Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Mel Casas

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.casas96
Creators:
Casas, Mel, 1929-2014
Karlstrom, Paul J.
Dates:
1996 August 14 and 16
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
66 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Mel Casas conducted 1996 August 14-16, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Casas discusses his current work - dipped acrylic paintings in which technique and material become the subject; his involvement with Chicano art political issues and his own experience as a Mexican-American; a discussion of his family background; art education; early Abstract Expressionist painting; a shift to figuration; thirty years teaching at San Antonio College; the Chicano "movimiento"; and Chicano art and key figures, including Carlos Almaraz and Carmen Lomas Garza.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Mel Casas (1929-) is a painter from San Antonio, Texas.

Administration

Sponsor
This interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 5 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- Texas -- San Antonio -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicano art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicano art movement Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicano artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Almaraz, Carlos Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Garza, Carmen Lomas Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
San Antonio College -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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