Untitled

[smithsonianaaa]

This fotonovela about the formation of the San Antonio chapter of the Guerilla Girls is part of the Kathy Vargas papers, now in the collection of the Archives of American Art. Learn more about the Vargas papers on the blog.

San Antonio Guerrilla Girls fotonovela, 1980. Kathy Vargas papers, 1980-2015. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Just one week until Halloween! Here are some #pagefrights from the Helen DeMott papers at the Archives of American Art. Ray Johnson sent some morbid mail art to Helen Demott on July 30, 1963 with a poem not too far in theme from Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies: A Boop About Death by Ray Johnson; Mary Crehan, 4, choked to death on a peanut butter sandwich last night. http://s.si.edu/2e9GRbM 

Ray Johnson mail art to Helen DeMott, 1963 July 30. Helen DeMott papers, 1896-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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It’s ‪#‎FindingAidFriday. On Fridays, we highlight some of our fresh and favorite finding aids.

Today we present the finding aid for the Mount Rushmore monument photographic transparencies by Judy Ng.  The transparencies depict the construction of the presidential portraits atop Mount Rushmore. Several show the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, and others at work on the project.

[thegetty]

A color wheel from a handy dandy book published in 1864 to help painters, textile designers, decorators, gardeners and more color match.

Page through the digitized book here

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Oh wheely, Getty? We see yours and raise you one from our Rudolph Schaeffer papers.

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You see, any black artist who claims that he is creating black art must begin with some black image. The black image can be the environment, it can be the problems that one faces, it can be the look on a man's face. It can be anything. It's got to have this kind of pin-pointed point of departure. But if it's worth it's while, it's also got to be universal in its broader impact and its presence.

Painter Hale Woodruff explained his role as an African American artist and educator. Oral history interview with Hale Woodruff, 1968 November 18

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Football season is upon us and this is about as close as some of us will get to  watching a game this year. Known for his insanely realistic lifecast sculptures, Duane Hanson poses with his Football Player sculpture in this photo. 

Duane Hanson with his sculpture Football Player, 1984 / unidentified photographer. Duane Hanson papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.