Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Merle Armitage

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.armita64
Creators:
Armitage, Merle, 1893-1975
Loomis, Sylvia Glidden
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
Dates:
1964 February 6
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
23 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Merle Armitage conducted 1964 February 6, by Sylvia Loomis, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Armitage speaks of his role as Public Works of Art Project regional chairman of Southern California, including his supervision of 126 artists involved in painting, drawing, sculpture, lithography and mural projects; experimental work in PWAP easel painting projects; censorship of subject matter in a mural for the Frank Wiggins Trade School; his opposition to government subsidized art programs; his impressions of Edward Bruce, Dalzell Hatfield, James Milford Zornes, and others associated with the PWAP. Armitage also speaks of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and contemporary book design.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Merle Armitage (1893-1975) was an art administrator and graphic artist of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 3418 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 48 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art and state Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal aid to the arts -- California Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Censorship Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arts administrators -- California -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graphic artists -- California -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hatfield, Dalzell, 1893-1963 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zornes, James Milford, 1908-2008 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public Works of Art Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public Works of Art Project (Calif.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Institute of Graphic Arts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
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