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The Finding Aid of the Michael Several collection on Los Angeles Public Art
0316
0316
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Title: Michael Several collection on Los Angeles Public Art
Collection number: 0316
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
17.0 Linear feet
17 boxes
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1980-2000
Date (inclusive): 1903-2000
Abstract: The Michael Several collection on Los Angeles Public Art consists of materials related to public art in Los Angeles. The collection
dates from 1903-2000 with the bulk of the materials dating from 1980-2000. The collection includes article clippings, public
records, photographs, slides, negatives, memorandums, brochures, art event notices, meeting minutes, project proposals, press
releases, and correspondence about public art (murals, paintings, sculptures, etc.) in and around Los Angeles County.
creator:
Several, Michael
The collection consists of materials focusing on public art in Los Angeles, California. The documentation covers public art
projects, individual buildings, downtown areas, interviews with artists, and general topics such as murals and art. The materials
consist of newspaper and magazine articles, public records, photographs, slides, negatives, memorandums, brochures, art event
notices, meeting minutes, project proposals, press releases, and correspondence from public agencies, in particular, the Community
Redevelopment Agency. Also included, is ephemera, articles, and documents compiled by the Los Angeles Public Library, the
Research Library at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the UCLA Art Library. Lastly, there are personal records pertaining
to grant applications, drafts of the text from three published guide books, correspondence with artists relating to the accuracy
of the text, and documents concerning the sale and distribution of the guides.
The collection was given in multiple installments by Michael Several between 2000 and 2010.
Michael Warren Several was born in Mt. Kisco, New York in 1941 and moved to California at the age of five. He graduated from
the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and continued his education at
San Jose State University where he received his teaching credential. Several taught in high school for a number of years and
also worked as an insurance underwriter. In 1975, he took a position as a legal assistant at the law firm of McCutchen, Black,
Verleger and Shea. Eventually, Several turned his interests to artwork and became a writer and historian specializing in the
public art of downtown Los Angeles. He conducted extensive research that included over 200 interviews with artists, architects,
city planners, and art administrators in connection with research on the public art in Los Angeles, California.
In 1986, Several formed Urban Art, Inc., a non-profit organization designed to initiate and coordinate projects related to
outdoor art located in an urban context. The organization promoted awareness of outdoor public art by sponsoring exhibits
and lectures, producing publications, offering educational programs, and encouraging artist involvement in the process of
urban design. In addition to Several's duties as president of the organization, he also prepared and led tours to public art
sites in downtown Los Angeles, Civic Center, Little Tokyo, and the Bunker Hill areas. The tours explored the relationship
between public art and urban design, architecture, politics, social and cultural history.
In 1990, Several received a cultural grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, for publishing a
series of guides to the public art of Los Angeles. Several went on to publish multiple guides in relation to public art work
in Los Angeles:
The Eastern Half of the Civic Center, El Pueblo Historical Monument and its Adjacent Freeway Murals (1991),
Little Tokyo (1994),
A Guide to the Public Art in Lincoln Part in East Los Angeles, and
A Guide to 25 of the Most Significant Works on Public Sculpture Located in Los Angeles County.
In addition, Urban Art, Inc. received a grant from the National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property to identify
and conduct a condition survey report by professional conservators of the most significant works of outdoor public sculpture
in Los Angeles County. Several served as the historian for the project and helped identify 29 public artworks that should
be preserved. Several has written articles for the
Public Art Review, the Los Angeles Conservancy organization, and more than 170 comprehensive entries for the web site
Public Art in Los Angeles: http://www.publicartinla.com. He has also served as a board member for the Los Angeles Mural Conservancy and the Society
of Architectural Historians/Southern California Chapter.
[Box/folder# or item name], Michael Several collection on Los Angeles Public Art, Collection no. 0316, Regional History Collections,
Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Davis, Alonzo -- Archives
Davy, Woods, 1949- -- Archives
Garcia, Margaret -- Archives
Ruscha, Edward -- Archives
Several, Michael -- Archives
Art, American--20th century--Archival resources
Art--Study and teaching--United States--Archival resources
Brochures
Chinatown (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Archival resources
City planning--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Clippings
Correspondence
Ephemera
Little Tokyo (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.)--Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.)--History--Archival resources
Memorandums
Minutes
Mural painting and decoration--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Negatives (photographic)
Photographs
Press releases
Public art spaces--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Public art--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Sculpture--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources
Slides (photographs)