Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Mary Giles

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.giles06
Creators:
Giles, Mary
Sauer, Jane, 1937-
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
Dates:
2006 July 18
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
4 Items
Sound recording: 4 sound files (2 hr., 43 min.)
digital, wav
46 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Mary Giles conducted 2006 July 18, by Jane Sauer, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the home of Jane Sauer, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Scope and Contents
Giles speaks of childhood summers spent on Pine Lake in Minnesota; receiving a B.S. in art education from Mankato State University, Minnesota; educational experiences at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Penland School of Crafts, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; the influence of nature and Native American art in her work; finding inspiration in "woods and water"; spirituality; teaching elementary art in St. Louis for 28 years while pursuing her art; the materials she works with, including wax linen and various metals; the techniques she uses, such as coiling, twining, torching, hammering, and knotting; the importance of a studio; the appeal of natural aging and corrosion of materials; the competitiveness of craft fields in the United States; attending American Craft Council shows and Sculpture Objects & Functional Art expositions in Chicago; craft as art in the United States; her experience showing in galleries and struggles with pricing; participating in the Poland Triennale in Lodz, Poland, 2001; the pioneering efforts of female fiber artists. Giles also recalls Mary Lee Hu, Diane Itter, Jack Lenor Larsen, Walter Nottingham, Rianna DeRaad, Cynthia Schira, Ferne Jacobs, Barbara Rose Okun, Nancy Kranzberg, Jan Buckman, Horty Shieber, Duane Reed, Agnes Martin, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Mary Giles (1944- ) is an artist of Stillwater, Minnesota. Jane Sauer (1937- ) is an artist and gallery owner of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 43 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Fiber artists -- Minnesota Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- Minnesota Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Decorative arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women textile artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Minnesota -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Buckman, Jan Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
DeRaad, Rianna Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hu, Mary Lee, 1943- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Itter, Diane, 1946-1989 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Jacobs, Ferne K. (Ferne Kent), 1942- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kranzberg, Nancy Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Larsen, Jack Lenor Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Martin, Agnes, 1912-2004 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nottingham, Walter, 1930-2012 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Okun, Barbara Rose Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reed, Duane Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schira, Cynthia, 1934- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shieber, Horty Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Crafts Council Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mankato 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
Penland School of Crafts -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
SOFA Chicago Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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