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Elyn Zimmerman papers

Archives of American Art

Object Details

Creator
Zimmerman, Elyn, 1945-
Names
Dicker, Ruth
Diebenkorn, Richard, 1922-1993
Gund, Agnes
Teraoka, Masami, 1936-
Varnedoe, Kirk
Occupation
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York
Installation artists -- California -- Los Angeles
Installation artists -- New York (State) -- New York
Topic
Women sculptors
Installations (Art)
Women artists
Provenance
The collection was donated in 2015-2024 by Elyn Zimmerman.
Creator
Zimmerman, Elyn, 1945-
See more items in
Elyn Zimmerman papers
Summary
The papers of sculptor and site-specific installation artist Elyn Zimmerman measure 41.4 linear feet and 1710.223 gigabytes, and date from 1967-2023. The collection documents the artist's life and work through correspondence, interviews, writings, project and commission files, exhibition files, teaching files, printed material, photographic material, and biographical material. Project and commission files comprise the majority of the collection and comprehensively document dozens of Zimmerman's site-specific sculptural projects and proposals for public and private sites across the United States and internationally, including the original 1995 World Trade Center Memorial. Items include correspondence, contracts, photographs, models, blueprints, and original sketches and drawings. Photographic material documents Zimmerman's work and personal life through color and black and white slides, transparencies, contact sheets, negatives, and prints. The papers include extensive born digital records, including interviews, digital images of projects, construction sites, and floorplans, as well as PowerPoint presentations.
Biographical / Historical
Elyn Zimmerman (1945-) is a New York City and Los Angeles based sculptor best known for her large scale site-specific outdoor installations incorporating granite, water features, and landscape architecture. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Zimmerman moved to California for college, earning both her BFA and MFA from University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, she studied with Richard Diebenkorn and Robert Irwin, and worked in photography, drawing, and site-specific installation. In 1978 she created Monarch's Trough for Artpark in Lewiston, New York, her first site-specific work using granite. For the next several decades Zimmerman would complete dozens of site-specific installations in public and private spaces across the United States, and submit proposals for dozens more. Working frequently with stone and granite, she developed a decades long relationship with a granite quarry in Cold Spring, Minnesota, which fabricated many of her designs. Zimmerman's clients have included the National Geographic Society, the Birmingham Art Museum, and the New York City Parks Department. In addition to her site-specific work, Zimmerman has had an extensive exhibition history, and has shown for many years with Gagosian Gallery. In 2016, Zimmerman was the recipient of the Isamu Noguchi Award. She has taught at Mills College, California Institute of the Arts, Harvard University, New York University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Zimmerman was married to the late curator Kirk Varnedoe from 1978-2002.
Extent
41.4 Linear feet
1,710.223 Gigabytes
Date
1967-2023
Archival Repository
Archives of American Art
Identifier
AAA.zimmelyn
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Interviews
Citation
Elyn Zimmerman papers, 1967-2023. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 9 series. Series 1: Correspondence, 1978-2011 (3.7 linear feet; Box 1-4) Series 2: Interviews, 1986-2005 (0.2 linear feet; Box 100, 139) Series 3: Writings, Agendas, and Address Books, 1970-2003 (1.1 linear feet; Box 4-5, 128, 131, 139) Series 4: Project and Commission Files, 1970-2023 (22.8 linear feet, Box 5-15, 21-22, 100, 123-125, 128, 131, 139; OV 23-85, 109-116, 120-122, 126-127, 134, 136, 138, 141, 143, 144; RD 97-98; 0.223 gigabytes, ER01-04) Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1969-2018 (4.9 linear feet; Box 15-16, 20-21, 100, 103, 123, 128, 139; OV 86-96,105-108, 120, 137, 144;RD 99) Series 6: Teaching Files, 1970-1994 (0.4 linear feet; Box 16) Series 7: Printed Material, 1970-2018 (2.1 linear feet; Box 16-19, 100, 123, 139; OV 142) Series 8: Photographic Material, 1967-2018 (5.7 linear feet; Box 100-102, 123-125, 128-130, 139; OV 117-119) Series 9: Biographical Material, 1975-2020 (0.2 linear feet; Box 140; OV 142, 144)
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Hilary Price in 2018. The 2021 addition was processed by Jennifer E. Neal and Lewis Tio, and merged into the collection in 2022. Additions received in 2022 and 2023 were processed and merged into the collection by Sarah Mundy in 2023. The 2024 addition was processed and merged into the collection by Anna Rimel in 2025.
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
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Interviews
Scope and Contents
The papers of sculptor and site-specific installation artist Elyn Zimmerman measure 41.4 linear feet and 1710.223 gigabytes, and date from 1967-2023. The collection documents the artist's life and work through correspondence, interviews, writings, project and commission files, exhibition files, teaching files, printed material, photographic material, and biographical material. Project and commission files comprise the majority of the collection and comprehensively document dozens of Zimmerman's site-specific sculptural projects and proposals for public and private sites across the United States and internationally, including the original 1995 World Trade Center Memorial. Items include correspondence, contracts, photographs, models, blueprints, and original sketches and drawings. Photographic material documents Zimmerman's work and personal life through color and black and white slides, transparencies, contact sheets, negatives, and prints. The papers include extensive born digital records, including interviews, digital images of projects, construction sites, and floorplans, as well as PowerPoint presentations. Correspondence is comprised predominately of received letters and fewer drafts and copies of outgoing letters. Notable correspondents include Zimmerman's late husband, curator Kirk Varnedoe, arts advocate Agnes Gund, and artists Ruth Dicker, Richard Diebenkorn, Kady Hoffman, and Masami Teraoka. Interviews include digital video recordings of Elyn Zimmerman discussing various public projects between 1986 and 2005. Writings include drafts of journal articles, a book mock-up, project notes, statements, and journals . Agendas and address books are filed with writings. Project and commission files comprise the bulk of the collection and comprehensively document dozens of Zimmerman's site-specific sculptural projects and proposals for public and private sites across the United States and internationally. Items include correspondence, contracts, photographs, models, blueprints, and original sketches and drawings. The files include a small number of born digital records, including digital images of projects, construction sites, and floorplans, as well as PowerPoint presentations. Exhibition files document Zimmerman's site-specific installations and exhibitions in a gallery and museum context. Files include correspondence, photographs, slides, statements, press releases, shipping information, and price lists. Teaching files document the many courses Zimmerman taught in painting, drawing, design, architecture, and landscape architecture. Items include syllabi, assignments, lecture notes, reading lists, and articles. Printed material primarily consists of items cataloging Zimmerman's career including exhibition announcements, catalogs, posters, and press clippings. Subject files were saved and collected by Zimmerman and are arranged at the end of the series. Photographic material document Zimmerman's installations of commissioned works, exhibitions, and other installations through color and black and white slides, negatives, contact sheets, prints, and digital photographs. Biographical material is primarily made of up of awards and certificates, scattered biographical information, and memorial material for late husband Kirk Varnedoe.
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.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1584630068241-1584630068283-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw907b8edfc-e9ed-4849-99fa-3bc8ec9991a6

In the Collection

Pages

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  • Baxter Art Gallery (1975)

  • Oversized Scholar's Rock from Box 13, Folders 5-7

  • Olympic Park Beijing Olympics 2008 Suspended Arcs

  • Oversized Wave Hill Project Proposal from Box 5, Folder 15

  • Mirror Wall Proposal

  • Course Readings, General

  • Wood Models for 1993 Gagosian Sculpture Exhibition 2 of 3

  • Architectural Drawings and Sketches

  • First Market Plaza, 1991, San Francisco, California

  • Oversized Keystone Island from Box 7, Folders 1-4

  • Outdoor Projects and Proposals 2

  • Film Project Proposal

  • Early Photography 2

  • Watercourse at Bentall, 2008, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

  • Baxter Gallery, California Technical Institute of Technology Installation

  • Patagonia

  • Institue for Advanced Study (New Jersey)

  • Options 1 (1979), Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

  • Glass Plank Installation

  • Report, "On the News of Visual Artists"

  • "Ceremonial Objects" Series

  • Sculptures 1991-1993 4

  • Water Drawings

  • Personal Photographs, Japan

  • Biography, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

  • Oversized Archeos from Box 13, Folders 9-10

  • Oversized Wind, Water, Stone (2018), Grounds for Sculpture

  • Proposal Diagrams, Grounds for Sculpture Exhibitions

  • Oversized Sudama/Marabar (2021), National Geographic, Washington, DC, Relocation Site Plans

  • Rosen/Kent CT 2005 Archeos 1

  • Printed Material

  • Notes on Personal Art Ideas

  • AT&T Headquarters

  • Library Garden Proposal, Middlebury College, Vermont

  • Water Drawings

  • Loan Agreements and Notes, Grounds for Sculpture

  • Wa Marafiki Mkusanyiko, 2004, US Embassy, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

  • Government Center Plaza Proposal, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Todos Santos Plaza Proposal, Concord, California

  • Elevations Proposal, Hills & Dales Park, Dayton, Ohio

  • Cullman; Darien, CT 1995 2

  • Tassajara

  • Oversized Proclamation, North Miami "Keystone Island" Dedication Elyn Zimmerman Day (June 15, 1989)

  • Oversized Bethesda Plaza Proposal from Box 6, Folder 18

  • Pastel Drawings

  • Lithos I, 1991, Manufacturers Life Insurance Tower, Los Angeles, California

  • Oversized The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt (2014) from Box 16, Folder 11

  • Resin Painting

  • Exhibition Catalogs

  • College Art Association Panel

  • An Artist at Work

  • Oversized Freedom Fountain Proposal from Box 7, Folder 7

  • Oversized Sanctuary from Box 8, Folders 9-11

  • University of South Florida Art Museum (1991)

  • PowerPoint Presentation

  • Skestos Gabriele Gallery

  • Archeos, 2006, Kent, Connecticut

  • Cullman; Darien, CT 1995 1

  • Residency in Japan

  • Penn's Landing International Sculpture Garden Proposal, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • University of California, Santa Barbara, Rock Art Field Trip

  • Keystone Island, 1988, Dade County Courthouse, North Miami, Florida

  • Pedestrian Mall Proposal, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

  • Oversized Metropolitan Museum of Art Roof Garden Proposal from Box 15, Folder 3

  • Outdoor Projects and Proposals 1

  • Displacement Video Installation LA 1976

  • Oversized Palisades Project Proposal from Box 5, Folder 22

  • "Clouds"

  • Oversized University of Connecticut Proposal from Box 10, Folder 8

  • Notes and Clippings for Interview About World Trade Center Memorial and 9/11

  • Agate, 1995, Darien, Connecticut

  • River Crossings: Contemporary Art Comes Home (2015), Thomas Cole National Site and Olana Historic Site

  • Auction Organized by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts

  • Technology

  • Exhibition Catalogs

  • Wind, Water, Stone (2018), Grounds for Sculpture

  • Photographic Mural, Los Cabos, Mexico

  • Personal Photo Album, "Elyn in California"

  • Roundabout, 2001, Burbank, California

  • Journal

  • Domaine Clos Pegase Winery Proposal, Napa Valley, California

  • Wind, Water, Stone (2018), Grounds for Sculpture

  • Oversized Gagosian Gallery (1996) from Box 15, Folder 26

  • Shunyata

  • "Century City" Student Project at UCLA

  • Oversized Central Park Proposal from Box 7, Folder 6

  • Oversized Fort Lincoln Park Proposal from Box 5, Folder 12

  • Letter of Appointment, Consultant of China Sculpture Institute

  • Sculptures 1991-1993 3

  • Press Clippings and Reviews

  • Laura Solomon Fine Art

  • Bentall IV Vancouver 2008 Watercourse

  • World Trade Center Memorial Proposal, New York, New York

  • Oversized Domaine Clos Pegase Winery Proposal from Box 6, Folder 7

  • Various Slides of Photo Projects

  • Roundabout 2000 AXA Headquarters

  • Sanctuary, 1991, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida

  • Wood Models for 1993 Gagosian Sculpture Exhibition 1 of 3

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art Roof Garden Proposal, New York, New York

  • "Ceremonial Objects" Series

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Monarch's Trough, 1978, Artpark, Lewiston, New York
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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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.
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