The papers of John Evans, 1957-2012, bulk 1970s-2000, measure 7.1 linear feet and 1.00 GB and document the collage artist's involvement with mail art. The vast majority of letters are from mail artists, often with embellished envelopes and include and a digital version of Collected Essays by John Held, Jr. Writings include a thesis about mail art by Marya Trianfellos. Subject files concern art stamps, mail art shows and events, Ray Johnson's death and memorial tributes to him. The most thoroughly documented mail art project, "John Evans Fake Collages," is of unknown origin. In addition, there are a few items relating to projects conceived by Evans and more substantial documentation of projects initiated by Christina Behmenburg, Leslie Caldera, Ryosuke Cohen, Peter W. Kaufmann, Angela and Peter Netmail.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of John Evans, 1957-2012, bulk 1970s-2000, measure 7.1 linear feet and 1.00 GB and document the collage artist's involvement with mail art. The vast majority of letters - many with embelllished envelopes - are from mail artists. There is also a digital version of Collected Essays by John Held, Jr. Writings include a thesis about mail art by Marya Trianfellos. Subject files concern art stamps, Ray Johnson's death and subsequent memorial tributes, mail art shows and other events. The most thoroughly documented mail art project, "John Evans Fake Collages," is of unknown origin. In addition, there are a few items relating to projects conceived by Evans, and more substantial documentation of projects initiated by Christina Behmenburg, Leslie Caldera, Ryosuke Cohen, Peter W. Kaufmann, Angela and Peter Netmail.
Evans's mail art correspondents include: Dr. Al Ackerman (Blaster), Anna Banana (Banana Productions), Roy Arenella, Guy Bleus (The Administration Centre 42.292), buZ blurr, Richard C., Leslie Caldera (Creative Thing), Carl T. Chew, Buster Cleveland, Ryosuke Cohen, Chuck Welch (Cracker Jack Kid), Robin Crozier, Jerome D'Angelo, Irene Dogmatic (Dogmmystique/Dogmatique Misticky), Morris David Dorenfeld, Jerry Dreva, Donald Evans, James Evans, Walt Evans, Fa Ga Ga Ga, A. M. Fine, Bill Gaglione (Picasso Gaglione), John Held, Jr., HICO, E. F. Higgins, III, Rudd Janssen, Dianne Jenkins, Ray Johnson, Tod Jorgenssen, Chester Kasnowski, On Kawara, Gene Laughter, Michael Leigh (A.1. Waste Paper Co., Ltd.), David M. Miller, Minoy, Mohammed, Robert Morilla, Art Nahpro (Paul Jackson), Carlo Pittore, E. M. Plunkett, Steve Random, Robert Rocola, Marilyn K. Rosenberg, Andreas Senser, Skooter, Smegma (Scarlatina Lust, Alex Torrid Zone Igloo, Pardon My Myrth, Alexander Josef Hirka), D. C. spaulding, Lon Spiegelman, John Tostada (Tostdada, Oh Boy Mailart!), Pat Tavenner (Mail Queen), Third Story, Benedict J. Tisa, Sonja Van der Burg (Afzed), Whitson (Peter Whitson Warren), and Robert Warren.
Arrangement:
The collectionis arranged as 4 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Letters, 1957-2012 (Boxes 1-6, OV 8; 5.3 linear feet, ER01; 0.111 GB)
Series 2: Writings, 1983-1991 (Box 6; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 3: Subject Files, 1970s-2012 (Boxes 6-7; 0.8 linear feet, ER02-ER03; 0.889 GB)
Series 4: Mail Art Projects, 1986-2012 (Box 7, OV 8; 0.8 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
John Evans (1932-2012), a collage artist in New York City, was an active participant in mail art.
After attending the Art Institute of Chicago, Evans moved to New York in 1963. He was a member of the Neo-Dada community and interested in Fluxus events. Meeting Ray Johnson and a few other mail artists at a party introduced Evans to mail art and led to many long term friendships.
Between 1964 and 2000, Evans produced a daily collage of found objects collected from the street, pasted onto a sketchbook page, enhanced with watercolor, and stamped with the date. Each collage included the image of a duck's head known as "Ursuline Duck," a reference to his friend Ursule Molinaro (1914-2000). The collages were, in effect, a diary that recorded everyday life and referenced his exhibition activities. John Evans: Collages, a monograph published in 2004, reproduced 364 collages representative of his style over time. His largest mail art project, "Fake John Evans Collages," spanned several years and was in progress at the time of his death.
John Evans died on October 5, 2012 following a heart attack.
Provenance:
Donated by Margaret Evans, widow of John Evans, in 2013.
Restrictions:
Use of original material requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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.
Files related to Washington, D.C. art activities; photographs; scrapbook; and guestbook.
REELS 2424-2425: Scrapbook on Comès' sitters Leonie Adams, Elizabeth Bishop, Katherine Garrison Chapin, Martin D' Arcy, Walter de la Mare, Denis Devlin, Richard Eberhart, Robert Frost, Caroline Gordon, Ralph Hodgson, Juan Ramon Jimenez, Robert Lowell, Katherine Anne Porter, Ezra Pound, St. John Perse, Sir John Rothenstein, Karl Shapiro, Allen Tate, Mark Van Doren, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, Cornelius Weygandt and Anne Goodwin Winslow, containing letters, clippings, book reviews, photos of sitters and Comès' portraits. Also included are photos of Comès and printed material relating to her.
REEL 2424, frames 3-243: A guest book, containing signatures, comments, sketches, photographs, clippings, and letters from artists, poets, writers, and other guests of Comès, including Walter de la Mare, Robert Frost, Leon Masson, Katherine Anne Porter, Sir John Rothenstein and Sir William Rothenstein, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, and others. Also included are photographs of Comès and her family.
UNMICROFILMED: Artist, dealer, institution, and subject files containing letters, exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, photographs, and other printed materials relating to Washington, D.C. art activities. Included are: files on artists Caroline Van Hook Bean, Ruby Grady, Jacob Kainen, Frank Wright, and others; files on the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Foundry, the Studio Gallery, and other galleries; subject files on the Art Barn, the D.C. chapter of the Artists Equity Association including membership lists and address labels, 1970-1972, the Art in the Embassies Program, the Conference on Artists and Taxes, 1977, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Society of Arts and Letters, the Federal Government and the art, including material on bills and hearings, 1973-1977, the Washington art community, women and the arts, art materials hazards, includes published works by Joy Luke Turner, and crafts.
Also included are a paper "Government Sponsorship of the Arts under the WPA and Ceta," by Martha Malles, 1978; clippings, with reviews by John Canady and others; photographs, undated and 1971-1973, of Marcella Comès, Art Barn happenings, including 45 slides, 1974, and Artists Equity Association, Washington chapter, exhibitions; a published reference directory of Washington art, WASHINGTON TODAY, 1967; and one 16mm amateur film circa 1974.
Biographical / Historical:
Portrait painter, photographer; Washington, D.C. b. 1905. d. July 6, 2000. Married name Mrs. Randolph Winslow. Trained at the Carnegie School of Fine Arts and privately in Europe. Comès played an active part in the local D.C. art community; as a member of the Women's Commission of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, president of the D.C. chapter of Artists Equity Association, 1969-1971, and as the national vice-president, 1971-1973. Comès was the ex-officio portraitist to the Poetry Chair at the Library of Congress.
Provenance:
Lent and donated 1982 by Marcella Comes.
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.
