de Chantecaille in Mer, France, as well as photographs and slides of sculpture, paintings, graphics and other objects by Storrs, most of which were given to Frackman by Robert Schoelkopf; two chronologies of Storrs, one prepared by Storrs' granddaughter Michelle Storrs Booz and annotated by Frackman, and one prepared by Frackman; exhibition catalogs, invitiations, reviews, and published articles regarding Frackman's research, as well as material concerning the Storrs exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1986-1987.
Biographical / Historical:
Noel Frackman: Art historian; Scarsdale, N.Y. John Storrs: Sculptor, Chicago, Ill.; b. 1885; d. 1956
Provenance:
Donated 2006 by Noel Frackman.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
