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Irish Setter collection of posters and other materials relating to art exhibitions and galleries

 Collection
Identifier: Coll 1013

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of posters, flyers, cards, ephemera, and a photography book relating to art exhibitions and galleries. These materials were mailed to or otherwise compiled by Irish Setter, a typesetting firm in Portland, Oregon. Irish Setter may have helped produce some of the materials represented in the collection. Most of the materials are posters for exhibitions in the late 1970s and the 1980s at either Blue Sky Gallery or Blackfish Gallery, both located in Portland. There are also several smaller flyers and ephemera items for exhibitions at both galleries. In addition, the collection contains several posters and some smaller flyers and cards for exhibitions at other galleries in Portland, as well as elsewhere in Oregon and the United States. Other materials include promotional and fundraising posters for Blue Sky Gallery; blank registration forms for an exhibition at Blue Sky Gallery and for volunteering at Blue Sky Gallery; a book of photography by Sara Cedar Miller, distributed by Blue Sky Gallery; two posters distributed by a graphic design firm and a book manufacturer; and a brochure for a summer photography program at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities in Idaho that Blue Sky Gallery helped support.

Dates

  • Creation: 1977-1989

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is 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

Irish Setter was a typesetting business co-owned by Patti Morris and Martin White in the Buckman neighborhood of Southeast Portland, Oregon. It operated from the 1970s to the early 1990s.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1978-1992.

Administrative History

Blue Sky Gallery was founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1975 as the Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts. It initially focused on local photography, but later expanded its mission to include exhibitions of photography by national and international artists. The gallery moved multiple times among various locations in Northwest Portland; by the 2020s, it was located at 122 NW 8th Avenue.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1975-2021; "History and Mission," Blue Sky Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts, https://blueskygallery.org/history-mission

Administrative History

Blackfish Gallery was founded in 1979 as a cooperative artists' gallery in Portland, Oregon. A significant number of its founders were art school graduates. Originally located at 325 NW 6th Avenue, it moved to 420 NW 9th Avenue in early 1987.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1979-2019.

Extent

1 Cubic Feet (1 flat box (20x24); 5 folders in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Posters, ephemera, and a photography book relating to art exhibitions and galleries. The materials were compiled by Irish Setter, a typesetting business in Portland, Oregon. The bulk of the collection consists of posters for exhibitions in the late 1970s and 1980s at Blue Sky Gallery and Blackfish Gallery in Portland.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired August 1993, most likely gift of Irish Setter (Lib. Acc. 22235).

Related Materials

The Oregon Historical Society Research Library also holds a collection of Blackfish Gallery publications, Coll 974.

Title
Guide to the Irish Setter collection of posters and other materials relating to art exhibitions and galleries
Status
Completed
Author
Jeffrey A. Hayes
Date
2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240