Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Herman Cherry

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.cherry65
Creators:
Cherry, Herman
Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-1979
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
Dates:
1965 September
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
44 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Herman Cherry conducted 1965 September, by Harlan Phillips. Cherry speaks of his background and education; the Depression's effect on him; his first association with the WPA Federal Art Project; working for Stanton Macdonald-Wright; how the project functioned; trying to create an "American style" in painting; the team approach to creating murals; the effect of the project on individual artists and their styles; experimenting with materials; unions and political problems; social interaction between artists on the project; the current art market; his overall view of the Federal Art Project. He recalls Thomas Hart Benton.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Herman Cherry (1909-1992) was a painter, mural painter, lithographer, craftsman, writer, and teacher in New York, New York.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 3949 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
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 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 8 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Federal aid to the arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lithographers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artisans -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Decorative arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal Art Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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