Mary Beth Edelson Papers
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Abstract
Mary Beth Edelson (1933-2021) was an American artist whose work included printmaking, book art, sculpture, collage art, painting, photography, performance art, and writing. Her feminist and conceptual art often challenged patriarchal systems. The Mary Beth Edelson Papers (1950-2016) consist of materials created and collected by Edelson and document her artistic process and output, as well as her role in the American feminist art movement. Materials in this collection include correspondence, grant applications, exhibition ephemera, art books, publications, photographs, slides of works and exhibitions, clippings of reviews and press releases, original notebooks, original sketchbooks, visual source materials, and subject files concerning themes pertinent to Edelson's work. This collection also includes materials documenting Edelson's personal life, her involvement with the feminist artist cooperative A.I.R. Gallery (Artists in Residence) and the women's rights organization Women's Action Coalition (WAC). The collection also contains digital photographs of an Edelson collage featured as part of a Louise Bourgeois exhibition at the Tate Modern, as well as digital photographs and documents related to the creation of an A.I.R. Gallery book.
Biographical Note
Mary Beth Edelson (1933-2021) was an American artist whose work included printmaking, book art, sculpture, collage art, painting, photography, performance art, and writing. Edelson studied at the Art Institute of Chicago as a teenager and then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in 1955. She later earned her Master of Fine Arts from New York University in 1958.
Edelson was a prominent artist within the feminist art movement in the United States, which began in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her feminist and conceptual art often challenged patriarchal systems and included themes such as ancient goddess figures, nude female bodies, notable historical scenes, and popular culture. In 1968, Edelson established the Conference for Women in the Visual Arts (CWVA) and in the late 1970s, she joined the feminist art cooperative, A.I.R. Gallery (Artists in Residence), and the feminist political arts group, Heresies Collective.
Edelson's works have been exhibited domestically and internationally at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City and the Malmo Museum in Sweden. Some of her notable works include Some Living American Women Artists (1972), Memorial to 9,000,000 Women Burned as Witches in the Christian Era (1977), Kali Bobbitt (1994), and Story Gathering Boxes (1972-2021).
Edelson was also an arts educator and taught at a variety of locations including Chicago, Michigan, Minneapolis, and Pennsylvania. She also taught a nine-week women's study course in art at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
In addition to her life as a working artist, Edelson was an advocate for women's rights and a vocal opponent of domestic violence. From 1992-1994, Edelson served as the leader of the Women's Action Coalition's Committee on Diveristy and Inclusion. She also worked closely with Combat Zone: Campaign HQ Against Domestic Violence.
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged topically into the following series and sub-series:
Series I: Professional Activities
Sub-Series I.A: Original Works
Sub-Series I.B: Exhibitions and Performances
Sub-Series I.C: Research Materials
Sub-Series I.D: Teaching, Conferences, Workshops, and Affiliations
Sub-Series I.E: Reviews, Writings, and Interviews
Sub-Series I.F: Thematic Interests
Sub-Series I.G: Administrative Files
Series II: Women's Action Coalition (WAC)
Series III: A.I.R. Gallery
Series IV: Personal Materials
Materials have been arranged alphabetically by file title within each series and sub-series.
Scope and Contents
The Mary Beth Edelson Papers (1950-2016) consist of materials created and collected by Edelson and document her life as a working artist, feminist, and activist. The collection contains correspondence, grant applications, exhibition ephemera, art books, publications, photographs, slides of works and exhibitions, clippings of reviews and press releases, visual source materials, as well as subject files. Together, these materials highlight the types of exhibitions Edelson participated in, her various inspirations for art pieces, and the ways in which she was perceived by her colleagues and critics. Edelson's notebooks and sketchbooks document her artistic processes, providing further context about her life as an artist. These materials also reflect Edelson's affiliation and participation with A.I.R. Gallery (Artists in Residence). An overarching theme within Edelson's art is the power of the Goddess and the nude female body. This imagery appears frequently in the artwork found in both Series I: Professional Activities and Series III: A.I.R. Gallery.
Edelson participated in numerous women's rights and anti-domestic violence protests, fundraisers, and charity events. Edelson's activism with the Women's Action Coalition (WAC) and Combat Zone: Campaign HQ Against Domestic Violence are documented through posters for events and organizations, photographs, flyers, slides, feminist essays, correspondence, press releases, and artwork.
In addition to Edelson's life as an artist and activist, the collection contains materials related to Edelson's personal life and interests through correspondence with her family, alumni bulletins published by her alma mater DePauw University, her college-era sketchbooks, anti-war ephemera, and personal travel materials.
The collection also contains digital photographs of an Edelson collage featured as part of a Louise Bourgeois exhibition at the Tate Modern, as well as digital photographs and documents related to the creation of an A.I.R. Gallery book.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection created by Mary Beth Edelson was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Mary Beth Edelson Papers; MSS 549; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by the family of Mary Beth Edelson in September and October 2018; the accession numbers associated with this gift are 2018.102 and 2018.111.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
About this Guide
Processing Information
At the time of accessioning, materials were rehoused in archival boxes and described on the collection-level with a box-list.
The Mary Beth Edelson Papers was processed and described by an archivist in the spring of 2023. Materials were placed in new archival folders and boxes. Original folder titles were retained when possible. Materials were arranged into series and sub-series by topic and then organized alphabetically by file title within those series and sub-series. Related materials were grouped together intelllectually and physically, when possible. Photographs, negatives, and slides were removed from their original housing and placed into archival sleeves. Duplicate and commercially published materials, such as road maps, were discarded. Mary Beth Edelson's art books and a selection of rolled posters were stabilized and rehoused by New York University's Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department.
New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content. Nine optical discs were forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged using Forensic Toolkit.
