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Archives of American Art
Oral history interview with Laurie Simmons
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.simmon17
- Creators:
-
Simmons, LaurieLyon, Christopher
- Dates:
-
2017 May 25-September 27
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
4 Itemssound files (2 hrs., 41 min.) Audiodigital, wav54 PagesTranscript
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview with Laurie Simmons conducted 2017 May 25 and September 27 by Christopher Lyon, for the Archives of American Art, at Simmons' home and studio in Brooklyn, New York.
Scope and Contents
Simmons speaks of her childhood and adolescence in Great Neck, New York; early exposure to photography; attending Tyler School of Art and studying in Rome; renting a loft in New York with Jimmy DeSana in 1973; attending formative exhibitionsin the mid-1970s; beginning her body of photographic artwork in 1976; forming social bonds with other artists in New York; "girl parties" and openings in the 1980s with Gretchen Bender, Jennifer Bolande, Nancy Dwyer, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, and others; the trajectory of her body of work's subject matter; becoming a mother; her ambivalence toward engaging with critical theory; the cinematic urge in her early work, later realized in her work as a filmmaker; the current stage of her career; and her burgeoning interest in Internet culture. Simmons also recalls Deborah Turbeville, Sarah Charlesworth, Carroll Dunham, Mel Bochner, Dorothea Rockburne, Barry Le Va, Tara Suzuki, Rosalie Onorato, Ellen Brooks, and others.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Laurie Simmons is a photographer, filmmaker, and artist in New York, New York. Christopher Lyon (1949- ) is a writer in Brooklyn, New York.
Administration
Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation.
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
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire audio recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
System Details
Recorded on Tascam DR-100MKII R000330.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Filmmakers -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Women artists | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Women photographers | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Sound recordings | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Women filmmakers | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions