Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Bowery Gallery Records, 1969-2008, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.bowegall
Creators:
Bowery Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
Dates:
1969-2008
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.1 Linear feet
0.684 Gigabytes
Repository:
The records of the Bowery Gallery, a non-profit, artist-run, cooperative gallery, measure 3.1 linear feet and 0.684 GB and date from 1969-2008. Business records, letters, exhibition files, guest registers, printed and digital material and photographs document the gallery's activities and artists.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The records of the Bowery Gallery, a non-profit, artist-run cooperative gallery in New York City, measure 3.1 linear feet and and 0.684 GB date from 1969-2008. Business records, letters, exhibition files, guest registers, printed material and photographs document the gallery's activities and artists.
An additional 0.4 linear feet of Bowery Gallery records dated circa 2002-2008 were accessioned in 2008 and remain unprocessed except for a digital copy of an audiovisual recording of the gallery's inaugural exhibition (October 31, 1969), which is included in Series 3. This accretion contains minutes and other business records, exhibition schedules, exhibition announcements, and Bowery Artists Tribute, Volume 1 (2008).

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 6 series:
  • Series 1: Business Records, 1969-2002 (Box 1; 0.6 linear feet)
  • Series 2: Letters, 1974-1997 (Box 1; 3 folders)
  • Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1983-1994 (Box 1; 4 folders, ER01; 0.684 GB)
  • Series 4: Guest Registers, 1976-2001 (Boxes 1-2; 1.0 linear feet)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1969-2001 (Boxes 2-4; 0.9 linear feet)
  • Series 6: Photographic Materials, 1997-1999 (Box 3; 0.1 linear feet)

Historical Note

Historical Note
In 1969, eighteen artists founded the Bowery Gallery as a non-profit, artist-run cooperative gallery in New York City. The gallery's original mission was to promote contemporary art and artists during a time when abstract art and pop art dominated. In 1991, Bowery Gallery began sponsoring an annual national competition and juried show for artists working in two-dimensional media.

Administration

Author
Justin Brancato
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Donated 2003 and 2008 by the Bowery Gallery via Barbara Grossman, and Lynda Caspe, founding members of the Bowery Gallery, and Marylou Schuck. Grossman maintained the Gallery records.
Processing Information
The records were processed to a minimal level by Justin Brancato in July 2005.
The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal processing tactics when possible in order to increase access to more of our collections. Minimal processing included arrangement to the series and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder tiles and dates, but not arranged further. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders. Staples and other fasteners were not removed, but materials were removed from binders or damaged bindings.
Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2019 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.
Accruals
An additional 0.4 linear feet of Bowery Gallery records dated circa 2002-2008 were accessioned in 2008 and remain unprocessed except for a digital copy of an audiovisual recording of the gallery's inaugural exhibition, which is included in Series 3.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Bowery Gallery records, 1969-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on Access
Use of original records requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Terms of 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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Visitors' books Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artist-run galleries -- New York (State) Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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