Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- New Langton Arts
- Extent:
- 170 linear ft. Linear Feet 129 cartons, 23 boxes, 6 oversize boxes, 9 oversized folders
- Language:
- English .
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Included are all the business documents of the organization (contracts, correspondence, publicity materials, development files etc.) Documentation of gallery exhibitions and performances, including fundraising events includes planning and installation documents, correspondence, contracts, promotional material, and photographs. Audio and some video recordings of many gallery performances will be reformatted digitally for preservation in the future. Also included are oversized materials (primarily promotional posters), and born-digital material.
Accession 2012-211: Contains announcements, fliers, catalogs, postcards, brochures, other printed material 1975-2008 (bulk 1990s) and has been processed as an addendum to the bulk of the collection.
- Biographical / historical:
-
New Langton Arts was an artist-run organization operating in San Francisco from 1975-2010, presenting contemporary work including visual works, installations, film/video and music performances. The aim of New Langton was to provide an "alternative to the art museum and art gallery structure to offer another method for introducing the young artists to the community by providing public exhibition space for their work. Additionally, it was intended that the exhibition facility will be used for such community events as art performances, video presentations, lectures, panel discussions, music and dance performances and poetry readings".
The general concept of the organization was conceived in January 1975. Programming began in May 1975 - application forms for use of the space were distributed to various dealers and members of the art community. The first exhibition was by Peter D'Agostino (SF) whose video exhibit entitled "The Walk Series: Video Documentations of Actions, 1973-1974" opened on July 12, 1975.
Originally located at 80 Langton St. in San Francisco, the gallery relocated to 1246 Folsom St. in 1983.
The gallery was supported financially by contributions from the community, including board members and area artists, as well by grant funding from an array of sources from the San Francisco Arts Commission to the National Endowment for the Arts to private foundations. Additionally they held several prominent fundraisers - Fashion Shows, Awards Shows, and an annual year-end Artists Auction and Store.
The gallery remained busy throughout its existence, maintaining a running schedule of exhibitions along with several events (lectures, music performances, readings) per week. Funding began to falter in the 2000s, which along with economically driven changes in the art scene in San Francisco led to the eventual closure of New Langton Arts. Executive Director Sandra Percival resigned in 2009, which began the process of dissolution, finalizing in 2011.
- Acquisition information:
- Purchase, 2012. Accession 2012-143 and 2012-211.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Audio and visual materials will only be available as digital surrogates.
- Terms of access:
-
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/spc/using-collections/permission-publish.
- Location of this collection:
-
Department of Special Collections, Green Library557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305-6004, US
- Contact:
- (650) 725-1022