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Robert Blanchon Papers and Collection

Call Number

MSS.220

Date

1901-2006, inclusive

Creator

Blanchon, Robert, 1965-1999

Extent

45.5 Linear Feet
in 17 record cartons, 19 flat boxes, 5 manuscript boxes, 6 flat-file folders, and 11 custom artwork storage boxes.

Extent

12 3.5" floppy disks

Extent

1 CD-ROM
700 MB

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Abstract

Artist and teacher Robert Blanchon (1965-1999) attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago between 1984 and 1990, where he earned his BFA and MFA. From 1989 to 1994, Blanchon lived in New York City where he produced photographic, sculptural, performance, and video artworks including many of his early photographic series. In 1995, Blanchon began teaching as an artist-in-residence at the University of California, Irvine. In subsequent years he worked as a visiting artist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Blanchon exhibited widely throughout the United States in group shows, and had five solo exhibitions during his lifetime. The Robert Blanchon Papers and Collection include correspondence, teaching materials, photographs, video, ephemera, and original artworks.

Biographical Note

Robert Blanchon was born in Foxboro, Massachusetts in 1965. Between 1984 and 1990, he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he earned his BFA and MFA. While in Chicago, Blanchon was an active participant in the non-profit art scene. He curated exhibitions at N.A.M.E. gallery, contributed to Tony Tasset, et al's artist project "Anonymous Museum", and designed a poster for the City of Chicago's billboard campaign, Art Against AIDS: On the Road. From 1989 to 1994, Robert Blanchon lived in New York City and worked in the Communications Department at the New Museum of Contemporary Art while producing his photographic, sculptural, performance, and video artworks. He had a studio on Canal Street where he completed many of his early photographic series including the stains, tattoos, and greeting cards series. Also during this period, Blanchon created two of his most widely known and exhibited artworks, "Untitled (self-portrait)" (1991), a series of fourteen self-portraits commissioned by street artists, and "Protection" (1992), a letter by the artist to his mother telling her he was HIV positive, juxtaposed with her twelve-page response. He had two solo shows in New York City, at Artists Space in 1994 and at White Columns in 1995. In 1995, Blanchon moved to California to take a position as an artist-in-residence at the University of California, Irvine. Teaching and art-making were from this point forward his main occupations. While in California, he produced the video "let's just kiss and say goodbye" (1995), which was exhibited in national and international film festivals, and he had two major solo shows, one at the Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies in 1996 and one at Marc Foxx Gallery in the following year. He worked at UC Irvine until 1997, leaving after being denied a tenure track position despite his popularity with students who voted him Best Teacher in 1996. In the spring of 1998, Blanchon moved back to Chicago to become an artist-in-residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and in the fall of the same year, he took another artist-in-residence position at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During this time he had a solo show of new works of photography and sculpture at the June and John Alcott Gallery in Chapel Hill. The following spring he returned to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to teach a graduate level seminar. By the end of the summer Blanchon was hospitalized due to complications related to AIDS, and on October 3, 1999, he died at age 33. Source: Much of the information in the biographical note was taken from a biography produced by Visual AIDS for the Robert Blanchon Estate Project.

Chronology

One Person Exhibitions

2000 Minimal Provocations:The Art and Influence of Robert Blanchon, Betty Rymer Gallery, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, IL (brochure)
1998 Robert Blanchon, John and June Allcott Gallery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill, NC
1997 Robert Blanchon, Marc Foxx; Santa Monica, CA (catalogue)
1996 lalalalalala lalalalalala lalalalalalalalalalala, Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies; Los Angeles, CA (catalogue)
1995 Robert Blanchon, White Columns; New York, NY
1994 Carcharodon carcharias (Jaws), AIDS Forum, Artists Space; New York, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions

2006 Stephen Andrews and Robert Blanchon, Kendall Gallery, Miami Dade Community College; Miami, FL (brochure)
2005 At the Mercy of Others: The Politics of Care, Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program Exhibition; New York, NY (catalogue)
2004 video shakes, Gallery M; Harlem, NY
1999 The Mourning After: Art of Loss, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery; Los Angeles, CA (catalogue)
1998 I'm Still in Love with You, Women's 20th Century Club; Eagle Rock, CA (catalogue)
Out Inside-UC Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Faculty Artists, Sesnon Gallery at Porter College; Santa Cruz, CA
Picture Show: Photo-Based and Video Art from L.A., Weinstein Gallery; Minneapolis, MN
Disappearing Act, Bound and Unbound and Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects; New York, NY
Spaceship Earth, Art in General; New York, NY
Perspectives on Infinity, Transamerica Pyramid Galleries; San Francisco, CA
Salon: A selection of work by artists from the archive project, Visual AIDS at the National Arts Club; New York, NY
Low, Marc Foxx; Los Angeles, CA
1997 Contemporary Collections '97, Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies; Los Angeles, CA
L.A. Current: The Photographers' Perspective, UCLA at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center; Los Angeles, CA
Orange County Museum of Art 1997 Bienneal; Newport Beach, CA (catalogue)
OUT Auction, Santa Monica Museum of Art; Santa Monica, CA (catalogue)
Hollywood Premiere, Popular Mechanics at Hollywood Premier Motel; Los Angeles, CA
Blind Date, California Institute for the Arts; Valencia, CA (catalogue/publication)
Terminals: Considering the Present, The University Art Gallery, University of California, Irvine: Irvine, CA
1996 A Living Testament of the Blood Fairies, Artists Space; New York, NY
Model Home, Institute of Contemporary Art, The Clocktower; New York, NY
Push / Pause, Randolph Street Gallery; Chicago, IL
First Person, Marc Foxx; Los Angeles, CA
Arts' Communities; AIDS' Communities: Realizing the Archive Project, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA
1995 Robert Blanchon and Mary Ellen Carroll, Momenta Art; Brooklyn, NY
The Cultural Body, Coburn Gallery, Colorado College; Colorado Springs, CO
Other Rooms, Ronald Feldman Gallery; New York, NY
Smells Like Vinyl, Roger Merians Gallery; New York, NY
Pervert, The University Art Gallery, University of California, Irnine; Irnive, CA (catalogue)
Family Affair: Gay and Lesbian Issues of Domestic Life, Atlanta College of Art Gallery; Atlanta, GA (catalogue)
Face Foward: Contemporary Self-Portraiture, Kohler Arts Center; Sheboygan, WI (catalogue)
1994 AIDS victim jewelry, Barney's New York holiday windows; Chicago, IL
Yes I Am / No I'm Not, Momenta Art; Brooklyn, NY
Telling . . . Stories, Randolph Street Gallery; Chicago, IL
Camera Obscura / Obscura Camera, Betty Rymer Gallery, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, IL
1993 Contacts / Proofs, Jersey City Museum; Jersey City, NJ
The Return of the Cadavre Exquis, The Drawing Center; New York, NY
in-flux, Gallery 400, School of Art and Design, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago; Chicago, IL
Day Without Art, State of Illinois Art Gallery; Chicago, IL
Oral Interpretation, The Optic Society; New York, NY
1992 Private / Public, Betty Rymer Gallery, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, IL
Re-Imagining America: A Project for Democracy, Randolph Street Gallery; Chicago, IL
The Anonymous Museum; Chicago, IL
From America's Studio: Drawing New Conclusions, Betty Rymer Gallery, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, IL (catalogue)
1991 Selections / Fall '91, The Drawing Center; New York, NY
Just Good Art, Hyde Park Art Center; Chicago, IL
Louder, Gallery 400, School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Chicago; Chicago, IL
1990 Crisp & Clean, Hyde Park Art Center; Chicago, IL
The Royal Academy: Out Bigoted Past, MFA Thesis Show, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, IL
1989 Conceptual / Installations, State of Illinois Art Gallery; Chicago, IL
AIDS: Responsible and Responding, Axe Street Arena; Chicago, IL

Public Project, Videos, Performance Events, Curatorial Projects, and Artist Publications

2000 "[Untitled]" and "personal business card no. 3 / final draft /accepted / 1995," Ten by Ten: Space for Visual Culture 1, no. 2 (Fall/Winter 2000): 27, 33
1998 mourning, video/4:00/color/b&w/stereo
1997 Bed-in for Peace With-in, performance at the Hollywood Premiere with Kelly Martin
Robert Blanchon @ Side Street Projects, October 22, 1997 Screening, discussion i can't live in a world without love, 16 mm/2:00/color
1996 [never realized] 4 opportunistic infections for public viewing and consumption, 16 pp/non-fiction, distributed to the public for no charge
caliber (the morning after), video/2:19/b&w/stereo
Testimonial: The Cultural Production of Death, website exhibition curated by Constance Samaras
"Fair as Gum," Grand Larceny 3 (1996): 6-7
Dedication: In Memory of John Francis Blanchon 1957-1990, 10 pp.
Detours '96: An International Exhibition of Visual Artists Who Write and Writers Who Make Visual Art, International Artists' Writing & Reading Room, Side Street Projects; Santa Monica, CA
1995 let's just kiss + say good-bye, video/9:00/color/b&w/stereo
New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Joseph Papp Public Theater, New York
Queer 101, Zebra Crossing Theater, Chicago
Outfest '95: Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Dallas Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Rochester Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Rochester
Internationales Schwul Lesbisches Filmfestival, Berlin
Out on Film: Atlanta's 8th Annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
The 15th Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival
Litigation Pending, Momenta Art, Brooklyn
Artists Television Network, San Francisco
Image and Nation, 8th International Festival of Gay and Lesbian Cinema and Video, Montreal
Situations 1, 2, 3, video/90:00/color
1984 Calendar, 1984 Printed Matter 1995 catalogue, inside cover
"Razor Burn," Honcho 18, no. 10 (October 1995): 5-13. Photos by John Philips
Untitled (Honcho October 1995 cover), White Columns Update (1995): 22
"Taking Another Look at Awnings," brochure essay for public art project by Jackie Chang
1994 Self-portrait as Mary Patten, editor of Whitewalls, Whitewalls, "Sweet Sixteen" Anniversary Issue, no. 33-34 (1994): 1
1984/1994 Mapplethorpe Memorial Calendar Card, Momenta Art unlimited edition
a wretch like me, guest editor, Whitewalls no.35 (Fall/Winter 1994); 50 contributors, 110 pp.
Live, Life, Death, artist project for exhibition catalogue, la Galerie des Photographies, Paris
Gilbert and George, performance with Mary Ellen Carroll at Wigstock; New York, NY
1993 Cruising New York, project for Promotional Copy (1993): 94
1992 "the brain as frontier, among others," Art Papers 16, no. 1 (January-February 1992): 42-43
1990 Art Against AIDS: One the Road, 50 subway billboards, City of Chicago Transit Authority; Chicago, IL
I Will Not Get AIDS [Richard Daley], public poster project; Chicago, IL
Strip, group exhibition curated for N.A.M.E.; Chicago, IL
1989 Honoring Conceptualism: A Suspicious Perception, in Whitewalls no. 26 (Fall 1990): 27-31, under pseudonym Dolores Boogdanian
Untitled (The Vogels), unsolicited invitation design and mailing, The Terra Museum of American Art; Chicago, IL
Teaching

Visiting Artist/Scholar, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Graduate Programs; Spring 1998, Spring 1999
Visiting Artist/Scholar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Fall 1998
Adjunct Faculty, University of California, Irvine; 1995-1997 Awarded University Best Teacher 1996
Adjunct Faculty, California Institute for the Arts; 1995-1997
Adjunct Faculty, Art Center College of Design; 1996
Visiting Artist Residencies and Lectures

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of California, Irvine
California Institute for the Arts
University of California, Riverside
The Drawing Center, New York City
Side Street Projects, Los Angeles

Arrangement

The Robert Blanchon Estate and Visual AIDS were responsible for bringing the Robert Blanchon Papers and Collection together. Visual AIDS received materials from the Robert Blanchon Estate that did not possess an original order, and in the process of creating the catalog Robert Blanchon they re-organized and added to the previously extant body of materials. The collection is now arranged in nine series that were created to segregate materials by type in the absence of a discernible original order. Series I, II, and III are arranged chronologically; series IV, V, VI, and VII contain photographic materials, media, and objects that are arranged chronologically where possible; and series VIII and IX are arranged alphabetically.

The June 2018 Accretion has been added to Series VI: Books. the accretion has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.

The collection is arranged into nine series:

Missing Title

  1. Series I: Art Production
  2. Series II: Correspondence and Notes
  3. Series III: Teaching
  4. Series IV: Photography
  5. Series V: Media
  6. Series VI: Books
  7. Series VII: Objects
  8. Series VIII: Memorial
  9. Series IX: Visual AIDS

Scope and Content note

The Robert Blanchon Papers and Collection contains a selection of Blanchon's original works of art, art production-related materials, personal and professional correspondence, teaching materials, a collection of objects of artistic or personal significance, and materials created posthumously for the planning of a Robert Blanchon memorial. The collection also inlcudes documents created by the Robert Blanchon Estate Project from Visual AIDS, which describe the work (conducted from 2003 to 2006) to publish an illustrated catalog documenting Blanchon's complete oeuvre, and to organize several exhibitions of his work.

The collection of original artwork by Robert Blanchon includes photographic, performance and sculptural work, and collaborative artworks and film work. Art production-related materials include source material for his artworks, artist books, publicity materials and exhibition catalogs. Film, contact sheets, artist test proofs, source photography, slides of artwork, and film works in multiple formats are also part of the collection. Artworks and art production materials date between 1989 and 1999. Robert Blanchon's teaching materials are drawn from his work as adjunct faculty at the University of California, Irvine and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1996 to 1998, and as a visiting artist/scholar at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1998 to 1999. Teaching materials include course readers, course descriptions, syllabi, and student papers and correspondence (access to student records is restricted). Objects of artistic significance include items used in Blanchon's art production, such as a Polaroid camera, bandanas, and clothing labels. Objects of personal significance include items related to Blanchon's personal life, such as his eyeglasses and his Filofax diary. Memorial-related planning materials include letters of condolence, a mailing list, slides of family and friends, and copies of Robert Blanchon obituaries.

Materials generated by Visual AIDS staff members reflect their effort to document and archive every artwork created by Blanchon, to formulate a complete biography of Blanchon's life and artistic career, and to produce an exhaustive bibliography of the literature written about Blanchon. These materials include email correspondence from project coordinators to collectors, Blanchon's friends and colleagues, galleries, and the representative of Robert Blanchon's estate, Mary Ellen Carroll. Other materials include catalogs from Blanchon's exhibitions, copies of articles written about Blanchon and his artwork, contact information for collectors and gallerists, slides of Blanchon's work, grant proposals to fund the project, and the final catalog published in 2006, titled Robert Blanchon. The Visual AIDS materials also include correspondence, notes, plans for artworks, and publications created by Blanchon.

The Robert Blanchon Papers June 2018 Accretion contains two series of encyclopedias, on that defines contemporary photography, and a small paperback book of the science of sound. The dates of publication range from 1901 to 1975. The collection is arranged into Nine Series:

Series I: Art Production contains original artworks, source material for artworks, sketchbooks, artist books, publicity materials and exhibition catalogs.

Subseries A: Artwork contains photographic, performance and sculptural artworks. Subseries B: Collaborative Artwork contains artworks created by Blanchon in collaboration with other artists. Subseries C: Source Materials contains materials that are either not artworks or works made by people other than Blanchon. Subseries D: Publicity, Notes, etc. contains publicity materials (such as catalogs and postcards) for both Blanchon's work and the work of others, magazines and journals, and Blanchon's notes and source materials for projects.

Series II: Correspondence and Notes contains letters related to Blanchon's teaching, art production and exhibitions, and personal life. The collection includes both letters received by Blancon, and copies he made of letters he sent to others. Notes appear in this series when they were already interfiled with correspondence.

Series III: Teaching contains course readers, course descriptions, syllabi, and student papers and correspondence [both restricted].

Series IV: Photography contains source photography for artworks, negative film, glass slides, contact sheets, artist test proofs, slides of artwork, and framed photographs of friends and family. Slides of artwork exist both in 8.5 x 11" photo sleeves, and in three archival slide box systems assumed to have been arranged by Blanchon. The slides in the slide boxes generally duplicate the slides that have been arranged into sleeves; access to the slide boxes is by approval only, and researchers should use the sleeved slides for viewing.

One group of photographs has been processed within Series VII: Objects - see Object ID: 220.2.0055 "Box of family photographs".

Series V: Media contains Robert Blanchon's film works in multiple formats including VHS, Digital Betacam, and DVD. Series also contains cassette tapes, compact discs, and records.

Series VI: Print Material contains books owned by Robert Blanchon.

Series VII: Objects contains objects either related to art production or objects which had personal significance. All objects belonged to Robert Blanchon.

Series VIII: Memorial and Posthumous Files contains memorial-related planning materials including letters of condolence, a mailing list, slides of family and friends, and copies of Robert Blanchon obituaries, as well as negatives made from Blanchon's "Untitled (Aroma/1981)" prints after his death.

Series IX: Visual AIDS contains material generated by Visual AIDS during their production of the Robert Blanchon Catalog. It includes email correspondence, catalogs from Blanchon's exhibitions, copies of articles written about Blanchon and his artwork, contact information for collectors and gallerists, slides of Blanchon's work, grant proposals to fund the project, and the final catalog published in 2006, titled Robert Blanchon. The Visual AIDS materials also include correspondence, notes, plans for artworks, and publications created by Blanchon.

Access Restrictions

Repository permission is required for access. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Use Restrictions

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by Robert Blanchon, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); The Robert Blanchon Papers and Collection; MSS 220; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Location of Materials

Some materials are stored offsite, and advance notice is required for use. Please request materials at least two business days prior to your research visit to coordinate access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

June 2018 Accretion donated by Nelson Santos in June 2017. The accession number associated with this gift is 2018.083.

Provenance

The collection was donated to the Fales Library in 2008 by Mary Ellen Carroll, executor of the Robert Blanchon Estate.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Series I Artworks are undergoing preservation treatment, and are not available to researchers.

Born-digital materials have not been transferred and may not be available to researchers. Researchers may request access copies. To request that material be transferred, or if you are unsure if material has been transferred, please contact fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596, with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Access copies for some audiovisual materials are available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Please contact fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Collection processed by

Bethany Martin-Breen and Lisa Darms, 2009.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-06 14:17:37 -0500.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

In 2016, boxes from Series I and Series VII were renumbered to more accurately reflect our holdings. Researchers with citations to previous box numbers may contact fales.library@nyu.edu for assistance with identifying new box numbers.

In August 2017, 13 items were prepared to be moved to offsite art storage in September 2017.

The June 2018 accretion materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes.

Revisions to this Guide

August 2017: Updated by Megan O'Shea to prepare artwork being sent to offsite art storage in September 2017
November 2017: Updated by Megan O'Shea to prepare artwork being sent to offsite art storage in December 2017
June 2018: Updated to include materials integrated from accession number 2018.083 by Kate Fisher.

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012