Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Bruria Finkel Papers, 1953-2021, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.finkbrur
Creators:
Finkel, Bruria, 1932-
Dates:
1953-2021
Languages:
Collection is in English.
Physical Description:
15.3 Linear feet
83.815 Gigabytes
Repository:
The papers of California artist, curator, and educator Bruria Finkel measure 14.7 linear feet and 83.815 GB, and date from 1953 to 2021. This collection includes biographical materials, correspondence, writings, project files, professional records, exhibition files, artists' files, personal business records, printed and digital materials, photographic materials, and unidentified audiovisual material.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of California artist, curator, and educator Bruria Finkel measure 14.7 linear feet and 83.815 GB, and date from 1953 to 2021. This collection includes biographical materials, correspondence, writings, project files, professional records, exhibition files, artists' files, personal business records, printed and digital materials, photographic materials, and unidentified audiovisual materials.
Biographical materials include curriculum vitae, art portfolios, documents about studios, honors and awards, website designs and contents, travel documents, family-related video recordings, interviews, and miscellaneous items.
The bulk of the correspondence consists of professional correspondence with artists, curators, museums, and galleries about exhibitions. There is some personal correspondence with friends and family.
Writings include an annotated appointment calendar, book proposals, notes, and typescript drafts of statements and articles by Bruria Finkel, along with some writing by others.
Project files include correspondence, proposals, designs, sketches, photographic material, notes, budgets, reports, invoices, and printed and digital materials. Notable projects include the Natural Elements Sculpture Park, Tibet Project, and Verona Hotel Wall.
Professional records document Finkel's feminist and political activities. There are membership records of organizations, councils, and committees in addition to files on symposiums, conferences, workshops, and artist residencies. This series includes reports, correspondence, grant applications, mailing lists, presentations, video cassettes and digital video recordings, and other material.
Exhibition files contain material related to exhibitions that featured Bruria Finkel's work as well as exhibitions she curated. There are press releases, reviews, catalogs, correspondence, photographs, digital photographs, slides, price lists, resumes, videocassettes, and digital video recordings. Major exhibitions include Across Time, Space and The Ages (1992-1993), On Xenophobia and Walls (1997), and Women Artists of Southern California Then and Now (2007).
Artists' files consist of limited correspondence, resumes, photographs, video and sound recordings of interviews, and printed and digital materials.
Personal business records include assorted financial and legal documents such as price lists, sales invoices, contracts, and a financial ledger.
Printed material consists of exhibition catalogs, announcements, clippings, newspapers, magazines, documentaries, and news programs. Some of the materials are in digital format. Most of the material is related to Bruria Finkel, but there is some material on other artists and subjects.
Photographic materials include photographs, digital photographs, and slides. Photographs are of Bruria Finkel, her artwork, projects, and exhibitions. There are some photographs of family, friends, and travel.
Unidentified audiovisual materials contain 4 sound recordings and 4 video recordings that are either unlabeled or include limited written information.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 11 series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1977-2021 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1, 15.89 GB; ER01-ER13
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1953-2020 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)
  • Series 3: Writings, 1978-2021 (0.2 linear feet; Box 4)
  • Series 4: Project Files, 1979-2020 (2.1 linear feet; Boxes 4-6, OV 14, 2.01 GB; ER14-ER20)
  • Series 5: Professional Records, 1971-2019 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 6-7, OV 14, 0.941 GB; ER21-ER22)
  • Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1972-2018 (3.2 linear feet; Boxes 7-10, OV 15, 54.34 GB; ER23-ER49)
  • Series 7: Artists' Files, 1979-2015 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 10-11, 4.47 GB; ER50-ER55)
  • Series 8: Personal Business Records, 1977-2007 (0.2 linear feet; Box 11)
  • Series 9: Printed Materials, 1970-2018 (1 linear feet; Boxes 11-12, OV 15-16, 1.01 GB; ER56-ER58)
  • Series 10: Photographic Materials, circa 1963-2017 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 12-13, 5.18 GB; ER59-ER66)
  • Series 11: Unidentified Audiovisual Materials, 1980s-1990s (1 folder; Box 19)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Bruria Finkel (1932-) is an artist, curator and teacher based in Santa Monica, California.
Bruria Finkel was born in Jerusalem in 1932. She studied animal husbandry at Ayanot Agriculture School and received a teaching degree from Seminar Hakibutzim in Tel Aviv, Israel. In 1953, she married a musician and immigrated to the U.S. Their two daughters were born in New York City. In 1959, she divorced and moved to Santa Monica, California with her children. She later married David Finkel, a civil rights lawyer who went on to become a Superior Court judge, with whom she had a son and daughter.
Finkel works with a variety of mediums including pottery, paper, painting, porcelain, and sculpture. She has exhibited widely and her work has been featured in galleries and museums in California, across the country, and abroad. Major exhibitions include Across Time, Space and The Ages (1992-1993) at the Dusseldorf Stadtmuseum in Germany, On Xenophobia and Walls (1997) at the Mill Gallery in England, and The Complete Aleph Series (2009) at Track 16 Gallery in California.
In addition to being a prolific artist, Finkel also has a successful career as a curator. She has curated major exhibitions featuring artists such as Lita Albuquerque, John Baldessari, and Frank Gehry. Santa Monica Originals (2004-2005), Women Artists of Southern California Then and Now (2007), and Breaking in Two: Provocative Images of Motherhood (2012) are a few of the exhibitions she has curated.
Finkel has a long history of political activism and advocating for women. She helped establish the Santa Monica Arts Commission which is dedicated to creating city art programs. She is also a founding member of the Los Angeles County of Women Artists and Womenspace Gallery in Los Angeles. She continues to be actively involved in the Santa Monica community and art scene.

Administration

Author
Rihoko Ueno
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Bruria Finkel papers were donated in 2015 and 2020-2022 by Bruria Finkel.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Rihoko Ueno in September 2016. Born-digital materials, were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2021 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund. An addition was processed and the finding aid updated by Sarah Mundy in 2023.

Using the Collection

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 audiovisual recordings and born-digital records in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
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.
Preferred Citation
Bruria Finkel papers, 1953-2021. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is temporarily closed to researchers due to archival processing. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Curators -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographers -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Study and teaching Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Political activists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Feminism and art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women photographers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women educators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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