Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the New York Artists Equity Association Records, 1920-2012, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.nyarteqa
Creators:
New York Artists Equity Association
Dates:
1920-2012
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
26.8 Linear feet
2.99 Gigabytes
Repository:
The records of the New York Artists Equity Association (NYAEA) measure 26.8 linear feet and 2.99 Gb and date from 1920-2012. The records include history and founding documents, presidents' files, board of directors' files that include monthly board meeting minutes, committee files and annual membership meeting minutes, general administrative and correspondence files, financial and legal files, event and program files, artists and subject files, extensive individual membership files, art project and exhibition files, Broome Street Gallery files, NYAEA publications that include issues of The Artists Proof, printed and digital materials, four scrapbooks, sketches created by artists attending a party in honor of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and photographs of member artists and events.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The records of the New York Artists Equity Association (NYAEA) measure 26.8 linear feet and 2.99 GB and date from 1920-2012. The records include history and founding documents, presidents' files, board of directors' files that include monthly board meeting minutes, committee files and annual membership meeting minutes, general administrative and correspondence files, financial and legal files, event and program files, artists and subject files, extensive individual membership files, art project and exhibition files, Broome Street Gallery files, NYAEA publications that include issues of The Artists Proof, printed and digital materials, four scrapbooks, sketches created by artists attending a party in honor of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and photographs of member artists and events. The President's files appear to be complete and include files for presidents Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Louise Nevelson, Harry Waterson, Roy Gussow, Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, Karl Zerbe, Ernst Fiene, Sidney Laufman, Carolyn deLisser, Burt Hasen, and Bert Diener, among others. Committee files and meeting minutes are found, as well as general administrative and correspondence files which include information pertaining to the national level Association.
Event files include documentation of the Association's Art Thursday series, where they hosted talks and panels by artists. Artists referenced in these files include Jean Cohen, Charles Searles, Leon Golub, Doug Ashford, Bruno Palmer-Poroner, Dom Facci, Susan Teller, Eleanor Lipsky, Ted Berger, Hilton Kramer, Bernice Steinbaum, Laura Stirton, Jean Zaleski, Renee Philips, Denise Bibro, Dan Concholar, Irving Sandler, Angela Babin, Dorothy Gillespe, Donna Marxer, Nan Hall, Ivan Karp, Alan Gussow, Mary Carswell, Bill Smart, Charlotte Kotik, Klaus Kertess, Elaine Marinoff, and Judith Brodski. Additional events covered in this series include the annual awards dinner, masquerade balls, lectures, the Association's 55th Anniversary event, which includes recollections by Helen Frankenthaler, Sidney Simon, and Lorrie Goulet, as well as other events and programs. Videocassette and sound recordings of many of the events are found here.
Artists' and subject files contain mostly printed materials about a few artists and subjects or issues in which the Association was interested.
There are extensive files on individual members that include card files, applications, biographies, and clippings.
Project and exhibition files include material pertaining to the Artists Welfare Fund, the Art Bank artwork donation, and a few scattered exhibitions. Additional exhibition and event files are found in the series containing the Broome Street Gallery files.
Association publications consist of what appears to be a full run of Association newsletters and reports. The NYAEA newsletter changed its name to The Artists Proof in 1986. Additional printed materials include exhibition catalogs and announcements, programs, clippings, posters, and newsletters of other arts organizations. There are four scrapbooks (two unbound) that contain printed materials, and a few items of correspondence. One of the scrapbooks documents the annual "Bal Fantastique".
Artwork consists mostly of sketches and drawings by artists attending a 1948 dinner in honor of Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Photographs are of members and events. Photographers include Arnold Newman, Marvin Bolotsky, and Frances Avery, among others. Numerous notable artists are depicted in the images.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into sixteen series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: History and Founding Documents, 1933-2000 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, 27
  • Series 2: Presidents' Files, 1927-2007 (2.8 linear feet; Boxes 1-4)
  • Series 3: Board of Directors' Files, 1947-2003 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)
  • Series 4: Committee and Meeting Files, 1950-2009 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)
  • Series 5: General Administrative and Correspondence Files, circa 1930-2008 (2 linear feet; Boxes 7-8, 0.284 GB; ER01)
  • Series 6: Financial and Legal Files, 1947-2000 (1 linear foot; Box 9)
  • Series 7: Events and Programs, 1930-2010 (4.2 linear feet; Boxes 10-14, 27, 0.446 GB; ER02)
  • Series 8: Artists and Subject Files, 1930-1998 (0.4 linear feet; Box 14)
  • Series 9: Membership Files, 1920-2009 (4.4 linear feet; Boxes 14-18, 27, 2.26 GB; ER03)
  • Series 10: Project and Exhibition Files, 1934-2010 (2 linear feet; Boxes 19-20)
  • Series 11: Broome Street Gallery Files, 1990-2011 (2.7 linear feet; Boxes 21-23, 31)
  • Series 12: Association Publications, 1947-2012 (1 linear foot; Boxes 23-24)
  • Series 13: Printed Materials, 1930-2008 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 24-25, 27, 31, OV 28, OV 29)
  • Series 14: Scrapbooks, 1947-1969 (0.3 linear feet; Box 25, OV 30)
  • Series 15: Artwork, 1947-2000 (0.1 linear foot; Box 26, 27)
  • Series 16: Photographs, 1930s-2004 (0.9 linear feet; Box 26, 27)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The New York Artists Equity Association (originally the Artists Equity Association) was created in 1947 to promote and support living American artists. Nine prominent New York artists founded the organization and elected Yasuo Kuniyoshi as the organization's first president. The original membership included 160 well-known American artists, but by the end of its first year, membership had grown to over one thousand. By the 1950s, the organization had grown into an influential national organization. Past and present members have included Milton Avery, Will Barnet, Romare Bearden, George Biddle, Isabel Bishop, Robert Blackburn, Paul Cadmus, Charles Burchfield, Stuart Davis, Jose de Creeft, Elaine and Willem de Kooning, Leon Golub, Chaim Gross, Rockwell Kent, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Alice Neel, Isamu Noguchi, Jules Olitski, Philip Pearlstein, Henry Varnum Poor, Charles Scheeler, Ben Shahn, David Smith, Frank Stella, Andrew Wyeth, and many others.
In 1959, the New York Chapter, with more members than all of the other states combined, re-organized into the New York Artists Equity Association. The Association maintained it own gallery, Broome Street Gallery, from 1991-2011. The organization remains active today and is located in SoHo.

Administration

Author
Barbara Aikens and Kelly Nolte
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records were donated to the Archives of American Art by the New York Artists Equity Association in several increments between 1980-2016.
Processing Information
Multiple accretions were merged and processed by Kelly Nolte in 2014-2015 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Born-digital materials were processed in 2019 by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
New York Artists Equity Association records, 1920-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Use of audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arts organizations -- New York (State) Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hasen, Burt Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists Welfare Fund Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Simon, Sidney, 1917-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newman, Elias, 1903- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hayter, Stanley William, 1901-1988 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Refregier, Anton, 1905- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sandler, Irving, 1925- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sloan, John, 1871-1951 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Phillips, Helen, 1913- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reeves, Ruth, 1892-1966 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fuller, Sue (1914-2006) Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Concholar, Dan, 1939- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Marinoff, Elaine Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
deLisser, Carolyn Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Stirton, Laura Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Laufman, Sidney, 1891- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Bank (U.S.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rothschild, Lincoln, 1902- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smart, Bill Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smith, David, 1906-1965 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Millman, Edward, 1907-1964 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kotik, Charlotte Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cohen, Jean Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Phillips, Renée Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
O'Hanlon, Richard E. (Richard Emmett), 1906-1985 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Carswell, Mary Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Golub, Leon, 1922-2004 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newman, Arnold, 1918-2006 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fiene, Ernest, 1894- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Teller, Susan Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Walker, Hudson D. (Hudson Dean), 1907-1976 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hall, Nan Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Diener, Bert Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Knight, Gwendolyn Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Poroner, Palmer Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gross, Chaim, 1904-1991 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Goulet, Lorrie, 1925- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Broome Street Gallery Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Searles, Charles Robert, 1937-2004 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zaleski, Jean Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gillespie, Dorothy, 1920-2012 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gussow, Roy, 1918-2011 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kramer, Hilton Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mandel, Howard, 1917-1999 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Facci, Domenico, 1916-1994 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Babin, Angela Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ashford, Doug Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Karp, Ivan C., 1926-2012 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Avery, Frances Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Morris, George L. K., 1905-1975 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Steinbaum, Bernice Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Marxer, Donna, 1934- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kertess, Klaus Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brodski, Judith Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bolotsky, Marvin Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Winters, Denny Sonke, 1907-1985 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gussow, Alan, 1931-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bibro, Denise Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wayne, June, 1918-2011 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Berger, Ted Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lipsky, Eleanor Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Waterson, Harry Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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