Joan Brigham (Archive of two journals, a personal handmade art book, and various notes and studies, circa 1984-1992)
- N.p.: N.p., 1992
N.p.: N.p., 1992. Archive of two journals, one drawing journal and one writing journal, a personal handmade art book, and a tracing paper pad, circa 1984-1992. Laid in are six pages of notes and a copy of a self-published book by Brigham, "Kinetic Glass Work: A Portfolio," circa 2010.
Joan Brigham is an artist, art historian, and former fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Brigham is best known for her pioneering use of steam in her environmental sculptures, and created the steam and water lines for the seminal CAVS collaborative work, "Centerbeam," at the 1977 documenta 6 in Kasel, Germany.
A vibrant archive of the artist's personal and professional life and work during a notable period of productivity and growth.
The drawing journal, a generic National Blank Book, contains approximately 85 pages of sketches, notes, and proposals on the rectos and the versos, has a label to the top edge of the front board noting "Various Drawings + Notes 1980's," and "Bringham / Sept '84" written on the first leaf. The journal appears to primarily cover from September 1984 to 1986, a notably productive incipient period of the artist's career, during which time Brigham was Artist-In-Residence as the Massachusetts College of Art (1984-1985) as well as being an instructor and assistant professor at Emerson College (1971-1985).
The drawing journal includes sketches, studies, notes, proposals, as well as materials and costs, for proposed and completed solo and group projects including "Steamshuffle" (1985), "Zodiac" (1985), "Tanner Fountain" (1985), "Lift-off for Christa" (1987), "Fortune Teller," "Steamwhistles for Flint," a piece utilizing a timed toy steam train on a spiral elevated platform, "The Elevator" (a sound piece in a train cab), and various other kinetic glass, steam, and fabric pieces.
The writing journal, a generic Campus ruled pad, contains notes and drawings on the versos and the rectos of 31 pages, and is noted on the first leaf as "March 9 '84," and appears to primarily cover 1984 to 1986. The majority of the entries are undated, or dated only by the day and month, the exceptions being "3-11-85," "April '85," "7/11/86," and an outlier nearing the back of the journal in a more angular hand, dated "October 2012." A highly personal journal, the entries detail the artist's private thoughts and concerns, as well as documenting various art projects and proposals, lectures, a trip to France Brigham made in May of 1985 or 1986 (with laid in dried flowers), and includes seven pages of sketches and schematics of working pieces. The 2012 outlier entry is entitled "Water Symposium October 2012," and is on the recto and verso of one leaf nearing the end of the journal's entries.
The fifteen-page handmade art book, circa 1992, is a whimsical and amusing assemblage of collage and text, documenting the artist's return back to the North East after a period in California. The book opens with two photographs of the artist in a blouse and dress with a rose between her teeth with handwritten text in marker, "When I left California ...," concluding on the next page with a picture of the artist in a knit cap and hooded, and the text "to go back-East, it was a real adjustment (to say the least!)." Brigham did however find respite in Boston's steam pipes, dedicating three later leaves of the book to them, "The one thing I really liked about winter were these!," "They were all over Boston and the best art around!" The final leaf of the art book was a photograph of the 1978 multimedia sculpture "Centerbeam" in Washington DC, with the text "Brigham / Centerbeam D.C. 1978 / So I did!." The verso of the final leaf includes the text "Vestiges / Boston/New Orleans / 1992.3.-4-5-6-7 ...... / in friendship and collaboration / Joan Brigham."
The tracing paper pad includes fourteen leaves of studies and schematics in pencil, ink, and marker, with 2 newsprint leaves of studies in ink laid in.
Laid in are two leaves written by Brigham, entitled "Perceiving Landscapes" "J. Epstein," dated "4/12," a note from "M. Helen Pasgian," with notes by Brigham on the verso, a letter from Thomas R. Shearer, Jr. to David Hall (likely Brigham's domestic partner at the time, as a David is mentioned several times in the writing journal), dated "April 22, 1986," with notes in Brigham's hand, and two small sheets of notes in pencil regarding empiricism and mysticism in relation to contemporary culture.
Drawing Journal, 8.75 x 11.25 inches. Very Good, with binding and front board separated, with segments and pages of journal pages detached.
Writing Journal, 7.5 x 9.75 inches. Near Fine overall.
Art Book, 7.75 x 10.25 inches. Near Fine.
Tracing Pad, 9 x 12 inches. Very Good, with light overall toning and some pages separated.
Laid in materials, Near Fine overall.
Kinetic Glass Work book, 8 x 6 inches, perfect bound. Near Fine.
Joan Brigham is an artist, art historian, and former fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Brigham is best known for her pioneering use of steam in her environmental sculptures, and created the steam and water lines for the seminal CAVS collaborative work, "Centerbeam," at the 1977 documenta 6 in Kasel, Germany.
A vibrant archive of the artist's personal and professional life and work during a notable period of productivity and growth.
The drawing journal, a generic National Blank Book, contains approximately 85 pages of sketches, notes, and proposals on the rectos and the versos, has a label to the top edge of the front board noting "Various Drawings + Notes 1980's," and "Bringham / Sept '84" written on the first leaf. The journal appears to primarily cover from September 1984 to 1986, a notably productive incipient period of the artist's career, during which time Brigham was Artist-In-Residence as the Massachusetts College of Art (1984-1985) as well as being an instructor and assistant professor at Emerson College (1971-1985).
The drawing journal includes sketches, studies, notes, proposals, as well as materials and costs, for proposed and completed solo and group projects including "Steamshuffle" (1985), "Zodiac" (1985), "Tanner Fountain" (1985), "Lift-off for Christa" (1987), "Fortune Teller," "Steamwhistles for Flint," a piece utilizing a timed toy steam train on a spiral elevated platform, "The Elevator" (a sound piece in a train cab), and various other kinetic glass, steam, and fabric pieces.
The writing journal, a generic Campus ruled pad, contains notes and drawings on the versos and the rectos of 31 pages, and is noted on the first leaf as "March 9 '84," and appears to primarily cover 1984 to 1986. The majority of the entries are undated, or dated only by the day and month, the exceptions being "3-11-85," "April '85," "7/11/86," and an outlier nearing the back of the journal in a more angular hand, dated "October 2012." A highly personal journal, the entries detail the artist's private thoughts and concerns, as well as documenting various art projects and proposals, lectures, a trip to France Brigham made in May of 1985 or 1986 (with laid in dried flowers), and includes seven pages of sketches and schematics of working pieces. The 2012 outlier entry is entitled "Water Symposium October 2012," and is on the recto and verso of one leaf nearing the end of the journal's entries.
The fifteen-page handmade art book, circa 1992, is a whimsical and amusing assemblage of collage and text, documenting the artist's return back to the North East after a period in California. The book opens with two photographs of the artist in a blouse and dress with a rose between her teeth with handwritten text in marker, "When I left California ...," concluding on the next page with a picture of the artist in a knit cap and hooded, and the text "to go back-East, it was a real adjustment (to say the least!)." Brigham did however find respite in Boston's steam pipes, dedicating three later leaves of the book to them, "The one thing I really liked about winter were these!," "They were all over Boston and the best art around!" The final leaf of the art book was a photograph of the 1978 multimedia sculpture "Centerbeam" in Washington DC, with the text "Brigham / Centerbeam D.C. 1978 / So I did!." The verso of the final leaf includes the text "Vestiges / Boston/New Orleans / 1992.3.-4-5-6-7 ...... / in friendship and collaboration / Joan Brigham."
The tracing paper pad includes fourteen leaves of studies and schematics in pencil, ink, and marker, with 2 newsprint leaves of studies in ink laid in.
Laid in are two leaves written by Brigham, entitled "Perceiving Landscapes" "J. Epstein," dated "4/12," a note from "M. Helen Pasgian," with notes by Brigham on the verso, a letter from Thomas R. Shearer, Jr. to David Hall (likely Brigham's domestic partner at the time, as a David is mentioned several times in the writing journal), dated "April 22, 1986," with notes in Brigham's hand, and two small sheets of notes in pencil regarding empiricism and mysticism in relation to contemporary culture.
Drawing Journal, 8.75 x 11.25 inches. Very Good, with binding and front board separated, with segments and pages of journal pages detached.
Writing Journal, 7.5 x 9.75 inches. Near Fine overall.
Art Book, 7.75 x 10.25 inches. Near Fine.
Tracing Pad, 9 x 12 inches. Very Good, with light overall toning and some pages separated.
Laid in materials, Near Fine overall.
Kinetic Glass Work book, 8 x 6 inches, perfect bound. Near Fine.