Finding aid for the L.A. Artists for Survival records relating to Target L.A.,
1981-1984
Trang Dang
Descriptive Summary
Title: L.A. Artists for Survival records relating to Target L.A.
Date (inclusive): 1981-1984, undated
Number: 2017.M.46
Creator/Collector:
L.A. Artists For
Survival
Physical Description:
6.97 Linear Feet
(13 boxes, 2 flatfile folders)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: The collection documents anti-nuclear war festivals in 1982 and
1983 organized by L.A. Artists for Survival, one of the later generation of artists' groups
to emerge from the Los Angeles Woman's Building. The materials show the evolution of the
festival's development and execution, and comprise largely administrative and production
files, photographic documentation, and ephemera.
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials
described in this inventory through the
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Language: Collection material is in English.
Biographical / Historical
Target L.A.: The Art of Survival was conceived as an anti-nuclear art and music festival by
the L.A. Artists for Survival (LAAFS), which formed when David Lumian, the president of the
Alliance for Survival, approached the political artist Lee Waisler to encourage artists'
engagement in the nuclear disarmament movement. In January 1982, LAAFS held their first
meeting and received an overwhelming response with over 100 artists in attendance. In the
ensuing months, LAAFS' network expanded to over 300 artists. In addition to coordinating the
anti-nuclear artists' group Sisters of Survival's performance "Shovel Defense" in May 1982,
LAAFS collaborated with the Asian Pacific Americans for Nuclear Awareness and Asian
Americans for Nuclear Disarmament to produce the two-day art and music festival Target L.A.:
The Art of Survival, held on the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The
event, held at a two-level parking structure on the corner of Alameda and 3rd Street in
Little Tokyo, featured art installations and performances by Mother Art, The Waitresses,
UNARM, and others, as well as musical and spoken-word performances, "games of nuclear
chance" such as "Pin the Lawsuit on the Reactor" and "Kiss the Bombs Goodbye," children's
activities, and the "Fallout Fashion" show.
A second event was held in 1983 at Brookside Park in Pasadena, with an expansion in time,
space, and theme. Artist Cheri Gaulke, known for her role in the feminist art movement in
southern California, served as the project coordinator for both events; her involvement with
Target L.A. was a direct outgrowth of her work with the Sisters of Survival (SOS), which
originated with the Woman's Building, a non-profit arts and education center that operated
in Los Angeles between 1973 and 1991.
Sources:
John Tain, Acquisition Approval Form for "Target L.A.: The Art of Survival (1982-1983)
Archives, 1982-1983, accession no. 2017.M.46," May 16, 2016.
L.A. Artists for Survival records relating to Target L.A., accession no. 2017.M.46,
"History and Organizational Structure," 1982, Box 4, Folder 11.
L.A. Artists for Survival records relating to Target L.A., accession no. 2017.M.46, Press
kit, 1983, Box 5, Folder 13.
Administrative Information
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers. Audiovisual material unavailable until
reformatted.
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
L.A. Artists for Survival records relating to Target L.A., 1981-1984, The Getty Research
Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2017.M.46.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2017m46
Acquisition Information
Gift of Cheri Gaulke, L.A. Artists for Survival. Acquired in 2017.
Processing History
Trang Dang processed the collection and wrote the finding aid in 2019 under the supervision
of Kit Messick. The finding aid was revised by Kit Messick.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services,
ST-03-17-0007-17.
Related Archival Materials
Woman's Building records, 1973-1991, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no.
2017.M.43
Mother Art records, 1973-2017, undated, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles,
Accession no. 2017.M.60
Sisters of Survival records, 1981-1985, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles,
Accession no. 2017.M.47
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection documents the activities surrounding the production of the 1982 and 1983
Target L.A. festivals. Administrative and production files comprise the bulk of the
collection; also present are financial and legal documents, clippings, promotional material,
ephemera, and photographic documentation.
Arrangement
Arranged in two series:
Series I. 1982 event, 1981-1983;
Series II. 1983 event, 1981-1984.
Indexing Terms
Subjects - Topics
Artists -- California -- Los Angeles
Art festivals -- California
Artists -- Political activity -- Los Angeles -- California -- 20th
century
Nuclear disarmament--Citizen participation
Art and nuclear warfare
Genres and Forms of Material
Black-and-white negatives
Black-and-white photographs -- 20th century
Clippings (information artifacts)
Color prints (photographs)
Color slides -- 20th century
Open reel audiotapes
Photographs, Original
Printed ephemera -- California
Contributors
L.A. Artists For
Survival
Gaulke, Cheri
Woman's Building
(Los Angeles, Calif.)
Series I. 1982 event,
1981-1983
Physical Description:
3 Linear
Feet
(6 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The inaugural Target L.A.: The Art of Survival was a series of anti-nuclear events and
exhibitions culminating in a major multimedia art festival on the anniversary of the
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, held August 6-9, 1982. The "target" was a two-level
free-standing parking lot in downtown Los Angeles. Activities included carnival games
designed by artists, live performances, art exhibitions, and film and video screenings.
Off-site gallery exhibitions, poetry readings, and an evening of theater were produced
concurrently.
Series I documents various operational, financial, and promotional activities leading
up to the festival, as well as photographic documentation of the event itself.
Administrative and production files comprise working notes, a small selection of artist
and performer files, committee files, event timelines, and other operational
documentation; financial files contain bank statements, reports, receipts, and related
material; publicity files predominantly contain ephemera, photographic documentation,
clippings, and press material.
Arrangement
The series is arranged topically into three groupings: Administrative and production
files; financial files; and publicity files. Materials in these groupings are arranged
alphabetically.
Administrative and production files,
1981-1983, undated
Box 1, Folder 3
Community organization booths,
1982
Box 1, Folder 4
Correspondence,
1982-1983
Box 1, Folder 8
Graphics,
1982
Scope and Content Note
One black-and-white transparency moved to Box 9.
Box 1, Folder 9
"Manifesto and music score,"
1981-1982
Box 1, Folder 13
Performance committee,
1982
Box 1, Folder 15
Programming,
1982
Scope and Content Note
Three black-and-white photographs were moved to Box 7.
Box 1, Folder 16
Related projects,
1982-1983
Box 1, Folder 17
"Stationery, old,"
undated
Box 2, Folder 3
"Working notes to do,"
1982
Financial files,
1981-1983
Box 2, Folder 6
"Aug 7+8 Income Rough Notes,"
1982
Box 2, Folder 12
L.A. Artists For Survival financial documents,
1981-1982
Scope and Content Note
Contains budgets, expense reports, and financial reports for 1981 and 1982.
Box 2, Folder 13
Liberty Hill Foundation,
1982-1983
Publicity files,
1981-1983
Box 3, Folder 2
Alliance for Survival publications,
1981-1983
box 11, reel 1-2
Art of Survival audio reels,
1982
Scope and Content Note
2 audiotape reels of 2 : analog ; 7 in., 1/4 in. tape.
On box: Art of Survival 8/4 mtg preview / Target L.A. 1982. Original housing in box
6, folder 1.
Audiovisual material unavailable until reformatted.
Box 3, Folder 4
Ephemera,
1982
Scope and Content Note
Contains fliers, postcards, programs, brochures, and other material generated to
promote Target L.A. events.
Photographic documentation,
undated
box 9
Black-and-white contact sheets
Scope and Content Note
Additional contact sheets can be found in Box 7.
box 7
Black-and-white negatives,
undated
box 7
Black-and-white photographs,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Also contains several black-and-white contact sheets; additional contact sheets
can be found in Box 9.
Box 3, Folder 6-8
Press clippings,
1981-1983
Box 4, Folder 1
Public relations notes,
1982
box 6, folder 1
Original housing for audio reel,
1982
Scope and Content Note
Only one original box was recieved with the collection.
box 12
Commemorative brick,
1982
Scope and Content Note
Standard construction brick stamped with the following inscription: "Witness the
annihilation of living room as 10 tons of bricks crash down from 5 stories (sic)
above. Sunday 6/16/82. 3rd Street & Alameda. -- Lee Waisler"
Series II. 1983 event,
1981-1984
Physical Description:
3 Linear
Feet
(6 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Target L.A. 2 took place from 20 to 25 September, 1983, in the former Pasadena
Community Arts Center in Brookside Park. The second festival evolved in time, space and
theme from two days in 1982 to a full week in 1983, and matured from the downtown
parking structure to four buildings with courtyard gardens. The anti-nuclear theme was
expanded to examine the causes of nuclear threat as well as the effects of the arms race
at home. The 1983 event was designed as a temporary museum featuring games, art
exhibitions, a souvenir shop, and entertainment including live music, video, and
stand-up comedy, as well as film screenings, performance art, and children's activities.
The festival kicked off with a press gala and event preview; the next three days'
programming presented issues surrounding nuclear war, nuclear disarmament and the arms
race through both global views and individual perspectives. Beyond reflecting on the
devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the 1983 event addressed more specific themes,
such as the deployment of cruise and Pershing missiles in Western Europe, weapons
testing in the South Pacific, the connection between Central America and United States
preparedness for nuclear war, "the war at home," and the effects of nuclear
industrialization on the daily lives of Americans. In addition to the experience at the
festival site was a concurrent carnival of related local weekend events, exhibits and
attractions.
As with Series I, Series II documents various operational, financial, and promotional
activities leading up to the festival, as well as photographic documentation of the
event itself. Administrative and production files comprise working notes,
correspondence, committee files, and other practical documentation; financial files
contain bank statements, reports, receipts, and related material; publicity files
predominantly include ephemera, photographic documentation, clippings, and press
material.
Arrangement
The series is arranged topically into three groupings: administrative and production
files; financial files; and publicity files. Materials in these groupings are arranged
alphabetically.
Administrative and production files,
1981-1983
Box 4, Folder 2
Brookside Park,
1983
Scope and Content Note
One black-and-white photographs was moved to Box 7.
Box 4, folder 5
Dennis Brutus Defense Committee,
1983, undated
Box 4, folder 11
History and organizational structure,
1982
Box 4, folder 15
Media - film and video,
1982-1983
Box 4, Folder 16
Membership and meeting notes,
1982-1983
Box 4, Folder 17
Miscellaneous notes,
1983, undated
box 5, Folder 1
Music,
1981-1983
Scope and Content Note
Four black-and-white photographs were moved to Box 7.
box 5, Folder 2
Seneca Falls Women's Peace Camp,
1983
box 5, Folder 3
Target L.A. maze,
1981-1983
box 5, Folder 4
Timeline and budget,
1982-1983
Financial files,
1983-1984
box 5, Folder 6
Bank statements,
1983-1984
box 6, folder 2
Canceled checks,
1983-1984
Scope and Content Note
Checks represent expenses paid by L.A Artists for Survival/Alliance for Survival as
part of the 1983 event.
Publicity files,
1982-1984, undated
Box 4, folder 6-7
Ephemera,
1982-1983, undated
Scope and Content Note
Contains fliers, postcards, programs, brochures, and other material generated to
promote Target L.A. events.
box 13
L.A. Artists for Survival jump suit,
undated
Flatfile 1**
"Tourist Guide to Target L.A." poster,
1983
box 6
No Nukes badges,
undated
Scope and Content Note
1" and 2-1/4" metal pinback badges featuring two "No Nukes" designs.
Photographic documentation,
undated
box 9
Black-and-white contact sheets,
Scope and Content Note
Additional contact sheets are present in Box 7.
box 7
Black-and-white negatives
box 7
Black-and-white photographs and proofs,
box 5, Folder 14
Press releases,
1982-1984
box 10
"A View from Three-Mile Island" calendar,
1984
Scope and Content Note
Photographed and produced by Lisa Lewenz.
