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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

  • « first
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  • Travel

  • Keystone Island

  • Exhibitions and Indoor Installations 1

  • Exhibitions and Installations

  • Intersection 1998 Gagosian Gallery 2

  • Article for Public Art Journal

  • Kirk Varnedoe Early Notes and Article

  • Oversized Loyola Marymount University Proposal from Box 6, Folder 12

  • Statements

  • Campo, 1998, Housatonic Community Technical College, Bridgeport, Connecticut

  • Oversized Embarcadero Promenade Proposal from Box 6, Folder 10

  • Rainier Bank Plaza Proposal, Bellevue, Washington

  • Studio Portraits of Elyn Zimmerman

  • Notes on Wood Panels

  • Tetra, 2000, Southampton, New York

  • Le Point du Jour Proposal, Boulogne, France

  • Oversized Todos Santos Plaza Proposal from Box 6, Folder 25

  • Exhibitions and Installations

  • Personal Photographs, Los Angeles

  • Riverway Proposal, Davenport, Iowa

  • Oversized "Ceremonial Objects" Series from Box 9, Folder 3

  • Journal

  • Wildlife

  • Mount Unzendake Memorial Park Proposal, Japan

  • PowerPoint Presentation

  • Personal Photographs, Personal Travel

  • Oversized Riverside Park South Proposal from Box 9, Folder 2

  • Cityscapes

  • Statements

  • Prehistoric Greek Pottery Drawings and Stencils

  • Kravis/Southampton 2002 and Tetra 2001 2

  • SF Plaza Project

  • Kravis/Southampton 2002 and Tetra 2001 1

  • Gagosian Gallery, Business Files

  • Outdoor Projects and Proposals 3

  • Artist Certification, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

  • Exhibitions and Indoor Installations 2

  • Sightline/Level, 1983, South Dakota State College, Madison, South Dakota

  • Philadelphia Community College Proposal, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Rental Gallery (1976), Los Angeles County Museum of Art

  • Palisades Project Study

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

  • Observing the Sites/Sights, River Crossings Proposal, Olana, Hudson, New York

  • Architecture

  • Marabar, 1984, National Geographic Society, Washington, District of Columbia

  • Oversized Mount Unzendake Memorial Park Proposal from Box 11, Folder 4

  • Environment

  • B.M.A. Project Sections 1-3

  • Notecards on Philosophy and Art

  • University of Pennsylvania, Architecture Course

  • Project and commission Files, Assorted

  • Gagosian Gallery (1993)

  • Project and commission Files, Assorted

  • Mississippi Meanders 2019 NOMA 2

  • Natural Elements Sculpture Park Proposal, Santa Monica, California

  • Creative Artists Public Service Fellowship

  • Public Art Process and Product

  • Glass Pieces

  • Broxton Gallery (1977), Graphite Drawings and Sketches

  • Politics, Economics

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

  • Broxton Gallery (1976)

  • Archeos

  • Banner Stone Drawings

  • Terrain 2

  • Koplin Gallery (1984), Architectural Drawings

  • Free Fall, 2004, Cancer Institute, New Brunswick, New Jersey

  • Oversized World Trade Center Memorial Proposal from Box 12, Folders 3-5

  • Subjects

  • Wall Drawing

  • Sanctuary

  • Free Fall, 2004, Cancer Institute, New Brunswick, New Jersey

  • Oversized Jersey City State College Quad Proposal from Box 11, Folder 1

  • Various Grids

  • Oversized Bedford, New York Project from Box 11, Folders 8-12

  • Oversized Crabtree Farm Project from Box 10, Folder 9

  • Oversized Lithos I from Box 7, Folders 12-16

  • Wave Hill Project Proposal

  • Reflecting Pool Plaza Proposal, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts

  • Oversized Sightline I from Box 5, Folders 16-17

  • Flyers and Posters

  • Bedford, New York Project

  • Miami Airport Proposal, Miami, Florida

  • Cityscapes, Published Book

  • Rock Projects

  • Oversized Shunyata from Box 6, Folders 1-2

  • Oversized Joslyn Art Museum Proposal from Box 6, Folder 6

  • Birmingham Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, 1993, Birmingham, Alabama

  • Al Elsen and Elyn Zimmerman on Artistic Freedom

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Monarch's Trough, 1978, Artpark, Lewiston, New York
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