Sam Gilliam papers
Object Details
- Creator
- Gilliam, Sam, Jr. (1933-2022)
- Names
- Carl Solway Gallery
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Studio Museum in Harlem
- Andrews, Benny, 1930-2006
- Driskell, David C. (1931-2020)
- Gilliam, Dorothy Butler, 1936-
- Krebs, Rockne, 1938-2011
- Mondale, Walter F., 1928-
- Occupation
- Educators -- Washington (D.C.)
- Painters -- Washington (D.C.)
- Topic
- Art -- Study and teaching
- Color-field painting
- Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)
- Washington Color School (Group of artists)
- African American artists
- African American educators
- African American painters
- Provenance
- The Sam Gilliam papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Sam Gilliam in 1989.
- Creator
- Gilliam, Sam, Jr. (1933-2022)
- See more items in
- Sam Gilliam papers
- Sponsor
- Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
- Summary
- The papers of contemporary Color Field painter and educator Sam Gilliam measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1957 to 1989. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, subject files, a scrapbook, artwork, and photographic material that document Gilliam's life beginning as a student, through to his teaching, professorial, and artistic career based in Washington D.C. The collection highlights Gilliam's close involvement with the art institutions, racial politics, and artistic innovation from the 1960s through the 1980s, and particularly showcases the planning and creation of Gilliam's large-scale three-dimensional paintings, often associated with the Washington Color School.
- Biographical / Historical
- Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) was an African American artist based in Washington, D.C. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where he began painting as a child, eventually attending the University of Louisville where he received his B.A. in Fine Art and M.A. in Painting. He went on to teach art to high school students in the Washington D.C. public school system, and university-level students at the Corcoran School of Art, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the University of Maryland, and Carnegie Mellon University. His numerous grants and awards include the 1971 Solomon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and multiple Honorary Doctoral degrees. As an artist, Gilliam is best known for his three-dimensional draped and suspended paintings, covered with large fields of poured paint, pigment, and colorful staining influenced by the movement and colors of Abstract Expressionist painters. He created many public works that incorporated new materials such as custom designed metal forms, quilted canvas, and textiles; his works often included subtle social commentaries through their titling. His suspended paintings cemented Gilliam as an innovative and influential presence in 20th century American art.
- Extent
- 7.9 Linear feet
- 7.9 Linear feet
- Date
- 1957-1989
- 1957-1989
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Art
- Identifier
- AAA.gillsam
- Type
- Collection descriptions
- Archival materials
- Interviews
- Scrapbooks
- Sketches
- Sound recordings
- Citation
- Sam Gilliam papers, 1957-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
- Arrangement
- This collection is arranged as 9 series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1958-1988, (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet) Series 2: Correspondence, 1965-1989, (Boxes 1-2; 0.6 linear feet) Series 3: Writings, 1962-1988, (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet) Series 4: Business Records, 1957-1986, (Boxes 2-3; 1.0 linear foot) Series 5: Printed Material, 1962-1987, (Boxes 3-4; 1.0 linear foot) Series 6: Subject Files, 1963-1988, (Boxes 4-7; 2.2 linear feet) Series 7: Scrapbook, 1958-1968, (Box 7; 0.2 linear feet) Series 8: Artwork, 1970-1980, undated, (Boxes 7-9; 0.4 linear feet) Series 9: Photographic Material, 1960-1985, (Boxes 8-9; 0.3 linear feet)
- Processing Information
- The collection received a preliminary level of processing and was catalogued by O. Evans in 1991. The collection was minimally reprocessed and a finding aid prepared by Ashley Boykins, supervised by Rayna Andrews with funding from The Henry Luce Foundation, in 2018.
- Rights
- Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce requires written permission from Sam Gilliam. 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.
- Genre/Form
- Interviews
- Scrapbooks
- Sketches
- Sound recordings
- Scope and Contents
- The papers of contemporary Color Field painter and educator Sam Gilliam measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1957 to 1989. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, writings, business records, printed material, subject files, a scrapbook, artwork, and photographic material that document Gilliam's life beginning as a student, through to his teaching, professorial, and artistic career based in Washington D.C. The collection highlights Gilliam's close involvement with the art institutions, racial politics, and artistic innovation from the 1960s through the 1980s, and particularly showcases the planning and creation of Gilliam's large-scale three-dimensional paintings, often associated with the Washington Color School. Biographical material includes résumés, passports, exhibition lists, artists' statements and essays, interview transcripts and recordings. Also included are audio recordings of conversations between Sam Gilliam and artist Benny Andrews, between Gilliam and artist Rockne Krebs, as well as recordings of a 1968 interview conducted by Dorothy Gilliam. Correspondence spans over 20 years and includes letters to and from museums and galleries such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Carl Solway Gallery, collectors, artists including David Driskell, friends, family, students, and fans. Writings include notes, statements, and essays by and about Gilliam, writings by university students of Gilliam, and writings related to Gilliam's artwork and public commissions including measurements for artworks, material research, and information regarding prints created for the private home of Walter Mondale. Business records primarily include the daily records of activities kept by Sam and Dorothy Gilliam's secretary, Debby, from 1973 to 1978. Also present are resumes for a studio assistant for Gilliam, certificates of originality, legal documents, receipts and invoices, a record of donated paintings, financial records, ledgers, contracts, records and paperwork for the Gilliam's company Enterprise 101, and miscellany. Printed materials include photocopies, exhibition announcements, magazines, and clippings regarding exhibitions, specific artworks, and commissions, and Gilliam and/or his then-wife, Dorothy Gilliam. The subject file series contains letters, photographic material, business records, sketches, and printed materials concerning specific galleries, public art commissions, arts organizations, workshops, teaching positions, Gilliam's studio, art suppliers, and other topics. A disbound scrapbook contains photographs, notes, and printed material related to Gilliam and his studio practice. The artwork series includes sketches, personal notes, and small preparatory drawings by Gilliam. Photographic material includes negatives, slides, and transparencies of artworks, Gilliam in his studio, and Gilliam and staff preparing museum and gallery exhibition spaces. Also included are records of student artwork, and photos and slides of artwork sent to Gilliam by students and aspiring artists.
- 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.
- Related Materials
- Also found in the Archives of American Art are two oral history interviews with Sam Gilliam, one conducted by Kenneth Young, September 18, 1984, and the other by Ben Forgey, November 4-11, 1989.
- Record ID
- ebl-1531340405334-1531340405363-0
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
