Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Stephen Poleskie Papers and Chiron Press Records, 1961-2020, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.polestep
Creators:
Poleskie, Steve, 1938-
Dates:
1961-2020
bulk 1963-1968
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Linear foot
Repository:
The Stephen Poleskie papers and Chiron Press records measure 1.0 linear feet and date from circa 1961-2020, with the bulk from 1963-1968. Stephen (Steve) Poleskie was a painter and printmaker in New York. From 1963 to 1968 he operated Chiron Press, New York City's first fine art screen printing studio. A bulk of this collection includes business correspondence and financial documents as well as writings, printed materials, photographic materials, and digital video recordings that document Poleskie's own career as an artist as well as the activities of Poleskie's Chiron Press.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Stephen Poleskie papers and Chiron Press records measure 1.0 linear feet and date from circa 1961-2020, with the bulk from 1963-1968. The collection documents Poleskie's own career as an artist as well as the activities of Poleskie's Chiron Press, New York City's first fine art screen printing studio. The collection includes personal and business correspondence with artists, dealers, collectors, and curators; business and financial records; legal documents; notes and writings by Poleskie; clippings, news articles, catalogs, a copy of The Paris Review, preparatory materials for screen prints; photographic materials which includes a photograph of Elaine de Kooning; and digital video recordings related to works by Poleskie.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Stephen (Steve) Poleskie (1938-2019) was a painter and printmaker in New York. From 1963 to 1968 he operated Chiron Press, New York City's first fine art screen printing studio. In 1968, Poleskie sold Chiron Press and became a professor of studio art at Cornell University from 1968 until his retirement in 2000. Poleskie was also a skilled pilot and would create art while flying and trailing smoke, the performance of which he coined, Aerial Theater.

Administration

Author
Lewis Tio
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated in 2022 by Jeanne Mackin, Stephen Poleskie's widow.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Lewis Tio in 2022.

Using the Collection

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.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Preferred Citation
Stephen Poleskie papers and Chiron Press records, 1961-2020. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pilots Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printing industry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chiron Press Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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