Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Joe Overstreet

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.overst10
Creators:
Overstreet, Joe, 1933-2019
Richards, Judith Olch
Dates:
2010 Mar 17-18
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
6 Items
Sound recording, master: 6 memory cards (5 hr., 15 min.)
secure digital
1.25 in.
120 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Joe Overstreet conducted 2010 March 17-18, by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art, at Overstreet's home and studio in New York, N.Y.
Scope and Contents
Overstreet speaks of his family and childhood in Mississippi; introduction to art at a young age and moving to New York City, discovering painting; working at Disney and later Disneyland; studies at the California School of Fine Arts; studio on Grant Ave and the art community of San Francisco; shows with Merton Simpson and Spanierman Gallery LLC; invention of Curvism; interest in social issues and the Civil Rights movement; encounters with Billie Holliday and racial tensions; the evolution of Overstreet's process and style; the history of his paintings destroyed on 9/11; Overstreet also recalls Raymond Howell, Roy O. Disney, Al Williams, Diego Rivera, Bob Kaufman, Sargent Johnson, Merton Simpson, Romare Bearden, Frank Stella, Dominique Menils and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Interviewee Joe Overstreet (1933-2019) was an abstract artist in New York, N.Y. Interviewer Judith Olch Richards (1947- ) is former Executive director of iCI in New York, N.Y.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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
The transcript and recording are open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
African American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil rights Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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