Scope and Contents Rogelio Maxwell was born in Panama City, Panama. When he turned nine his mother brought him to Brooklyn, NY, where he was raised, went to school, and eventually attended the college at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). Convinced that he needed to experience life in order to be an artist, he dropped out of art school and made his way to Washington, DC where he would eventually set up a studio. With a background in both visual arts and music, he would eventually combine the two to become a...

Scope and Contents

ARTS DC: CETA and the Arts in the District of Columbia 1977 – 1982 collection contains five audio interviews of ARTS DC artists. The interviews were conducted by Jonetta Rose Barras in 2017. Transcript and indexes are included for all interviews.

Abstract Rhizome DC is one of Washington, D.C.’s experimental arts communities. This project documents the founding of Rhizome DC, how it existed in the space of a multifunctional 2 –story historic house and yard, and what it tried to change in the context of building, displacement, and re-building before new development replaces its historic building. With a long history of artist-run spaces, the District served as fertile ground for a community of non-mainstream artists to come together and start...

Abstract Drawing on art historical background, six African American artists, both native Washingtonians and transplants, give voice to diverse paths toward academic training, career opportunities, and validation as professional artists. These interviews provide insight into how African American artists established support systems that produced opportunities to create, critique, exhibit, and sell work outside of established cultural institutions - museums, galleries, and visual art spaces - that did...

Abstract 'We’re Glad You’re Here' is a community-based oral history project that aims to preserve the memory, artistic urban expressions, and life stories of Mexican migrants who lived or are still living in Washington, D.C., specifically of the neighbors that give life to the Mexican Cultural Institute. Young artists who identify themselves as part of the Mexican or Mexican-American community interviewed their family members from different generations to collect their life migration stories and oral...

Scope and Contents Sheila Crider reflects on her life in the arts. She speaks about growing up in Southeast Washington DC and falling in love with reading as a child. And reflects on how living in Washington, DC, and the black intellectual movements of the 1970s helped to share her literary works. Time abroad in the Peace Corps, switching from literary to visual arts while living in France, time as an apprentice in Japan, and jobs that she took early a supplementary income, such as 10 years posing as an model...

Scope and Contents

The materials in this collection reflect the administrative duties of the management of the The Society of Washington Artists. Materials include: correspondence, programs, meeting minutes (including one bound volume of minutes), the official Society Seal, and exhibition catalogues. Also included in this collection are photocopies of many of the materials. Some of the copies do not have corresponding original documents in this collection. The location of these originals is unknown.

Abstract

Artist Gerardo Camargo interviewed Violeta Bárcenas about her life, family history, and how she arrived to the U.S. Her art is greatly influenced by women, who she often paints, so she talked about this as well. The interview was conducted in Spanish.