Northwest Artists Workshop records

Collection

Identifier: Mss2856

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the records of the Northwest Artists Workshop, a non-profit alternative arts organization based in Portland, Oregon. The collection includes materials relating to exhibitions and events at the workshop and artists affiliated with the workshop, such as advertisements, posters, press releases, correspondence, and planning documentation. The collection also holds art and poetry books by artists, and issues of arts publications. Administrative records include guestbooks, board and committee records, financial records, grant proposals and documentation, membership and staffing records, and records concerning the workshop's dissolution in 1989.

Dates

1970-1989

Creator

Northwest Artists Workshop (Portland, Or.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Materials in Box 23 are restricted until 2040. All other materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative History

The Northwest Artists Workshop was founded as a non-profit organization in 1976 in Portland, Oregon, by artists seeking space for exhibits and performances outside conventional gallery and theater contexts. The organization was located at 117 NW 5th Avenue from 1976 until 1981, and from 1982 to 1989 at 522 NW 12th Avenue. The workshop participated in the annual Artquake festival, and in 1984 co-sponsored the exhibition "Interaction: Art and Science" with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. In addition, the workshop maintained a public reading room, and a library of local, national, and international arts periodicals. The workshop also operated the Oregon Artists Slide Bank, which housed photographic slides of artists' works. The Northwest Artists Workshop dissolved in 1989.

Extent

10.9 Cubic Feet (22 letter document cases; 1 slim letter document case; 1 card file box (12x3x5); 1 flat box (14x18); 1 flat box (20x24); 1 flat box (25x31))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Records of the Northwest Artists Workshop, including materials relating to exhibitions and events, such as programs, posters, and press releases; materials relating to artists; arts publications; and administrative records, including grant applications. The Northwest Artists Workshop was a non-profit organization for contemporary and experimental visual and performing arts based in Portland, Oregon. It operated from 1976 to 1989.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in four series: Series 1. Exhibitions, performances, and events; Series 2. Artists; Series 3. Serial publications; Series 4. Administrative records.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts of the Northwest Artists Workshop, care of Michael Howley, made in February 1990 and December 1992 (Lib. Acc. 19777 and Lib. Acc. 21040).

Related Materials

Additional materials from the Northwest Artists Workshop are located in the Moving Image Collections and Oral History Collections, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.