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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Olin Dows
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.dows63
- Creators:
-
Dows, Olin, 1904-1981Phillips, Harlan B. (Harlan Buddington), 1920-1979New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
- Dates:
-
1963 October 31
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
111 PagesTranscript
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Olin Dows conducted on 1963 October 31, by Harlan Phillips for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Dows speaks of his youth and education at Harvard and Yale; parental and family influence; his European travels; his philosophy of painting; the influence of Mexican painters; dealers he knew and worked with; joining the Public Works of Art Project; how the PWAP was administered; the effect of politics on the project; artists who were involved in it; mural competitions and problems with them; the media and public image of the project; art criticism; the long-term effects of the project; camaraderie among those involved. He recalls Edward Bruce and Forbes Watson.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Olin Dows (1904-1981) was an art administrator in Washington, D.C.
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.
Digital Content
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
For information on how to access this interview contact Reference Services.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav file. Duration is 4 hr., 16 min.
General
Sound quality is poor.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Art and state | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Federal aid to the arts | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Arts administrators -- Washington (D.C.) -- 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 |
Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960 | 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 |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions