Spark (Clare) Interviews with Artists, Curators, and Intellectuals, 1968-1981

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Summary

Title:
Clare Spark interviews with artists, curators, and intellectuals
Dates:
1968-1981
Creators:
Truffaut, François, Lennon, John, 1940-1980, KPFK (Radio station : Los Angeles, Calif.), Barthelme, Donald, 1907-1996, Chicago, Judy, 1939-, Geldzahler, Henry, Blum, Irving, , 1930-, Spark, Clare, Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008, Kaprow, Allan, Haacke, Hans, 1936-, Merleau-Ponty, Maurice, 1908-1961, and Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997
Abstract:
A collection of audio tapes from radio programs produced and hosted by Clare Spark. Spark's radio programs engaged with leading figures in the art world, covering broad issues as well as events of particular concern to the Southern California arts community.
Extent:
8.8 Linear Feet (11 boxes)
Language:
Collection material is in English.
Preferred citation:

Clare Spark interviews with artists, curators, and intellectuals, 1968-1981, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2010.M.91.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2010m91

Background

Scope and content:

The collection is comprised of audiocassette tapes and 1/4 inch audiotape on 7- and 10- inch reels. The tapes in the collection are surviving copies of the finished radio broadcasts as well as unedited interviews conducted by Clare Spark. Between 1969 and 1981 Clare Spark produced radio shows (many under the title of The Sour Apple Tree) for KPFK-FM. Her programming interests included topics in the arts as well as history, politics, and music. Spark's radio program engaged with intellectuals and leading figures in the art world on her radio programs, including Irving Blum, Hans Haacke, Roy Lichtenstein, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Donald Barthelme, Allan Kaprow, Judy Chicago, François Truffaut, John Lennon, Robert Rauschenberg, Henry Geldzahler among others. Programs often focused on individual figures and on subjects including the Art Workers Coalition, the founding of the Woman's Building, the closing of Ferus Gallery, the activities of museum boards, the rise of Feminism and media studies as disciplines, and the public reception of major exhibitions.

Biographical / historical:

Clare Spark was born in 1937 in New York City. She received a bachelors degree from Cornell University in 1958 and went on to receive graduate degrees from Harvard and UCLA in education and history respectively. From 1969 through 1998 she produced hundreds of radio programs on the politics of the art world for Los Angeles Pacifica station KPFK. One program, The Sour Apple Tree, aired weekly during the 1970s, addressing issues on the politics of culture. In 1980 she produced and hosted The Afternoon Air on KPFK, a daily (weekday) three-hour montage of news, public affairs features, documentaries, music, and interviews. Spark was Program Director for the radio station between 1981 and 1982.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Clare Spark. Acquired in 2010.
Processing information:

The original inventory was made by Annette Doss in 2012. Laura Schroffel encoded the finding aid, completed processing, and enhanced the description of the collection in 2014.

Arrangement:

Materials are arranged chronologically. Undated materials are arranged alphabetically by show title or provided description. Dates given are mostly the broadcast dates. Specific broadcast dates and recording dates are included in the notes when available. Titles were transcribed from labels or derived from handwritten notes.

Physical location:
Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Laura Schroffel
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-05-28 08:37:22 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Audio tapes are unavailable until reformatted. Contact the repository for information regarding access.

Terms of access:

Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.

Preferred citation:

Clare Spark interviews with artists, curators, and intellectuals, 1968-1981, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2010.M.91.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2010m91

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
Website