The papers highlight Erenberg's career as a painter, bookmaker, filmmaker, and installation and performance artist. The archive includes correspondence, photographs, and project files documenting Erenberg's exhibition history; relations with artists, curators, and gallerists; and the development of various projects including experimental films, installations, and artists' books.

American artist Sam Erenberg is a painter, bookmaker, filmmaker, and installation and performance artist. Born in 1943, he grew up in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His interest in art began after being inspired by exhibitions of Salvador Dali and hard-edge painting during the early 1960s. He enrolled in the Chouinard Art Institute (now known as the California Institute of the Arts) to study painting in 1965, and it was there that he met his wife, Elena Mary Siff. In 1969, they moved to the artistic community of Topanga Canyon, where Erenberg socialized with musicians and artists including Wallace Berman and George Herms. Inspired by a creative community, Erenberg worked on several films with local artist friends and reinforced his interest in filmmaking.

17 Linear Feet (24 boxes, 2 flatfile folders) and computer media (676 GB [109 files])

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Open for use by qualified researchers, except audiovisual materials, which are unavailable until reformatted, and materials in Box 24, which are sealed until 2066.