The records of the New York Artists Equity Association (NYAEA) measure 26.8 linear feet and 2.99 Gb and date from 1920-2012. The records include history and founding documents, presidents' files, board of directors' files that include monthly board meeting minutes, committee files and annual membership meeting minutes, general administrative and correspondence files, financial and legal files, event and program files, artists and subject files, extensive individual membership files, art project and exhibition files, Broome Street Gallery files, NYAEA publications that include issues of The Artists Proof, printed and digital materials, four scrapbooks, sketches created by artists attending a party in honor of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and photographs of member artists and events.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the New York Artists Equity Association (NYAEA) measure 26.8 linear feet and 2.99 GB and date from 1920-2012. The records include history and founding documents, presidents' files, board of directors' files that include monthly board meeting minutes, committee files and annual membership meeting minutes, general administrative and correspondence files, financial and legal files, event and program files, artists and subject files, extensive individual membership files, art project and exhibition files, Broome Street Gallery files, NYAEA publications that include issues of The Artists Proof, printed and digital materials, four scrapbooks, sketches created by artists attending a party in honor of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and photographs of member artists and events.
The President's files appear to be complete and include files for presidents Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Louise Nevelson, Harry Waterson, Roy Gussow, Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, Karl Zerbe, Ernst Fiene, Sidney Laufman, Carolyn deLisser, Burt Hasen, and Bert Diener, among others. Committee files and meeting minutes are found, as well as general administrative and correspondence files which include information pertaining to the national level Association.
Event files include documentation of the Association's Art Thursday series, where they hosted talks and panels by artists. Artists referenced in these files include Jean Cohen, Charles Searles, Leon Golub, Doug Ashford, Bruno Palmer-Poroner, Dom Facci, Susan Teller, Eleanor Lipsky, Ted Berger, Hilton Kramer, Bernice Steinbaum, Laura Stirton, Jean Zaleski, Renee Philips, Denise Bibro, Dan Concholar, Irving Sandler, Angela Babin, Dorothy Gillespe, Donna Marxer, Nan Hall, Ivan Karp, Alan Gussow, Mary Carswell, Bill Smart, Charlotte Kotik, Klaus Kertess, Elaine Marinoff, and Judith Brodski. Additional events covered in this series include the annual awards dinner, masquerade balls, lectures, the Association's 55th Anniversary event, which includes recollections by Helen Frankenthaler, Sidney Simon, and Lorrie Goulet, as well as other events and programs. Videocassette and sound recordings of many of the events are found here.
Artists' and subject files contain mostly printed materials about a few artists and subjects or issues in which the Association was interested.
There are extensive files on individual members that include card files, applications, biographies, and clippings.
Project and exhibition files include material pertaining to the Artists Welfare Fund, the Art Bank artwork donation, and a few scattered exhibitions. Additional exhibition and event files are found in the series containing the Broome Street Gallery files.
Association publications consist of what appears to be a full run of Association newsletters and reports. The NYAEA newsletter changed its name to The Artists Proof in 1986. Additional printed materials include exhibition catalogs and announcements, programs, clippings, posters, and newsletters of other arts organizations. There are four scrapbooks (two unbound) that contain printed materials, and a few items of correspondence. One of the scrapbooks documents the annual "Bal Fantastique".
Artwork consists mostly of sketches and drawings by artists attending a 1948 dinner in honor of Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Photographs are of members and events. Photographers include Arnold Newman, Marvin Bolotsky, and Frances Avery, among others. Numerous notable artists are depicted in the images.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into sixteen series.
Missing Title
Series 1: History and Founding Documents, 1933-2000 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, 27
Series 2: Presidents' Files, 1927-2007 (2.8 linear feet; Boxes 1-4)
Series 3: Board of Directors' Files, 1947-2003 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)
Series 4: Committee and Meeting Files, 1950-2009 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)
Series 5: General Administrative and Correspondence Files, circa 1930-2008 (2 linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 0.284 GB; ER01)
Series 6: Financial and Legal Files, 1947-2000 (1 linear foot; Box 9)
Series 7: Events and Programs, 1930-2010 (4.2 linear feet; Boxes 10-14, 27, 0.446 GB; ER02)
Series 8: Artists and Subject Files, 1930-1998 (0.4 linear feet; Box 14)
Series 9: Membership Files, 1920-2009 (4.4 linear feet; Boxes 14-18, 27, 2.26 GB; ER03)
Series 10: Project and Exhibition Files, 1934-2010 (2 linear feet; Boxes 19-20)
Series 11: Broome Street Gallery Files, 1990-2011 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 21-23, 31)
Series 12: Association Publications, 1947-2012 (1 linear foot; Boxes 23-24)
Series 13: Printed Materials, 1930-2008 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 24-25, 27, 31, OV 28, OV 29)
Series 14: Scrapbooks, 1947-1969 (0.3 linear feet; Box 25, OV 30)
Series 15: Artwork, 1947-2000 (0.1 linear foot; Box 26, 27)
Series 16: Photographs, 1930s-2004 (0.9 linear feet; Box 26, 27)
Biographical / Historical:
The New York Artists Equity Association (originally the Artists Equity Association) was created in 1947 to promote and support living American artists. Nine prominent New York artists founded the organization and elected Yasuo Kuniyoshi as the organization's first president. The original membership included 160 well-known American artists, but by the end of its first year, membership had grown to over one thousand. By the 1950s, the organization had grown into an influential national organization. Past and present members have included Milton Avery, Will Barnet, Romare Bearden, George Biddle, Isabel Bishop, Robert Blackburn, Paul Cadmus, Charles Burchfield, Stuart Davis, Jose de Creeft, Elaine and Willem de Kooning, Leon Golub, Chaim Gross, Rockwell Kent, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Alice Neel, Isamu Noguchi, Jules Olitski, Philip Pearlstein, Henry Varnum Poor, Charles Scheeler, Ben Shahn, David Smith, Frank Stella, Andrew Wyeth, and many others.
In 1959, the New York Chapter, with more members than all of the other states combined, re-organized into the New York Artists Equity Association. The Association maintained it own gallery, Broome Street Gallery, from 1991-2011. The organization remains active today and is located in SoHo.
Provenance:
The records were donated to the Archives of American Art by the New York Artists Equity Association in several increments between 1980-2016.
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. Use of 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.
Correspondence, writings and speeches by June Wayne.
REELS 2303-2314: Correspondence with artists, museums, curators, art organizations, legislators and others; and writings and speeches by Wayne.
Biographical / Historical:
June Wayne (1918-2011) was a painter and lithographer in Los Angeles, Calif.
Provenance:
Donated 1981 by June Wayne.
Restrictions:
Reels 2303-2314: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Rights:
Reels 2303-2314: Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Robin Park or Ariane Junah Claire. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Lithographers -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Correspondence; exhibition catalogs; and photographs. Files of business correspondence include Lawrence Barrett (1977-1990), Bolton Brown, Howard Cook (1978-1985), Theodore Cuno (1978-1984), Adolf Dehn (1967-1988), and Fritz Scholder (1975-1990). Also included are 13 general lithography files.
ADDITION: Correspondence with galleries, universities, and artist June Wayne (1975-1999); printed material; published memoirs; and manuscript drafts of articles and lectures.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, printmaker, art administrator; Albuquerque, N.M., b. 1918; d. 2002
Provenance:
Donated 1990 and 1993 by Clinton Adams and in 2003 by Mary Adams, Clinton Adams' widow.
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.
Primarily printed material, as well as photographs and correspondence compiled by Cynthia Navaretta relating to women artists and art movements.
Printed material includes press releases, exhibition and events announcements, catalogs, posters, and newspaper clippings regarding women artists and organizations. Photographs are of women's organizations, events and artists including Faith Ringgold, Susan Schwalb, Lowery Sims, Sari Dienes, Judy Seigel, Audrey Flack, and June Wayne, among others. Correspondence is between Navaretta and various women's art organizations.
Biographical / Historical:
Cynthia Navaretta is a publisher in New York, N.Y., mostly associated with women and art.
Provenance:
Donated 2007 by Cynthia Navaretta.
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.
Occupation:
Publishers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
1 Linear foot (Gift: (partially microfilmed on 2 reels))
37 Reels (Loan)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Reels
Date:
1954-1984
Scope and Contents:
Artists' files; institutional files; printed material and photographs.
REELS 2866-2878: Artists' files, 1960-1981, containing biographical data, correspondence, project proposals, contract agreements, invoices, receipts, newspaper and magazine clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and press releases.
REELS 2952-2975: Organizational files, 1958-1972, containing Board member's and Board of Directors correspondence, 1958-1972, Executive Committee minutes and panel of selection correspondence and recommendations; correspondence of Garo Antreasian, Clinton Adams, John Sommers and June Wayne, 1954-1973; grant applications from Manolis Piladakis, Noemi Smilansky and other artists; data on staff, including biographical data, employment contracts and printed material; and material on printer training programs, artists, writers, printers and curators.
REEL 3051: Files, 1960-1978, containing correspondence with artists, Board of Directors, Panel of Selections, Clinton Adams, Garo Antreasian, June Wayne and others; and printer evaluation reports and general correspondence.
REELS 3052-3055: Organizational files, 1959-1981, containing correspondence, information on fellowships and printer and curatorial training, biographical data, printed material, photographs of artists and printers, progress reports and proposals, financial material and printed material; 4 scrapbooks of printed material, 1960-1972; and photographs of artists, printers, the studio, staff parties, workshops, special projects and lithographs. [261 duplicate prints of some of the above photos were given to the Archives April 2, 1984 for study purposes only].
UNMICROFILMED: Printed material, 1958-1984, including catalogs, brochures, exhibition catalogs and publications by the workshop and institute; price lists of Tamarind lithography editions, 1983-1984; publications concerning the art and technique of lithography and the marketing of prints; and photographs of William Brice, Sam Francis, John Hultberg, John D. McLaughlin, Aubrey E. Schwartz and Emerson Woelffer with June Wayne working in the studio.
REEL 439-440 AND SCANNED Seventeen photos of artists, previously microfilmed under Photos of Artists I, and subsequently scanned and returned to the Tamarind records. Artists include: Annie Albers, Josef Albers, William Brice, Richard Diebendorn, Sam Francis, John Hultberg, John McLaughlin, Nathan Loiveria, Henry C. Pearson, Miriam Schapiro, Aubrey Schwartz, Esteban Vicente, Romas Viesulas, Emerson Woelffer, and Adja Yunkers.
Biographical / Historical:
Lithography workshop; Los Angeles, Calif. Founded in 1960 by Garo Antreasian, Clinton Adams and June Wayne. Relocated to Albuquerque, N.M., 1970, by Adams and Antreasian and re-established as the Tamarind Institute.
Provenance:
Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project, 1983-1984. Unmicrofilmed material and 261 duplicate prints of some photos on reels 3052-3055 donated 1984 by the Tamarind Institute via Clinton Adams, director.
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.
Reel 3051 is ACCESS RESTRICTED written permission is required.
Occupation:
Lithographers -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Printmakers -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Topic:
Lithography -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles -- Study and teaching Search this
The Molly Saltman "Art and Artists" interviews measure 2.4 linear feet and contain 62 sound recording interviews and lectures with art collectors, teachers, actors, and artists. The interviews were conducted by Molly Saltman from 1966-1967 as part of the "Art and Artists" radio series broadcast on the KPAL radio station in Palm Springs, California. Additional recordings of KPAL content and nonbroadcast content were discovered upon digitization, including a Los Angeles Art Association anniversary event and a Charles White slide lecture.
Scope and Contents:
The Molly Saltman "Art and Artists" interviews measure 2.4 linear feet and contain 62 sound recording interviews and lectures with art collectors, teachers, actors, and artists. The interviews were conducted by Molly Saltman from 1966-1967 as part of the "Art and Artists" radio series broadcast on the KPAL radio station in Palm Springs, California. Additional recordings of KPAL content and nonbroadcast content were discovered upon digitization, including a Los Angeles Art Association anniversary event and a Charles White slide lecture.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the sound recordings are arranged as one series.
Series 1: Interviews and other recordings, circa 1963-1968 (Box 1-3, 2.4 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
The Molly Saltman "Art and Artists" radio program was broadcast on KPAL radio station in Palm Springs, California from November 2, 1966 to March 4, 1967 on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:30AM. Molly Saltman (1915-2010), the producer and interviewer for this broadcast, was a well-known Palm Springs artist during this time. Specializing in abstract watercolors, her work was featured in a number of local art shows as well as exhibited in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Palm Springs Desert Museum, and the Hartfield Gallery in Los Angeles. She was also closely involved with the Desert Mental Health Association and served as Chairwoman of the Jewish Family Service in Palm Springs, California.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Molly Saltman in 1986.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Rights:
Researchers must obtain copyright clearance from interviewees prior to publication or airing.
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.
A recording on two audio cassettes of "An Evening with the Los Angeles Modernists," November 7, 1990, held in conjunction with the exhibit "Turning the Tide: Early Los Angeles Moderns 1920-1950," organized by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California. Speakers include Susan Ehrlich, Paul Karlstrom, and artists Karl Benjamin, Jules Engel, Frederick Hammersley, June Wayne, and Lee Mullican.
Biographical / Historical:
Santa Barbara Museum of Art (established 1941) is an art museum in Santa Barbara, California.
Provenance:
Provenance unknown.
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.
An interview of Jean Milant, conducted 2015 July 20, by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, for the Archives of American Art at Milant's home in Los Angeles, California.
Jean Milant discusses growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and his French and German heritage; his introduction to art instruction in high school and further studies at the University of Wisconsin; his trips to Europe and New York City as an undergraduate art student; his time as a graduate student at the University of New Mexico, and his work at the Tamarind Institute printmaking program and his introduction to Los Angeles; his work at Tamarind with Ed Ruscha, Sam Francis, Ed Moses, and Ken Price, among others; the beginnings of Cirrus Gallery and Cirrus Editions and his search for backers for the two endeavors; his partnership with Terry Inch as a backer for Cirrus. Mr. Milant also describes the decision to move his gallery and printmaking shop to downtown Los Angeles in 1979; the support of Robert Egelston and the collector Donald Marron and other collectors who first subscribed to his print editions; his experiences in France with Minnie de Beauvau-Craon; the gallery and museum scene in Los Angeles in the early '70s and '80s; his efforts to promote Los Angeles as a vibrant center of art, including trips to Europe in the early '70s to show his artists; the creation of Ed Ruscha's prints using food; working with Bruce Nauman and John Baldessari to create prints; the creation of the Los Angeles Visual Arts group of L.A. art dealers; his involvement with the creation of the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art in 1974; his work with the artist Guy de Cointet and Mr. Cointet's early performances at Cirrus Gallery; the opening of MOCA in 1984; his desire to create a think-tank institute to help create a viable future for art. Mr. Milant also recalls Garo Antreasian, Newton Harrison, June Wayne, Frank Gehry, Robert Irwin, Eugene Sturman, Matsumi Kanemitsu, Ken Tyler, Riko Mizuno, Irving Blum, Gerry Rosen, Robert Overby, David Trowbridge as well as Chris Burden, Greg Card, Karen Carson, Craig Kauffman, Marian Goodman, Alain Rivière, Charles Christopher Hill, Steven Leiber, Viva, Michel Auder, and Jonas Wood, among others.
Biographical / Historical:
Jean Robert Milant (1943- ) is an art dealer and publisher in Los Angeles, California. Hunter Drohojowska-Philp is an art critic and writer from Beverly Hills, California.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Occupation:
Art dealers -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Publishers -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Research material compiled by Price Hicks in preparation for a television program about June Wayne. Included is an interview on CD and scripts for the project. The program was never completed.
Biographical / Historical:
Price Hicks was the director of educational programs and services for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood, California. Hicks was developing a television program about June Wayne.
Provenance:
Donated 2016 by Jo Lauria who received the material from Price Hicks for her research on June Wayne.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Names:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Extent:
33 Pages (Trancript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 June 14
Scope and Contents:
An interview of June Wayne conducted 1965 June 14, by Betty Hoag, for the Archives of American Art New Deal and the Arts Project, at the artist's studio, in Los Angeles, California.
Biographical / Historical:
June Wayne (1918-2011) is a painter and printmaker in Los Angeles, California.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hrs., 43 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.
Interview of June Wayne conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art.
Biographical / Historical:
June Wayne (1918-2011) was a painter and printmaker in Los Angeles, California.
General:
Sound has been lost on tape reels; reels discarded.
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.
Research material for an exhibition THE MARTHA JACKSON MEMORIAL COLLECTION held at the National Museum of American Art, June 21-September 15, 1985, and a catalog (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985). Included are clippings and press releases, 1953-1975, and letters, 1979-1984, from artists and Jackson's colleagues and employees including Herb Aach, Garo Antreasian, Amy Baker, Dorothy Beskind, Dennis Bing, Norman Bluhm, Naomi Blum, Grace Borgegenicht, Mrs. Toni Borgzinner, Keith Boyle, Charles Brady, Adelyn Breeskin, James Brooks, Fritz Bultman, Lawrence Calcagno, Christo Capralos, Vardea Chryssa, Christopher Colt, Richard Diebenkorn, Jim Dine, Hisao Domoto, Seymour Drumlevitch, Frank Duncan, Claire Falkenstein, David Gilhooly, Ives Goucher, Clement Greenberg, Grace Hartigan, Gottfried Honegger, John Hultberg,
Harry Jackson, Paul Jenkins, Alfred Jenson, Lester Johnson, Alex Katz, Lillian Kiesler, Kenneth Koch, Lee Krasner, Elaine Kurtz, Bruce Lowney, Alexandra Luke, Ed McGowin, Carlos Merida, Sadamasa Motonaga,Louise Nevelson, Tom Parish, Jackson Pollock (Betty Parsons Gallery concerning Pollock),Israel Rosen, John Salt, Peter Spinelli, Julian Stanczak, Francisco Toledo, June Wayne, and Edward Weiss. Several of the correspondents wrote brief memoirs of their relationships with Jackson.
Biographical / Historical:
Art historian, curator; National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C. Jackson (1907-1969) was an art collector, dealer, and painter. She operated the Martha Jackson Gallery, New York City. Her collection was given to the National Museum of American Art in 1981 by her estate.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1988 by Harry Rand. The Martha Jackson memorial collection was donated to the National Museum of American Art in 1981 by Jackson's estate.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
An interview of Irwin Hollander conducted 1970 June 19, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Hollander speaks of his family background and education; attending the Brooklyn Museum School of Art; travels in Mexico; the Arts Students League; his woodcuts and book illustrations; joining the Tamarind Lithography Workshop staff as a printer and technical director; starting his own workshop and lithography studio; artists using his presses; his partnership with Fred Genis; new techniques in printmaking; the advantages of the hand press. He recalls June Wayne, Sam Francis and John Cage.
Biographical / Historical:
Irwin Hollander (1927-) was a printmaker from New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' 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.
The papers of painter and educator Edward Biberman measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1939 to 1985. The papers document Biberman's career in Los Angeles through correspondence with friends and colleagues; writings such as speeches and articles; sound recordings and related documents for his "Dialogues in Art" television program, including recordings featuring Henry Hopkins, Howard Warshaw, June Wayne, Charles White, and others; and lectures and interviews with other educators or for television programs.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter and educator Edward Biberman measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1939 to 1985. The papers document Biberman's career in Los Angeles through correspondence with friends and colleagues; writings such as speeches and articles; sound recordings and related documents for his "Dialogues in Art" television program, including recordings featuring Henry Hopkins, Howard Warshaw, June Wayne, Charles White, and others; and lectures and interviews with other educators or for television programs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into five series.
Series 1: Correspondence, 1939-1985 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Writing, 1947-1978 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: "Dialogues in Art" Records, 1966-1969 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 4: Lectures, Interviews, and Event Records, 1965-1978 (1.0 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 5: Artwork, 1942 (0.1 linear feet; OV 3)
Biographical / Historical:
California painter and educator Edward Biberman (1904-1986) was known for his stylized portraits and history-inspired murals.
Biberman was born in Philadelphia and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Between 1929 and 1936 he lived in New York City where he became acquainted with muralist Diego Rivera and decided to focus on creating murals. He moved to Los Angeles in 1936 where he was commissioned to create murals for the city's downtown U.S. Post Office and Courthouse.
Biberman was also an educator who taught at the Art Center School in Los Angeles, lectured widely on art, and hosted television shows including "Dialogues in Art" from 1967 to 1968.
Biberman was married to sculptor Sonija Dahl Biberman (1910-2007) for 51 years. His brother, Herber J. Biberman, was a film director who was imprisoned for contempt of congress by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Edward Biberman conducted by Betty Hoag, April 15, 1964.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming 106, frames 151-601. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Edward Biberman papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Sonija Dahl Biberman in 1987.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Educators -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Edward Biberman papers, 1939-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
The papers of New York City and Gainesville, Florida based painter Arnold Mesches (1923-2016) measure 13.6 linear feet and date from 1939-2015. The collection documents Mesches' politically-engaged career and work process through biographical material, correspondence, writings, gallery and exhibition files, project files, subject files, teaching files, personal business records, printed material, and photographic material. Project files comprise a bulk of the collection and include grant files, activism files, project notebooks, and over 100 art project files containing drawings, source material, and photographic material for individual artworks.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York City and Gainesville, Florida based painter Arnold Mesches (1923-2016) measure 13.6 linear feet and date from 1939-2015. The collection documents Mesches' politically engaged career and work process through biographical material, correspondence, writings, gallery and exhibition files, project files, subject files, teaching files, personal business records, printed material, and photographic material.
Biographical material includes addresses, family papers, interview transcripts, life documents, identification cards, a residency file, resumes, biographical statements, and travel records. Correspondence is both personal and professional in nature and is with wife, novelist Jill Ciment, family, friends, artists, museums, galleries, and magazines. Notable correspondents include Arthur Danto, Robert Storr, June Wayne, and Howard Zinn. Single items of correspondence are from Kerry James Marshall, Henry Miller, Robert Motherwell, and Ben Shahn.
Writings include manuscripts of unpublished novels and short stories, autobiographical writings, recordings of dreams, introductions to artists, a journal, memorials, project proposals, statements on art and politics, notes from Mesches' psychotherapy sessions, as well as numerous outlines, fragments, and notes.
Gallery and exhibition files document dozens of Mesches' gallery and museum exhibitions, including his 2013 retrospective at Miami Dade College, Arnold Mesches: A Life's Work.
Project files consist of grant files, activism files, project notebooks, and art projects. Activism files pertain to the Los Angeles Peace Tower, Arts Coalition for Freedom of Expression, and the pardon of muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. Project notebooks contain preliminary sketches, technical notes including color palette and paint formulas, Polaroids of in-process works, and source material. Over 100 art project files further detail individual works, and include preliminary drawings in pen, pencil and charcoal, as well as collages, source material, and Polaroids. Several of Mesches' serial works are well represented here, including Anomie, Comings Attractions, and The FBI Files.
Subject files consist of a sequence of alphabetical files maintained by Mesches as reference material. Teaching files document posts at New York University and other institutions and include course descriptions, lists of materials, course notes, newsletters, reference articles, and correspondence.
Personal business records include documentation related to donations, Mesches' estate, gallery representation, inventories, properties, artwork shipment, supplies, and website design.
Printed material documents Mesches' career as both political illustrator and fine artist. Found here are brochures, leaflets, and Frontier and The Nation magazines featuring illustrations by Mesches. Calendars, newsletters, clippings, announcements, exhibition catalogs, and press releases document Mesches' gallery and museum exhibitions.
Photographic material includes hundreds of photographic prints, contact sheets, slides, and negatives of Arnold Mesches, Mesches' family and friends, studio, and artworks from his seven decade long career.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as ten series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1960s-2012 (0.2 linear feet, Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1949-2014 (0.8 linear feet, Box 1)
Series 3: Writings, 1958-2013 (1.1 linear feet, Box 2-3)
Series 4: Gallery and Exhibition Files, 1979-2015 (0.8 linear feet, Box 3)
Series 5: Project Files, 1950s-2014 (5.3 linear feet, Box 3-8, 15, OV 16-19)
Series 6: Subject Files, 1939-2000s (1.3 linear feet, Box 8-9)
Series 7: Teaching Files, 1992-2004 (0.2 linear feet, Box 9-10)
Series 8: Personal Business Records, 1983-2015 (0.5 linear feet, Box 10)
Series 9: Printed Material, 1950s-2000s (1.5 linear feet, Box 10-11, 15, OV 20)
Series 10: Photographic Material, 1940s-2010s (1.9 linear feet, Box 12-15)
Biographical / Historical:
Arnold Mesches (1923-2016) was a painter in New York, New York and Gainesville, Florida. Born in the Bronx and raised in upstate Dunkirk, New York, Mesches studied advertising design in high school before moving to Los Angeles in 1943 to study art at the Jepson Art Institute and Chouinard Art Institute.
Mesches began his career as a scenic painter for Hollywood while honing his own style as a fine artist and illustrator influenced by the political landscape and social realism. As a result of his political activity and involvement in the Communist Party, the FBI opened a file on Mesches in the 1950s, and began tracking his activities. The file, obtained by Mesches through a Freedom of Information Act request in 1999, became the basis for one of his most famous series, The FBI Files.
Throughout his life, Mesches was a socially-oriented figurative painter working in an expressionist style, mining the daily news and the current political landscape for subject matter, including the Cold War, the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and the Vietnam War. Mesches was also one of the organizers of the 1966 Peace Tower artwork in Los Angeles and contributed illustrations to Frontier magazine throughout the 1950s, and The Nation magazine from 1960s-1980s.
In the early 1980s, Mesches relocated to New York City with wife, novelist Jill Ciment.
Mesches held several teaching posts over the course of his career, including at the New School, New York University, and the University of Florida.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2017 by Jill Ciment, Mesches' widow.
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.
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.
An interview of Clinton Adams conducted 1974 March 29, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Adams speaks of how he got involved with the Tamarind Lithography Workshop; how and why Tamarind came about; the lack of artists doing lithographs; the need for the artist to collaborate with the printmaker in order to make a good print; writing a book about the workshop; how in order to interest American Artists into making lithographs, there needs to be a market for it; how it was difficult collecting works of art for the University of New Mexico (UNM); the current art scene in Albuquerque; the arts programs at UNM; moving the workshop to UNM in order to make Tamarind a permanent institute and get more funding; and how more women are becoming printers. He recalls June Wayne, Lynton R. Kistler, Man Ray, Jean Charlow, Eugene Berman, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Garo Antreasian, Joe Funk, Romas Viesulas, Tatyana Grosman, Irwin Hollander, Ken Tyler, Julie Duristo, Bohuslav Horak, Kenneth Adams, John Sommers, and many others.
Biographical / Historical:
Clinton Adams (1918-2002) was a printmaker, painter, and art administrator from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 57 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 others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- New Mexico -- Albuquerque -- Interviews Search this
The Marian Gore "Art Scene" interviews and papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1958 to 1969, with all sound recordings dated between 1962 and 1964. The core of the collection consists of 37 radio programs recorded by Marian Gore for KPFK radio in Los Angeles, California, consisting of interviews with artists, collectors, gallerists, and museum curators. A series of artist files contains notes, correspondence and other materials related to her interview subjects, and a printed materials series contains mainly exhibition posters, programs, and announcements produced by the art spaces with which her subjects were affiliated.
Scope and Contents:
The Marian Gore "Art Scene" interviews and papers measure 2.2 linear feet and date from 1958 to 1969, with all sound recordings dated between 1962 and 1964. The core of the collection consists of 37 radio programs recorded by Marion Gore for KPFK radio in Los Angeles, California, consisting of interviews with artists, collectors, gallerists, and museum curators. A series of artist files contains notes, correspondence and other materials related to her interview subjects, and a printed materials series contains mainly exhibition posters, programs, and announcements produced by the art spaces with which her subjects were affiliated.
The "Art Scene" Interviews series contains 36 interviews from Gore's "Art Scene" radio series of interviews relating to the contemporary art scene in Los Angeles, particularly galleries and artists showing on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood. Also found is a single episode of another KPFK program called "Seen at the galleries" and hosted by Earl Carter, featuring an interview with Jacques Lipchitz on the occasion of his retrospective at UCLA. Two interviews, with Mathias Goeritz and David Siqueiros, were conducted in Mexico City. Other interview subjects include Michel Albert, Josef Albers, Joan Ankrum, Streeter Blair, Nick Brigante, Robert Cremean, José Luis Cuevas, James Elliott, Claire Falkenstein, Balcomb Greene, Paul Gerchik, Jurgen Hansen, Walter Hopps, Roger Kuntz, Rico Lebrun, Dr. Thomas Leavitt, Jacques Lipchitz, Mario Luna, Robert Mallary, Louise Nevelson, Emilio Ortiz, Esther Robles, Otto Schniede, Fritz Schwaderer, Rufino Tamayo, Esteban Vicente, Robert Wark, and June Wayne.
Artist files include mainly brief, typewritten notes created for Gore's radio interviews, with the questions she asked her interview subjects and brief introductory or concluding remarks. Correspondence is also found in files for Robert Cremean, Iqbal Geoffrey, Balcomb Greene, Robert Mallary, Emilio Ortiz, and Esteban Vicente. Louise Nevelson's file also contains a transcript of her interview with Gore. Also found scattered in some files are notes, photographs, clippings, press releases, resumes, and exhibition programs. Note that not every person in this series has a corresponding sound recording in Series 1, and not every interviewee in Series 1 has a corresponding file in this series.
Most of the material in the Printed Materials series consists of exhibition announcements, programs, and posters from Galleries in the Los Angeles, California area, particularly those along La Cienega Boulevard. Of these, Ankrum Gallery, Ceeje Gallery, Comara Gallery, Dwan Gallery, Ferus Gallery, and Silvan Simone Gallery on Olympic Boulevard contain the most material, with many of the other files containing only one or two pieces. Of note are original prints promoting exhibitions at the Ferus and Ceeje Galleries, and a poster for an art walk along La Cienega Boulevard in the file for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in 3 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: "Art Scene" Interviews (1.3 linear feet, Boxes 1-2, 4)
Series 2: Artist Files (0.2 linear feet, Boxes 2, 4)
Series 3: Printed Materials (0.7 linear feet, Boxes 3-4, OV 5)
Biographical / Historical:
Marian L. Gore (1914-2009) volunteered as a radio interviewer for KPFK between 1962-1964, conducting a series of interviews with Los Angeles-area artists, curators, collectors, and gallerists in response to a growing awareness of Los Angeles' rapidly growing role as a creative center and art market.
Born Marian Lucille Moore on Feb. 27, 1914, in Los Angeles to Fred and Lucille Moore. Fred Moore, an attorney, defended Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in the infamous 1921 trial. Following her divorce in the early 1960s, Gore approached the radio station KPFK, who was looking for someone to interview local artists. In a 1997 letter that accompanied her donation of the collection to the Archives, Gore writes,
"The early 1960's were an interesting and probably unique period for the Southern California art world. In Los Angeles on La Cienega Boulevard galleries had sprung up like mushrooms, and on Friday nights those who were interested in this scene would go from one gallery to another noting what artists were featured and what trends were apparent. It was a pleasurable way to meet artists as well as a social event where one could see friends and exchange impressions.
"Because I was searching for something to do, at the suggestion of a friend I had gone to radio station KPFK to volunteer my services in any way possible. It turned out to be a most fortuitous time for this offer. The management was interested in possible intervie3ws with artists, and so it all began. I had never done an interview in my life and was astounded to discover how easy it was to get artists, gallery owners, and even museum personnel to talk aobut what they did. Once this began I was swaped with requests for taped interviews, far more than I could manage."
Gore later became an antiquarian bookseller specializing in books on food and drink. She retired in 1994 and donated her book collection to the Los Angeles Public Library.
Provenance:
Donated 1997 by Marian Gore.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
