Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Murals of Aztlán Film Production Records, 1981, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.tartjame
Creators:
Tartan, James, 1931-
Dates:
1981
Languages:
Collection is in English.
Physical Description:
5.1 Linear feet
Repository:
The
Murals of Aztlán
Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The
Murals of Aztlán
Film Production Records measures 5.1 linear feet and consists of film footage, sound recordings, and notes from the documentary produced by James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles in 1981. Film and sound elements in the collection include original sound recordings, work print, outtakes, and trims. Also found are production notes, museum memorandums concerning the exhibition schedule, and a transcript of a recorded conversation among muralists.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Collection arranged as 5 series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Exhibition and Production Notes, 1981 (8 folders; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Work Print and Soundtrack, 1981 (2.6 linear feet; Box 3, FC 1-30)
  • Series 3: Sound Recordings, 1981 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)
  • Series 4: Voiceover Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 31-39)
  • Series 5: Trims and Outtakes, 1981 (0.9 linear feet; FC 40-48)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Murals of Aztlán
is a documentary film produced by actor and filmmaker James Tartan during the exhibition Murals of Aztlán: the Street Painters of East Los Angeles held at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, California in 1981. For the exhibition, artists Carlos Almaraz, Gronk, Judithe Hernandez, Willie Herron, Frank Romero, John Valadez and the East Los Streetscrapers (David Botello, Wayne Healy, George Yepes) painted portable murals in the gallery, which was open to the public during the installation of the work. The filmmaker and his crew interviewed the artists involved in the exhibition for the film, filmed the artists creating murals in the gallery, and also filmed the public viewing the artists working and the murals themselves.
James Tartan was born in 1931 and worked as a filmmaker, actor, and voiceover artist. In addition to
Murals of Aztlán
, Tartan created a documentary film about the 1974 Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibition Los Four, and has been credited with training many Chicano filmmakers in the 1970s.

Administration

Author
Megan McShea
Separated Materials
Additional production material from the documentary
Murals of Aztlán
, including a final print, is found in the James Tartan Film Collection, 1960-1985, held at the UCLA Chicano Research Center.
Processing Information
Motion picture film reels were inspected and re-housed in 2016-2017 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Original film containers were photographed and discarded as collection material was stabilized in archival film cans. Motion picture film was processed by Jennifer Graves, and the entire collection was arranged and described by Megan McShea in 2017.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by James Tartan, the filmmaker, in 1988.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Murals of Aztlán
film production records, 1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Transcripts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muralists -- California -- Los Angeles -- Interviews Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- California -- Los Angeles Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Street art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mexican American art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Motion pictures (visual works) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mexican American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicano artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Craft and Folk Art Museum Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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