Archives of American Art

Excuse my dust [art original] / Sarah Seager

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.seagsara
Creators:
Seager, Sarah, 1958-
Dates:
1992-1993
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
64 p. + microfilm reel
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Seager's conceptual work of art, "Excuse My Dust" consists of letters (43 p.) from 1937 to and from George Watson Cole, first librarian of the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif; letters from Virginia Ledesma, who found the letters, to the Seager household and to Gretchen Seager, 1991-1992, and Sarah Seager's correspondence with Paul Karlstrom and Stephen Polcari, 1992 of the Archives of American Art, where she describes the art work as a "project [which] explores the question of historical value, the designation of such value, and the notion of personal history."Cole's correspondence relates primarily to the illness of his wife, Laura.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Conceptual artist; Pasadena, Calif.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1992-1993 by Sarah Seager, a conceptual artist. It was Virginia Ledesma who found the Cole correspondence while her husband was working on the home of Michael Eck, grandson of Ada and Moulton [Adams], Laura Cole's sister. She mailed the letters to the Cole's address in Pasadena should any of the descendents reside there; however the house was occupied by the Seager family. Gretchen Seager passed them to her daughter, Sarah, who appropriated them to create a piece of conceptual art which she titled "Excuse My Dust," which she donated to the Archives of American Art as her work/papers. The material was sent to Seager on a temporary basis in order for her to have them microfilmed, also as part of her piece.

Using the Collection

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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Conceptual art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Conceptual artists Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cole, George Watson, 1850-1939 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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