Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Tom Eckert

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.eckertt07
Creators:
Eckert, Tom, 1942-
Lauria, Jo
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
Dates:
2007 June 19
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
44 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Tom Eckert conducted 2007 June 19, by Jo Lauria, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home and studio in Tempe, Arizona.
Scope and Contents
Eckert speaks of his childhood interest in drawing; his first art lessons as a child; working as a cabinetmaker after high school; the decision to attend Arizona State University (ASU); earning very poor grades at ASU and enrolling at Phoenix College, where his art teacher inspired him to pursue art more seriously; returning to ASU to earn his BFA and MFA.; being hired to teach at ASU; creating and heading a wood program there; and helping to design the wood studio at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. He continues discussing his fascination with Flemish painting during his art history education; the sense of illusion present in much of his work; being drawn to wood as a medium because of its ability to be shaped into an infinite amount of forms his experience making a few large scale works of art; feeling a certain spirituality towards his studio and the tools and equipment related to his craft; the importance of first satisfying a personal creative drive, then of showing the work produced, and finally in selling the work; the ways in which galleries and museums assist in attaining those three goals; being invited to participate in a show at Galerie Lieve Hemel in Amsterdam; incorporating the Internet and new technology into the design process; mixing his own colors using pigments; his desire to create larger works in the future; and contentment with and excitement for his life as an artist. Eckert recalls William B. Dunning, James Krenov, Bob Stocksdale, Nanette L. Laitman, David Ellsworth, John Jordan, Wendell Castle, Martyle and Jerry Reinsdorf, Cervini Haas, Michael Himovitz, Joanne Rapp, James Rapp, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Tom Eckert (1942- ) is a wood artist from Tempe, Arizona. Jo Lauria is a curator and arts writer from Los Angeles, California.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
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


More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 44 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Decorative arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Woodworkers -- Arizona Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Stocksdale, Bob, 1913-2003 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jordon, John Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reinsdorf, Martyle Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reinsdorf, Jerry Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Krenov, James Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Laitman, Nanette L., 1924- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Haas, Cervini Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Himovitz, Michael Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rapp, Joanne Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rapp, James Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ellsworth, David, 1944- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dunning, William Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Castle, Wendell, 1932-2018 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arizona State University -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arizona State University -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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