Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Esther Dick Gottlieb, 1981 Oct. 22. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of Esther Gottlieb conducted 1981 Oct. 22, by Phyllis Tuchman, for the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and His Times oral history project.
Gottlieb recalls the art scene of the 1930s and 1940s as it touched Mark Rothko, speaking of The Ten and the Artists' Union and, in particular, Adolph Gottlieb, Milton Avery, Barnett Newman, and John Graham; Nahum Tschacbasov is mentioned briefly. She discusses the activities of various galleries and talks about the work of the Rothko, Gottlieb, and Longview Foundations.
Biographical / Historical:
Esther Dick Gottlieb (1907-1988) was born in Connecticut and was the wife of artist Adolph Gottlieb. They lived in New York City. She worked frequently as her husband's assistant.
Provenance:
This interview was conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and his Times oral history project, with funding provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation. Others interviewed on the project (by various interviewers) include: Sonia Allen, Sally Avery, Ben-Zion, Ernest Briggs, Rhys Caparn, Elaine de Kooning, Herbert Ferber, Juliette Hays, Sidney Janis, Buffie Johnson, Jacob Kainen, Louis Kaufman, Jack Kufeld, Katharine Kuh, Stanley Kunitz, Joseph Liss, Dorothy Miller, Betty Parsons, Wallace Putnam, Rebecca Reis, Maurice Roth, Aaron Siskind, Joseph Solman, Hedda Sterne, Jack Tworkov, Esteban Vicente and Ed Weinstein. Each has been cataloged separately.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
This interview was conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's Mark Rothko and his Times oral history project, with funding provided by the Mark Rothko Foundation. 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. This interview received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative Pool.
Dera Tompkins explained in detail Operation Caribbean Cruise, the 16-month operation set up by the 4th district police department in Washington, DC and executed on February 22, 1986 at 5am. She stated Operation Caribbean Cruise was the largest drug raid executed in Washington, DC at the time, and the police target was Caribbean community, Rastafarians, and Rastafarianism. Tompkins also explained her role in the response to the police raid, including learning the raid was against Black people, fighting against the police, and organizing the community.
Tompkins discussed flyers, buttons, slides, press releases, and her other materials about the Caribbean and Rastafarian communities' response to Operation Caribbean Cruise. She stated the community's motto was "Stand Firm". Tompkins read portions of the Washington, DC police department's handbook on Operation Caribbean Cruise, and explained how she obtained a copy of the handbook.
Interview is in English. Digital audio files include white noise and static, and music in the background. Interviewee's voice can be heard clearly.
General:
Associated documentation for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Steven Newsome, the second director of the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum), and successor to John Kinard, discusses the purpose and impact of the museum, and how it has changed over time. He describes how the museum has aligned more with the Smithsonian Institution, and how it now serves an international audience, while remaining devoted to the local community. He describes the "call and response" relationship the museum has with the neighborhood, where, for example, if the community asks for guidance in researching genealogy, the museum will sponsor genealogy workshops. He describes the museum as having become more academically grounded and focused on more diverse audiences.
The interview was conducted on December 17, 1991. There is background static, but the interview can be heard clearly throughout.
Biographical / Historical:
Steven C. Newsome (1952-2012) attended Trinity College and Emory University. He served as the Chief for the Office of Cultural and Educational Services, Division of History and Cultural Program, Department of Housing and Community Development in Annapolis, Maryland, the director of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, and as the Executive Director of the Maryland Commission on Afro-American History and Culture, before becoming the director of the Anacostia Museum from 1990 to 2004. In this role, he oversaw a renovation of the museum facilities and raised $8.5 million to support it. He created an annual summer academy for children and launched a national collecting initiative for the museum through the exhibit Precious Memories. After retiring from the Anacostia Museum, he became Executive Director of Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council, and founding director of Prince George's County African American Museum and Cultural Center. He also served on many boards of cultural organizations in the Washington DC area, including the American Association of Museums, Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, and the Maryland Humanities Council, and also served a term as President of the Mid-Atlantic Museums Association.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, which includes approximately 100 interviews of residents and influential people of the Anacostia area of Washington, DC.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Genre/Form:
Oral histories (document genres)
Collection Citation:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Elaine Heumann Gurian discusses how she first became involved with the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum) in 1986, when she served as the Deputy Secretary of Museums for the Smithsonian Institution. She describes her many conversations with John Kinard, and the assistance she provided in transitioning to new leadership after he passed away in 1989. She also describes the extraordinary impact the original museum had on the museum community, the early exhibits, and how the museum changed after relocating to the Fort Stanton site.
The interview was conducted on December 11, 1991. There is static throughout the recording, but the interviewee can be heard clearly.
Exhibition mentioned: The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction.
Biographical / Historical:
Elaine Heumann Gurian (1937-) was born in New York City. She earned a Bachelor in Art History from Brandeis University in 1958, and a Master of Education in Elementary Education and Art Education from the State College of Boston in 1966. She worked as an Art Teacher for the Solomon Schechter School in Newton Massachusetts, an Art Consultant for the Boston Mayor General's Office (1969-1971), and as Director of Education for Instate Contemporary (1969-1972). In 1987, she became the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Museums at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Then in 1991, she became the Deputy Director for public program planning at the National Museum of the American Indian, followed by a role as Deputy Director for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She continued to work as a senior consultant for projects at a range of institutions. In 2006, she authored the book Civilizing the Museum: The Collected Writings of Elaine Heumann Gurian. She also served as President of the Museum Group, and has received numerous awards and honors, including the Distinguished Service to Museums Award in 2004 from the American Association of Museums.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, which includes approximately 100 interviews of residents and influential people of the Anacostia area of Washington, DC.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Genre/Form:
Oral histories (document genres)
Collection Citation:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Christopher Reynolds recalls the grand opening of Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum) in 1967, when he was a student in junior high school. He remembers the speeches John Kinard and S. Dillon Ripley gave that day, with the themes "this museum is your museum" and "if people don't go to the museum, we'll take the museum to the people." He recalls how he became involved in the museum as a volunteer, and how he helped to organize the Youth Advisory Council with John Kinard. He remembers working with neighborhood children in creative productions, like plays, and the zoo and general store at the museum. He talks about his close relationship with Zora Martin-Felton, and the influence she and John had on him during his teenage years. He recalls how the Carver Theater site was a galvanizing location for the community, that was easily accessible. He remembers how there was a vibrancy on the block when a new exhibit was opening, and how the museum provided educational opportunities for everyone in a non-threatening way. He expresses his sense that the museum changed when it relocated, that it became less accessible, and less of a focal point of activity for the neighborhood.
The interview was recorded on July 13, 1991 by Helene Fisher. The audio is clear throughout the recording with some minor background noise.
Exhibitions mentioned: This Thing Called Jazz, The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction.
Biographical / Historical:
Christopher Reynolds (1952-) graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. He trained as a professional dancer with Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and Marcel Marceau. He went on to perform with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in the 1970s and 1980s, and with the Omega Liturgical Dance Group. He formed his own dance troupe in 1976, the Greg Reynolds Dance Quintet.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, which includes approximately 100 interviews of residents and influential people of the Anacostia area of Washington, DC.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Genre/Form:
Oral histories (document genres)
Collection Citation:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
