Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Jackie Ferrara

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.ferrar09
Creators:
Ferrara, Jackie
Berman, Avis
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project
Dates:
2009 January 16-February 13
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3 Items
Sound recording: 3 sound files (5 hr., 12 min.)
digital, WMA files
115 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Jackie Ferrara conducted 2009 January 16-February 13, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art's U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts oral history project, at the Ferrara's home, in New York, New York.
Scope and Contents
Ferrara speaks of growing up in Detroit, Michigan; her early interest in mathematics and its ever present role in her work; attending Michigan State University for one year; taking fashion drawing classes at Wayne State University and her supposed lack of drawing skills; an early interest in pottery and leather making; moving to New York City in 1951 on a night train from Detroit; working at the Henry Street Playhouse and its influential role on her art; her relationship with Robert Beauchamp and her friendship with many artists in Provincetown, Massachusetts; early works, including the cotton batting works and the rope works, most of which were destroyed; her dislike of traveling and her use of imagination for inspiration; participating in the performances and happenings of Claes Oldenburg; her friendship with Robert Smithson and his influence on her later works; working with Max Protetch; never teaching art because she herself did not attend art school; her creation process of her wood and stone pieces, including their conception in early drawings; having a positive attitude towards her pieces being rebuilt because of decay; quickly moving into public art in the late 1970s, early 1980s; living and working in the same loft in New York for over 40 years; the helpful role the women's movement played in her successful career though she did not participate; receiving art grants to enable her to work for a year or two without having to find an odd job to support herself; various public art projects around the country, how they came to be, creating the works and their significance to her. Ferrara also recalls Charlotte Tokayer, Don Ferrara, Alvin Nikolai, Richard Bellamy, Mary and Paul Frank, Miles and Barbara Forst, Sally Gross, Hans Hofmann, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Nat Halprin, Lucas Samara, Letty Lou Eisenhauer, James Rosenquist, Marcia Marcus, Charles Addams, Eva Hesse, Frank Gallo, Tony DeLap, Dorothea Rockburne, Time Doyle, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Nancy Graves, Marty Greenbaum, Abe Sachs, Mel Bochner, Jan Groover, Alice Aycock, Alice Adams, Jackie Windsor, Scott Burton, Siah Armajani, Michelle Stuart, Lucy Lippard, Zaha Hadid, Max Hutcinson, Andrea Blum, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Jackie Ferrara (1929- ) is a sculptor. Ferrara works with the built environment in her designs for courtyards and architectural structures.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the U.S. General Services Administration, Design Excellence and the Arts. 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.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
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
Audio: ACCESS RESTRICTED; Use requires written permission.
System Details
Originally recorded on 1 compact disc (2 5/8 inches).

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Draftsmen (artists) -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Forst, Miles, 1923- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bellamy, Richard Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smithson, Robert Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oldenburg, Claes, 1929- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Protetch, Max Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ferrara, Don Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gross, Sally Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Beauchamp, Robert, 1923- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Frank, Mary, 1933- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Marcus, Marcia, 1928- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Motherwell, Robert Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rockburne, Dorothea Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
LeWitt, Sol, 1928-2007 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Samaras, Lucas, 1936- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eisenhauer, Lette Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Addams, Charles, 1912-1988 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hesse, Eva, 1936-1970 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
DeLap, Tony, 1927-2019 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gallo, Frank, 1933- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rosenquist, James, 1933- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graves, Nancy Stevenson, 1940-1995 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Judd, Donald, 1928-1994 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Andre, Carl, 1935- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Michigan State University -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wayne State University -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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