Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the State of the Arts Videorecordings, 1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.frailawr
Creators:
Lawrence P. Fraiberg Productions
Dates:
1979
Languages:
Collection is in English.
Physical Description:
2.4 Linear feet
Repository:
The
State of the Arts
videorecordings measure 2.4 linear feet and consist of 30 videocassettes (U-matic) and three sets of handwritten notes, all created during the production of a pilot episode for a broadcast television documentary series on contemporary art in 1979. Four stories were produced for the pilot: a staged debate on modern art at the Museum of Modern Art; an investigation into the economics of the contemporary art market, a collaboration between video artist Nam June Paik and sound artist Liz Phillips, and an extended interview with sculptor George Segal on the occasion of his 1979 retrospective exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Video footage includes raw footage for each segment and edited versions of the economics of art story, the Nam June Paik and Liz Phillips story, and the George Segal story. The reporter and interviewer for the program was Barry Nolan.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The
State of the Arts
videorecordings measure 2.4 linear feet and consist of 30 videocassettes (U-matic) and three sets of handwritten notes, all created during the production of a pilot episode for a broadcast television documentary series on contemporary art in 1979. Four stories were produced for the pilot: a staged debate on modern art at the Museum of Modern Art; an investigation into the economics of the contemporary art market, a collaboration between video artist Nam June Paik and sound artist Liz Phillips, and an extended interview with sculptor George Segal on the occasion of his 1979 retrospective exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Video footage includes raw footage for each segment and edited versions of the economics of art story, the Nam June Paik and Liz Phillips story, and the George Segal story. The reporter and interviewer for the program was Barry Nolan.
Although the program never aired, the video shot for the pilot documents significant artists and gallerists of its time, with profiles of O.K. Harris Works of Art and its founder, Ivan Karp, as well as art dealer Holly Solomon and critic Barbara Rose, Marcia Tucker in the early days of the New Museum, and footage of artists like Nam June Paik, Liz Phillips, and George Segal in their studios, describing their work in detail. The sound and video piece created by Paik and Phillips with the dancer Robert Kovich was commissioned by the
State of the Arts
producers for the pilot program, and the four hours of video documenting their collaboration and its product may therefore be unique.
Interview subjects for the economics of art story include Ivan Karp, Tom Drysdale, Rick Derman, Cosmo Campoli, Joan Thorne, Holly Solomon, Marcia Tucker, and Barbara Rose. The Marcia Tucker interview takes place at the New School, which was at the time the home of the New Museum. Footage also includes a gallery opening at O.K. Harris Works of Art. Extended interviews with Liz Phillips, Nam June Paik, and George Segal are found in the footage of their respective stories.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as one series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1:
    State of the Arts
    Production Video, 1979 (2.4 linear feet; boxes 1-3)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
State of the Arts
was planned as a broadcast television magazine program on the subject of contemporary art. The pilot was produced in 1979 by Lawrence P. Fraiberg Productions with funding provided jointly by IBM and the National Endowment for the Arts. Fraiberg and Tom Cavanau served as executive co-producers, Rick Derman as field producer, and Barry Nolan as interviewer. The program never aired.
Lawrence P. Fraiberg was a longtime television documentary veteran when the pilot was produced. He graduated from the University of California in 1949 and began his career at television station KPIX in San Francisco. He became vice president and general manager of WNEW-TV in New York in 1965, and was named president of Metromedia Television in 1977. In 1980 he was appointed president of the Television Station Group for Westinghouse Broadcasting. An active member in community and industry organizations, he is a recipient of an honorary degree (1978) from St. John's University, New York, a Peabody Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Broadcasting Industry (1986), and a Trustees Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (1990). He died in 2011.
Barry Nolan, the interviewer for
State of the Arts
, went on to a career as a television magazine host and producer, with credits including
Evening Magazine
,
Hard Copy
,
Extra!
, and
Nitebeat
, and in 2012 produced the documentary
No Way Out But One
with his wife, Garland Waller.

Administration

Author
Megan McShea
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' Hidden Collections grant program.
Processing Information
The collection was processed in 2015 by Megan McShea.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1979-1980 by Lawrence P. Fraiberg.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Preferred Citation
State of the Arts
Videorecordings, 1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Use
Authorization to quote or reproduce for purposes of publication requires written permission from Ted Cavanu, Rick Derman and Barry Nolan. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Study and teaching Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Performance art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists' studios Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound sculpture -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Economic aspects Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Production companies Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Whitney Museum of American Art Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Campoli, Cosmo Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Karp, Ivan C., 1926-2012 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fraiberg, Lawrence P. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Thorne, Joan, 1943- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Solomon, Holly Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Segal, George, 1924-2000 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rose, Barbara Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Phillips, Liz Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Paik, Nam June, 1932-2006 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kovich, Robert Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cavanau, Ted Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Derman, Rick Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nolan, Barry Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lawrence P. Fraiberg Productions Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
O.K. Harris Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Museum (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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