Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Edward Arcenio Chavez Papers, 1917-1982, bulk 1941-1973, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.chavedwa
Creators:
Chavez, Edward Arcenio, 1917-1995
Dates:
1917-1982
bulk 1941-1973
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.9 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of painter and sculptor Edward Arcenio Chavez measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1917 to 1982 with the bulk of the material dating from 1941 to 1973. The collection is comprised of biographical material, personal business records related to the Federal Works Agency and other projects, printed materials, and photographic materials.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of painter and sculptor Edward Arcenio Chavez measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1917 to 1982 with the bulk of the material dating from 1941 to 1973. The collection is comprised of biographical material, personal business records related to the Federal Works Agency and other projects, printed materials, and photographic materials.
Biographical materials include awards, certificates, a biographical sketch, curriculum vitae, and an interview transcript. Personal business records contain a Federal Works Agency contract, correspondence, and a project file. Art reproductions, books, booklets, brochures, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, journals, magazines, and press releases are in printed materials. Photographic materials consists of photographs and slides of Chavez and works of art.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as four series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1935-1970 (Box 1, OV 4; 3 folders)
  • Series 2: Personal Business Records, 1941-1973 (Box 1; 4 folders)
  • Series 3: Printed Material, 1917-1982 (Boxes 1-3, OV 4; 0.6 linear feet)
  • Series 4: Photographic Material, 1950-1973 (Box 3; 2 folders)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Edward Arcenio Chavez (1917-1995) was a painter and sculptor in Woodstock, New York. He was born in Ocate, New Mexico, and moved to Colorado with his parents and nine siblings when he was five years old. After being encouraged by his high school art teacher to pursue art after graduation, Chavez became an apprentice to artist Frank Mechau and attended the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. During this time he participated in the New York World's Art of America Exhibition in 1937 and began painting murals for the Works Progress Administration under the Federal Works Agency. After serving as a war art correspondent during World War II, Chavez settled in Woodstock, N.Y. where he established his studio.
Over the course of his career, Chavez was awarded the Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant, a Fulbright Grant, the Childe Hassam Institute of Arts and Letters Award among others. He taught at the Art Students League of New York, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Syracuse University, Dutchess Community College, and was artist-in-residence at Utah City Schools and the Huntington Museum of Art in West Virginia. Chavez's work has been exhibited throughout the United States and is in numerous museum collections such as the Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, and Hirshhorn Museum.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Sponsor
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated by the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University in 1984.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2018.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Edward Arcenio Chavez papers, 1917-1982, bulk 1941-1973. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

Related Materials
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview of Edward Chavez conducted by Joseph Trovato November 5, 1964.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- Woodstock Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors--New York (State)--Woodstock Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Transcripts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal Works Agency Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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