Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to Audiovisual Material Relating to Pacita Abad, 1984-2008, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.abadpaci
Creators:
Abad, Pacita
Garrity, Jack
Dates:
1984-2008
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
89.63 Gigabytes
Repository:
The collection of audiovisual material relating to Pacita Abad measures 89.63 GB and dates from 1984 to 2008. All materials in this collection are in born-digital format and include video and audio recordings and presentations. The Biographical Materials series includes videos of Pacita Abad's life in the Washington, D.C., region, and several recordings of memorials and services after her passing in 2004. The Professional Materials series consists of videos of two workshops and two lectures given by Pacita Abad. The Interviews and Documentaries series consists of American and Asian TV programs, films, and radio interviews with and about Pacita Abad and her art. The Exhibitions and Artwork series has videos and presentations of Pacita Abad's art, and solo and group exhibitions.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection of audiovisual material relating to Pacita Abad measures 89.63 GB and dates from 1984 to 2008. All materials in this collection are in born-digital format and include video and audio recordings and presentations. Several of the videos were transferred from VHS tapes. Some recordings in this collection are only partially transferred, and technical quality of both audio and video components varies. The Biographical Materials series includes videos of Pacita Abad's life in the Washington, D.C., region, and several recordings of memorials and services after her passing in 2004. The Professional Materials series consists of videos of two workshops and two lectures given by Pacita Abad. The Interviews and Documentaries series consists of American and Asian TV programs, films, and radio interviews with and about Pacita Abad and her art. The Exhibitions and Artwork series has videos and presentations of Pacita Abad's art, and solo and group exhibitions.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as four series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1994-2005 (19.39 GB; ER01-ER08)
  • Series 2: Professional Material, 1995-2000 (11.86 GB; ER09-ER11, ER42)
  • Series 3: Interviews and Documentaries, 1990-2004 (36.68 GB; ER12-ER29)
  • Series 4: Exhibitions and Artwork, 1984-2008 (21.70 GB; ER30-ER41)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Pacita Abad (1946-2004) was an Ivatan and Filipina painter based in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Abad emigrated to the United States from the Philippines in 1970, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1994.
Abad traveled in over 80 countries and different cultures had a profound influence on her artistic style. She developed a technique of trapunto painting, which entailed stitching and stuffing painted canvases to give them a three-dimensional, sculptural effect, and incorporating materials such as traditional cloth, mirrors, beads, shells, plastic buttons, and other objects into the surface of paintings. Abad crafted more than 5,000 artworks over a 30-year career. Her work has been featured in over 60 solo and group exhibitions at museums and galleries worldwide, and her art is held in private collections and cultural institutions in more than 70 countries.

Administration

Author
Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 2009 by Jack Garrity, Abad's husband and director of Pacita Abad Art Estate.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2021.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
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.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. This collection is open for research. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Preferred Citation
Audiovisual material relating to Pacita Abad, 1984-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asian American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Filipino American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Washington (D.C.) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions