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Finding Aid for the Southern California Designer Crafts records, 1957-1982
1837
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Title: Southern California Designer Crafts records
Date (inclusive): 1957-1982
Collection number: 1837
Creator:
Southern California Designer Crafts
Extent:
4 document boxes (2 linear ft.)
Abstract: Records of the contemporary craft organization, Southern California Designer Crafts (SCDC), from its founding in 1957 through
1982. A nonprofit organization, SCDC supported cooperation, networking, and critical dialog among craftspeople; the professional
development of craft artists; and education about craft art. The collection includes SCDC's administrative documents pertaining
to its affiliation with craft and trade organizations, juries and standards, exhibitions, publicity, membership, meetings,
governance, and financial documents.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library,
Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of
the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC
Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
After Southern California Designer Crafts was disbanded, its files were given to the Edith R. Wyle Research Library of the
Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM), and then were transferred, along with the CAFAM records, to the UCLA Library in 1998.
Processed by Linda Klouzal in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Joan Benedetti and
Kelley Wolfe Bachli, 2009.
[Identification of item], Southern California Designer Crafts records (Collection Number 1837). Department of Special Collections,
Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Southern California Designer Crafts (SCDC) was a nonprofit artists' guild active in Los Angeles. When it was founded in 1957,
its name was Southern California Designer Craftsmen. SCDC sought to facilitate cooperation among craftspeople, the professional
development of craft artists, and public education and research in crafts. Their programs were aimed at increasing social
contact between craftspeople and the opportunity for artists to exchange technological, business, and professional information
regarding exhibiting, selling, teaching, and producing crafts. They sponsored exhibits of craft work, films, workshops, demonstrations,
lectures, and discussions. SCDC was affiliated with local, regional, and national craft organizations, which included the
American Craft Council and Artists for Economic Action. SCDC also coordinated efforts with such organizations as the California
State Craft Congress and the California Visual Artists' Alliance to secure legislation on behalf of the arts. Membership was
originally limited to artists chosen by jury, but later became open to anyone involved in craft art.
The Southern California Designer Crafts (SCDC) Records include administrative documents pertaining to the following: memberships
in craft and trade organizations; correspondence; minutes for committee, membership, and recording secretary board meetings;
exhibition papers, including catalogs; financial and tax documents; governance; publicity and sales; and projects and events.
SCDC meeting minutes and by-laws contain discussions of many aspects of the organization and its objectives including information
about the governmental structure of SCDC; the professional development of artists; the definition of craft; art education;
pricing for artists' works; ethics; and art standards. Of special interest are documents pertaining to SCDC's efforts with
its affiliated organizations to increase governmental support for the arts in California. The California Visual Alliance folder
contains information on efforts to promote artists' input into governance for the arts including references to specific legislation.
At a Visual Arts Conference in 1975 artists throughout California gathered for the first time to formulate policy for presentation
to the state legislature regarding artists' economic needs. Two months later, then Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. agreed to
sponsor a bill creating a new State Arts Council composed of artists.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Southern California Designer Crafts.
The Southern California Designer Crafts Records, along with the Mandell Gallery Records, were given to the Craft and Folk
Art Museum. When the Craft and Folk Art Museum Records were donated to and processed at UCLA, three collections were created:
Southern California Designer Crafts Records, Mandell Gallery Records, and the Craft and Folk Art Museum Records. For a complete
description of the Mandell Gallery
Records and the Craft and Folk Art Museum Records, please see separate finding aids under these titles.