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Ron Kolm Papers

Call Number

MSS.079

Date

1970-2018, inclusive

Creator

Kolm, Ron

Extent

67 Linear Feet
in 65 boxes and flat file folders

Extent

2 audiocassettes

Extent

12 DVD-R

Extent

7 CDs

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

Ron Kolm is a writer, editor, artist, promoter, has been the de facto archivist and an enduring member of the Soho and East Village arts scene from the mid-1970s to the present day. During this period, he has been involved with several independent bookstores, small magazines, performance spaces, and the outsider art scene. Kolm continues to be heavily involved in avant garde work, serving as a main organizer of The Unbearables, a loosely organized group of downtown writers and artists, perhaps best known for their protests against mainstream notions of "good" or "bad" literature and art. Through his work, Kolm has collected over 6000 items that comprise this collection. Items include: signed first editions and chapbooks by authors such as Kathy Acker, Lynne Tillman, Gary Indiana, Spalding Gray, Patrick McGrath, Harry Mathews, Hal Sirowitz, Max Blagg, Janice Eidus, Constance DeJong, David Wojnarowicz, among many others; as well as: complete runs of Between C and D, Red Tape, Zone, The Portable Lower East Side, Beat, Vox, and The National Poetry Magazine of the Lower East Side, among others.

Biographical Note

Ron Kolm, poet, writer, editor, artist, promoter, and long-time member of the downtown scene served as the de facto archivist of the Soho and East Village arts scene beginning in the mid-1970s. Through his work in various independent bookstores and his active involvement in small magazines, performance spaces, and the outsider art scene, Ron Kolm, amassed this collection. Ron's poem "Suburban Ambush" was selected by Robert Siegle as the title for his book, Suburban Ambush: Downtown Writing and the Fiction of Insurgency (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989). Kolm continues to be heavily involved in avant garde work, serving as a main organizer of The Unbearables, a loosely organized group of downtown writers and artists, perhaps best known for their protests against the poetry of The New Yorker and other acts of "poetic terrorism" intended to point out how society constructs the notions of "good" or "bad" literature and art.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically by subject/author heading.

The files are grouped into 14 subject and material type oriented series. Accretions have been added at the end. Accretions from 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019 have not been arranged by an archivist; these materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.

Series List

  1. Series I: Correspondence
  2. Series II: Manuscripts
  3. Series III: The Unbearables
  4. Series IV: Subject Files
  5. Series V: Photographs
  6. Series VI: Announcements
  7. Series VII: Sound Recordings
  8. Series VIII: Original Art
  9. Series IX: Ephemera
  10. Series X: Low Tech Press
  11. Series XI: Posters
  12. Series XII: Catalogs
  13. Series XIII: Calendars [note: all calendars are oversize]
  14. Series XIV: Periodicals
  15. Oversize - Series II: Manuscripts
  16. Oversize - Series III: The Unbearables
  17. Oversize - Series IV: Subject Files
  18. Oversize - Series V: Photographs
  19. Oversize - Series VIII: Original Art
  20. Oversize - Series X: Low Tech Press
  21. Oversize - Series XII: Catalogs
  22. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series I: Correspondence
  23. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series II: Manuscripts
  24. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series IV: Subject Files
  25. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series V: Photographs
  26. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series VI: Announcements
  27. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series VIII: Original Art
  28. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series IX: Ephemera
  29. Accretions 1995-1999 - Series XI: Posters
  30. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series I: Correspondence
  31. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series II: Manuscripts
  32. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series III: The Unbearables
  33. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series IV: Subject Files
  34. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series V: Photographs
  35. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series VI: Announcements
  36. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series VII: Sound Recordings
  37. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series VIII: Original Art
  38. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series IX: Ephemera
  39. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series XI: Posters
  40. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series XII: Catalogs
  41. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series XIII: Calendars
  42. Accretions 2001-2002 - Series XIV: Periodicals
  43. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series I: Correspondence
  44. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series II: Manuscripts
  45. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series III: The Unbearables
  46. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series IV:Subject Files
  47. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series V: Photographs
  48. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series VI: Announcements
  49. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series VII: Sound Recordings
  50. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series VIII: Original Art
  51. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series IX: Ephemera
  52. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series XI: Posters
  53. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series XII: Catalogs
  54. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series XIII: Calendars
  55. Accretions 2002-2003 - Series XIV: Periodicals
  56. Accretions 2015-2016
  57. Accretions 2018
  58. Accretions 2019

Scope and Contents

The Ron Kolm Papers consists of material created and collected by Kolm from 1970 up to the present, broadly documenting artists and writers in this period of the Downtown Scene. The collection comprises his personal correspondence with members of that scene; manuscripts in various stages; photographs; audio recordings; video recordings; clippings files from newspapers and magazines; posters; original art; production files for his small press, Low Tech Press; and materials about the various events and publications of The Unbearables. He also has collected books, serials, zines, and other ephemera relating to the scene of which he is considered an integral part. The collection also includes inscribed copies of books; signed first editions and chapbooks by authors such as Kathy Acker, Lynne Tillman, Gary Indiana, Walter Abish, Spaulding Gray, Patrick McGrath, Harry Mathews, Hal Sirowitz, Max Blagg, Janice Eidus, Constance DeJong, David Wojnarowicz, Jeffrey Cyphers Wright; and complete runs of significant literary magazines of the 1980-1990s scene, including Between C and D, Appearances, Red Tape, Benzene, Zone, The Portable Lower East Side, Beat, Vox, Semi(o)texte, Peau Sensible, Raw, and The National Poetry Magazine of the Lower East Side. Assembly magazines, zines, posters, flyers, catalogues of exhibitions, and announcements for readings provide a sense of the downtown arts scene of the Soho and East Village during its artistic height. The collection is also rich in materials relating to non-literary artists, and includes some writings by those artists, including David Wojnarowicz, Keith Haring, Art Spiegelman, and others.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open to researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection 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.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Ron Kolm Papers; MSS 079; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Location of Materials

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

The Ron Kolm Papers were acquired via purchase from Ron Kolm in December of 1996.

Custodial History

The Ron Kolm Papers were acquired via purchase from Mr. Kolm in December of 1996. The collection was sorted by Marvin J. Taylor once it arrived at NYU. Multiple accretions have also been added to the collection since the original donation.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact fales.library@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Separated Material

Selected printed materials have been removed and individually catalogued in the Downtown Periodicals Collection. Records for these items can be retrieved through Bobcat.

Following is a list of the printed materials that were removed from the Accretions 2002-2003 portion of the collection and moved into the Downtown Periodicals Collection.

American Book Review: 23.5-24.4 July/August 2002-May/June 2003.

The Brooklyn Rail (August-September 2002); (Winter 2003); (April-May 2003).

Gargoyle 45 (2002).

Long Shot 25 (2002) 20th Anniversary Edition, "On 9/11", 2002.

NY Arts 7.11 (November 2002).

Poetry Project Newsletter 187-195, 2001-2003.

Rain Taxi Review of Books 6.3-7.1; 7.3, 2001-2002.

Tamarind (May 1998).

World War 3 Illustrated 33 (2002).

Collection processed by

Marvin J. Taylor and Tom Savage 1997; Tania Friedel and Alyssa Shirley (1995-1999); Matt Moore 2000-2001; Leif Sorensen 2002-2003; Tori Peterson and Anne Marie Blum 2014.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-06 14:10:18 -0500.
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

In 2014 this collection was reprocessed in order to improve the housing of materials and to create consistent box and folder numbering. In 2016, accretions from 2015 and 2016 were accessioned and incorporated into the collection as a separate series at the end of the collection in accordance with previous arrangement and description decisions. In 2018, more accretions were accessioned and added as a separate series at the end of the inventory.

In February 2019, boxes 41-44, 48, 50, and 54 were prepared for off site storage with the materials being placed into acid-free folders and record cartons. Orignial order of the boxes maintained.

In April 2019, boxes 45-47, 49-52, 54-55, 57 and 58 were prepared for off site storage by placing materials in their orignal order in acid-free folders and record carton, audiovisual materials were seperated out into Shared Fales boxes 021, 022, 023, and 024. Print materials were prepared for off site storage.

In July 2019, accretions donated in the spring of 2019 were accessioned, rehoused in archival boxes and folders, and incorporated into the collection as a separate series.

Revisions to this Guide

December 2016: Record edited by Rachel Searcy to reflect 2015 and 2016 accretions
July 2018: Record edited by Stacey Flatt to reflect 2018 accretion
July 2019: Record edited by Rachel Searcy to reflect 2019 accretion
March 2020: Record edited by Marissa Grossman to move oversize materials into a shared box

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from Ron Kolm Finding aid.doc

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