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Merryll Saylan papers

Archives of American Art

Object Details

Creator
Saylan, Merryll B., 1936-
Names
Mississippi, Connie, 1941
Scarpino, Betty
Stocksdale, Kay Sekimachi
Working, Susan
Occupation
Woodworkers -- California
Educators -- California
Turners -- California
Topic
Women artists
Women educators
American studio craft movement
Provenance
The collection was donated in 2008 by Merryll Saylan.
Creator
Saylan, Merryll B., 1936-
See more items in
Merryll Saylan papers
Summary
The papers of woodworker, turner, and educator Merryll Saylan measure 4.7 linear feet and date from 1975 to 2008. The collection documents Saylan's career through biographical materials; personal and professional correspondence including with artists Connie Mississippi, Betty Scarpino, Kay Sekimachi, and Susan Working; writings including notebooks with diary entries and sketches for projects; gallery files including inventory and sales records; files documenting a variety of Saylan's professional activities; and printed materials recording Saylan's career.
Biographical / Historical
Merryll Saylan (1936-) is a woodworker, turner, and educator based in California. She helped to pioneer the popularization of the woodturning field and the application of color in wood art. Saylan was born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1936 but settled in California after moving there in her youth. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in 1973 and a Master of Arts degree from California State University Northridge in 1979. Saylan began turning wood in the 1970s, becoming one of few women in the field. Her use of modern lines and textures was inspired by the simplicity of Japanese design. Saylan was an active member of the Wood Turning Center, American Association of Woodturners, and Collectors of Wood Art. She was artist-in-resident at the Grizedale Sculpture Park, Cumbria, England, from 1990 to 1991, and visiting artist at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center. She was also a visiting artist and taught at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco. Saylan's works are in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Renwick Gallery, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design which houses one of her most well-known works, Jelly Donut.
Extent
4.7 Linear feet
Date
1975-2008
Archival Repository
Archives of American Art
Identifier
AAA.saylmerr
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Sound recordings
Citation
Merryll Saylan papers, 1975-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as six series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1980-2005 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, 1985-2008 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1) Series 3: Writings, 1987-2007 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-2) Series 4: Gallery Files, 1984-2008 (0.4 linear feet; Box 2) Series 5: Professional Files, 1975-2008 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 2-4, OVs 5-6, RD 7) Series 6: Printed Materials, 1980-2008 (0.5 linear feet; Box 4, RD 7)
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2022.
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.
Genre/Form
Drawings
Sound recordings
Scope and Contents
The papers of woodworker, turner, and educator Merryll Saylan measure 4.7 linear feet and date from 1975 to 2008. The collection documents Saylan's career through biographical material including certificates, appointment books, curriculum vitae, and photocopies of diplomas and student records; correspondence with collectors, woodworking organizations and publications, family, friends, and artists Connie Mississippi, Betty Scarpino, Kay Sekimachi, and Susan Working; writings consisting of drafts, typescripts, and notes for articles and lectures, and including 18 notebooks containing diary entries and sketches for projects; gallery files that include inventory and sales records, printed materials, and correspondence documenting Saylan's activities with numerous galleries; files documenting a variety of Saylan's professional activities including memberships, teaching, workshops and private classes, auctions, financial records, grants and artist residencies, and drawings for projects; and printed materials such as clippings, exhibition announcements, press releases, and miscellaneous items.
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 audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an interview of Merryll Saylan conducted on May 20-June 5, 2006 by Glenn Adamson for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1596312048773-1596312048775-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e4166e09-ca2a-4076-99ac-91a32bec7fc3

In the Collection

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  • Correspondence

  • General

  • Clippings, Publications

  • Del Mano

  • Membership, Furniture Society

  • Craft Shows

  • Anderson Ranch Arts Center

  • Grizedale Society, Artists-in-Residence

  • Holzapfel, Michelle

  • Open Studios

  • Teaspoon Project

  • Membership, Collectors of Wood Art

  • Varva, Ron

  • Various Publication Projects

  • Appalachian Center for Crafts

  • Patina Gallery

  • Miscellaneous Printed Materials

  • Photocopies of Diplomas and Student Records

  • Lectures and Talks, "A Slightly Different History" at Minneapolis Institute of Art

  • American Art Company

  • Maruyama, Wendy

  • Kaiser, Bruce

  • Marsh, Bert

  • Fine Woodworking Magazine

  • Membership, Wood Turning Center

  • A-B

  • Drawings, Still Life Studies

  • Price Lists

  • Virginia Commonwealth University

  • Certificate of Honor, Women in Design International

  • Auctions

  • Notebooks

  • Articles and Essays on Bob Stocksdale

  • Articles and Essays, Woodturning Magazine

  • Exhibition, California Design 2004

  • Museum of Craft and Folk Art

  • Scriba, Ulrike

  • Mississippi, Connie

  • R-U

  • Drawings, Sketches for Projects

  • Students

  • Postcards

  • Certificate of Appreciation, Bay Area Woodworkers Association

  • Craft Shows, Smithsonian

  • Questionnaires Regarding Woodworking Career

  • Articles and Essays, Seminar in Ireland

  • Press Releases

  • Stirt, Alan

  • Darlow, Mike

  • Lauria, Jo

  • Photography Copyright Permissions

  • Highlands Center for the Arts, Workshop Application

  • Notebooks

  • Grants

  • Museum of Arts and Design

  • Cervini Haas Gallery

  • Articles and Essays, Various

  • Appointment Books

  • Clippings, Articles About Saylan

  • Notes on Marketing Shows

  • California College of Arts and Crafts

  • John C. Campbell Folk School

  • Curriculum Vitae

  • M

  • Center for Craftsmanship

  • Articles and Essays, Experience Riding on a Train

  • Threads Magazine

  • Adamson, Glenn

  • Hodges Taylor Gallery

  • British Woodturners

  • Poster

  • Book Proposal, Source Book for Woodturners

  • North Country Studio Workshops

  • Irish Woodturners Guild, Photographs

  • Membership, American Association of Woodturners

  • Rapp, Joanne

  • Sekimachi, Kay

  • P., Gord

  • Sfirri, Mark

  • Business Card Design

  • Working, Susan

  • Certificate of Service, Great American Arts Festival

  • Address Lists

  • Membership, Baulines Craft Guild / California Contemporary Craft Association

  • Professional Files

  • C

  • 500 Wood Bowls by Lark Books

  • Women Artists News

  • Association of Woodturners of Great Britain

  • I-L

  • Scarpino, Betty

  • George School

  • Lectures and Talks, Fine Arts Club of Arkansas

  • Lectures and Talks, Tradeswomen of San Francisco

  • Studio Machinery Records

  • Notes for Article on Saylan by Susan Hagen in Woodwork Magazine

  • Artist Statements

  • Guild Publishing / Michael Hosaluk

  • Merrill, Forrest

  • Prichard Art Gallery, University of Idaho

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General
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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer
View Finding aid

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