Work Update -- Plainfield Public Library, The Vail Family Papers

Introduction

I've said it before, but it bears repeating -- one of the top attractions of being an archivist at Plainfield Public Library is the ability to work on a wide variety of interesting projects. Another favorite facet is shepherding a project from beginning to end. Taking the time to know a small collection (or even a sizable one, such as the Detwiller Blueprints) intimately has been key to writing detailed and informative finding aids for researchers interested in these collections.

Recently, I've had the pleasure of inventorying, preserving, and processing a special collection that spans the categories of archives and museum collections. The Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers (1772-2001) comprises much more than what we typically describe as "papers." Some examples include hand towels embroidered in 1772; a family bible dated 1791; early daguerreotypes, tintypes, cabinet cards, and cartes des vistes; Civil War correspondence; 19th century wedding dresses; an 1876 harmonica; White Plains Regents Exams results from 1917; World War I postcards and photographs; books; sketches; maps; and genealogical research. My favorite materials are the hundreds of postcards and the Civil War correspondence, which describes in detail David Vail's experience of the war.

About the Vails

Marjorie and Roger (sister and brother) were the last descendants in the Roy G. Vail line. They very generously gave their family's large (approximately 39 boxes) and diverse collection of records to the Plainfield Public Library in several installments during the 1990s and early 2000s. You might recognize the Vail name because a few of the family members left their mark on New Jersey and America as a whole. They include Stephen Vail, owner of the Speedwell Ironworks; Alfred Vail, arguably the inventor of Morse Code and co-inventor of the telegraph; and Theodore Vail, creator of the ATT monopoly (and cousin to Alfred Vail). The Plainfield Vails are distantly related to their Morris County cousins via their common ancestor, Thomas Vail (1620-1687). Below are samples of the many family trees in the genealogy series.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

Vail Family Tree; undated; "Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers" collection; Local History Department, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey. Photograph © Debra Schiff.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

Vail Family Tree; 1938; "Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers" collection; Local History Department, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey. Photograph © Debra Schiff.

Processing, Preservation, and Arrangement

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

Collection in Process; 2012; "Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers" collection; Local History Department, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey. Photograph © Debra Schiff.

The first two bays from the right in the photo above show the range of size and shape of the materials in the collection. The red binders in the second bay hold photographs that had previously been sleeved and numbered for use in exhibits (both online and in-library). Since I took that photo, I have rearranged and re-housed some materials, including the addition of another binder of nearly 400 postcards. We also have ordered some custom boxes to help better preserve the wedding dresses and other items of unusual size (such as the sewing box that held costume jewelry in a hidden compartment).

In addition to processing the wedding dresses, I preserved an incredibly detailed black lace dress. Fashioned from black taffeta and net with ornate glass beading and embroidery throughout, the evening dress is said to have belonged to "Grandma Stiehl," (on Marjorie and Roger Vail's mother's side). The original package also included a head/neckband of the same material. The woman who wore the dress was petite, to be sure, and strong -- the dress is quite heavy due to all the glass beads. The five photos below show some of the great detail of the dress.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

Here, I gently placed some acid-free tissue in the sleeve to show some of the detail.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

For the five photos above:  
Evening Dress; Undated; "Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers" collection; Local History Department, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey. Photograph © Debra Schiff.

I processed and preserved the large textiles in the Plainfield Room, which is open to the public and serves as a reading room for researchers. The room is located downstairs on the south west side of the fountain (which resembles a shallow swimming pool due to its aqua blue-painted interior; it is usually empty, but filled during certain events). When I worked on the dresses, I had my share of company from co-wokers to patrons interested in these beautiful bits of Plainfield's history.

The Vails donated numerous photographs of family members, houses, and travel destinations. Because I had taken Gary Saretsky’s Dating 19th Century Portrait Photographs workshop back in April, I was able to identify and date within a few years many of the early images in the collection. Below is an example of an ambrotype in a hinged case. I've dated it c. 1860-1870s due to the highly ornate and patriotic design of the copper mat and preserver. It is interesting to note that the 30-star flag in the design only existed between 1848 and 1851. I suspect that it was for the sake of design and space that the artist used that flag, especially when the bottom section is magnified and the date "July 4, 1776" appears. The subjects are Elise Ditzel Leis and Baby Charles.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

The case is ornate down to its latches, as well.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

For the three photos above:
Photograph, Elise Ditzel Leis and Baby Charles; c. 1860s; "Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers" collection; Local History Department, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey. Photograph © Debra Schiff.

When preserving the photos in their cases, I wrapped them individually in acid-free, unbuffered tissue and placed them in a smaller box to accommodate the odd sized items. I also ran into round frames such as the one below. I made an acid-free, unbuffered tissue cradle in a small box to fit the round frame.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

Photograph, Robert Leis; undated; "Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers" collection; Local History Department, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey. Photograph © Debra Schiff.

After all the preservation and processing, it was necessary to address the arrangement (organization) of the collection. While most of the collection had a nice order to it, a portion didn't. It was time to impose some order upon it. I also consulted with the Senior Archivist and Dept. Head Sarah Hull to determine exactly the series we would include. Below is a photo of my notes on the topic.

From PPL, Vail Collection 2012

Vail Series Arrangement; 2012; "Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers" collection; Local History Department, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, New Jersey. Photograph © Debra Schiff.

Sarah quickly divided my list of item types into six main series, which helped me to re-sort the Excel spreadsheet I had used for the inventory. After I put all the "like" items together by series, I began to do some re-housing and rearrangement accordingly. By re-organizing the collection in this way, it will greatly help researchers to find materials by category when the finding aid is published (likely later in 2013).

I hope that when the collection is opened for research, we can put together a traveling exhibit, perhaps displayed at the Morris Museum (they have such lovely costume exhibits, and the Vail cousin-ship would be a nice tie-in).  Until then, I'll be continuing to arrange, and later describe the Marjorie and Roger Vail Family Papers at the Plainfield Public Library.

Travelogue: Longwood Gardens and Bruce Munro's Light Exhibit

From Longwood Gardens

Waterlillies. 100 6-ft. foam lilies, 100 8-ft. foam lilies, 65,000 recycled CDs. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

Introduction
Earlier in the summer, my friend Jen and I drove down to Kennett Square, PA to visit the lovely (and quite large) Longwood Gardens. Aside from visiting the legendary gardens, we specifically went to see the Bruce Munro exhibit, Light. The works (on display until September 29) use light and color to express the artist's exhilaration felt while visiting the gardens.

The history of the gardens can be traced to the end of the 18th century, when Joshua and Samuel Peirce established an arboretum on their nearly 100 year-old family farm. By 1906, economic concerns put the arboretum in danger of being sold for lumber. Enter our hero, Pierre S. du Pont, a wealthy industrialist and renaissance man who purchased the land just to save the trees.

As you might have surmised, Pierre was a descendant of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, founder of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (gunpowders). Pierre used his wealth, knowledge, and energy to create the marvelous fountains, conservatories, and gardens found at Longwood today. It's an impressive place, but even more impressive is the fact that Pierre spent more than 30 years designing the garden's elements and overseeing the work, all while reorganizing, and later serving as President of DuPont. He also served as Director of General Motors from 1920-1928.

Jen and I toured nearly all of Longwood Gardens, staying from mid-morning until nightfall to see the changes in the Light installations as well as the water shows. Below are just a sample of the many photos I snapped of our visit. I hope you'll enjoy them and visit Longwood Gardens before the end of September to enjoy Bruce Munro's Light.

From Longwood Gardens

The Italian Water Gardens. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Main Fountain Theater. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Main Fountain Control Panel, Resting Room, Peirce-du Pont House. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Main Fountain Garden. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Outdoor Waterlily Display, West Conservatory Complex. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Outdoor Waterlily Display, West Conservatory Complex. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Outdoor Waterlily Display, West Conservatory Complex. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Water Towers in the Meadow. 17,388 1-liter recyclable bottles, 552 laser-cut wood layers, 42.9 mi (69,000m) bare optic fiber, 69 LED light sources with hand painted color wheels, 23 speakers, 1 audio control box, 1 solid-state music player. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Forest of Light. 20,000 clear glass spheres, 20,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes,
89.9 mi (140,000 m) bare optic fiber, 80 halogen light sources with hand painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Forest of Light. 20,000 clear glass spheres, 20,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes,
89.9 mi (140,000 m) bare optic fiber, 80 halogen light sources with hand painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Field of Light. 7,000 frosted glass spheres, 7,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes, 34.8 mi (56,000 m) bare optic fiber, 15 metal halide light sources with hand-painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Field of Light. 7,000 frosted glass spheres, 7,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes, 34.8 mi (56,000 m) bare optic fiber, 15 metal halide light sources with hand-painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Arrow Spring. 16 stainless steel spheres, 16 LED flashlights, over 58 mi (94,000 m) bare optic fiber, 328 ground stakes, four varieties of sage. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Longwood Gardens

Arrow Spring. 16 stainless steel spheres, 16 LED flashlights, over 58 mi (94,000 m) bare optic fiber, 328 ground stakes, four varieties of sage. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

Interview with the Artist, Karen Guancione -- "In Stitches"

From Karen Guancione Art

Bolsas de Mandado © Karen Guancione, Mixed media installation, machine sewn plastic bags, grommets, size: 900 square feet, photo © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

Introduction
It's difficult to be objective when I'm such a big fan of Karen Guancione and her art works. However, I made an effort during our second interview when we visited her "In Stitches" exhibition at the Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, that ran from May 10 through June 18, 2012.

The large-scale installation is a different format than that of "A Portable Constant Obsession." The interview is different as well. Karen not only speaks about her work, but also of her relationship with her mother, a woman who has had a profound influence on her life and art.

Prior to the interview, I photographed the exhibit from a variety of different angles and heights. It's difficult to convey the size of her Bolsas de Mandado (the hanging panels of sewn plastic bags), but this opening video shows the exhibit from the vestibule of the building. As Karen walks diagonally through the installation, she helps to show the scale of the work.



The Nature of the Bolsas de Mandado

In the next video, Karen talks with me about how she fashions the panels and works within a space to mount an installation. Following the video is a close-up of a panel's grommets.

From Karen Guancione Art

Bolsas de Mandado © Karen Guancione, Mixed media installation, machine sewn plastic bags, grommets, size: 900 square feet, photo © Debra Schiff.

The name Bolsas de Mandado originates from the Mexican shopping bags used to carry groceries, small items, laundry, and so forth. Below, Karen tells me about the bags and what it was like to sew them into the panels. The video is followed by a photograph of the panel she uses to explain the name.

From Karen Guancione Art

Bolsas de Mandado © Karen Guancione, Mixed media installation, machine sewn plastic bags, grommets, size: 900 square feet, photo © Debra Schiff.

Karen's Favorite Panels and Bags
In the next series of videos, Karen and I talk about the panels that have special meaning for her. I'm especially interested in her stories of the people who have donated bags from all over the world, even under extreme circumstances. Because the videos fit together so nicely, I won't interrupt them with text.











A Mother's Role in Creating Art
In this final video, Karen talks about her very first Bolsas de Mandado panel. She also talks about her mother's bag folding, and enduring influence on her art and life. If you're like me, you'll need a tissue when you watch this piece.



Conclusion
As ever, I am privileged to be able to help document Karen's work. She makes it very easy by articulating her techniques and purposes in a lively and educational way. I look forward to the next opportunity to experience her art and ask the questions I don't normally get to ask an artist when spending time with her/his work. But that will have to wait until she returns from her rejuvenating trip to Nice.

From Karen Guancione Art

Summer Hiatus and Upcoming Posts

I didn't expect to take a month off from posting here, but sometimes life events take precedence over creative endeavors. However, while on a recent trip to the West, I had the opportunity to tour the wonderful Book Arts Program at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Earlier in the season, a good friend from the MLIS program at Rutgers, Jen Fitzgerald and I visited Longwood Gardens for the Bruce Munro Light exhibit. I'll be posting about both those trips in the coming weeks.

Until then, I'll be editing my photo backlog, working on another home renovation project (updating all the bathrooms at once), and preparing for some big events at my Chester Library job. One event centers around The Map. It will be returning from a summer at the Center for Conservation of Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia, and it will receive its share of fanfare when it arrives.

Speaking of Chester, I made the local papers. There were a couple of articles on the World War II newsletters I processed and later digitized with the help of the Morris County Library pros. One of the articles is here. If you scroll down a little, there's an image of the newspaper. The story begins on page 2.

Stay tuned for more tours and travelogues.

Tour of Westchester County Archives and Record Center

Introduction
Tucked into the pretty little Village of Elmsford, N.Y., not far from the Hudson River and historic Sleepy Hollow, is the very large records building that houses the Westchester County Archives and Records Center. Shown above is the sizable reading room that the Archives shares with the Westchester County Historical Society. The archives holds the official history of the county dating back to the beginning of its recordkeeping in 1683. The collections include photographs, maps and atlases, architectural drawings, naturalization records, court book minutes, marriage records, supreme court records, land records, licenses and permits, voter enrollments, incorporations, World War I military naturalization petitions, state census records, the Department of Public Works’ records, some of Rye Playland’s early records, and much more.

The Archives’ Reading Room Manager is the very knowledgeable and easy-going Jackie Graziano. We met while attending the remarkable “Exploring Maps: History, Fabrication and Preservation” conference at the Center for Conservation of Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia last November, and became fast friends. Recently, Jackie treated me to a tour of the archives and showed me some of its most valued and most used items. I was impressed by the depth of the collections and by the quality of recordkeeping at the site.

Note: Due to state law, I was unable to photograph the interior of the vaults. However, Jackie kindly pulled select items from the collections for me to photograph and share with you.

About the Archivist
Jackie is shown above holding The Guide to Genealogical Research for Westchester County, New York, (2003) compiled by Marjorie C.H. Renino, previously the Director of the Archive’s volunteers. It contains information on local cemeteries, churches, and town clerks, among other useful facts. She referred to it twice during my visit to answer questions I raised, so it was easy to see why she called it the “Bible” of the Reading Room.

For nearly five years, Jackie has been working at the Westchester County Archives, answering all the incoming research questions. She also scans fragile records for preservation -- currently the early incorporation records of religious societies and large, historic maps from the Department of Public Works. Most of those maps are concerned with land acquisitions of parklands, and contain valuable information for surveyors. Her favorite collections are the maps and atlases. “Most are beautifully drawn and tell a particular story about a part of the county at a particular point in time, and they provide context and scope to other types of records. When someone comes in to research a family, I usually take them to the 1858 map of the county on the wall in the Reading Room and ask them to show me where the family lived. The location sometimes helps me determine which series of records will be of use to them,” says Jackie.

She also likes the early Parks Department Annual Reports from the 1920s. She says, “They tell a large part of the story of how 20th century Westchester developed, why the county looks the way it does now, why certain populations migrated to certain areas, and why areas developed the way they did.”

When I asked her why she became an archivist, she replied, “I have a passion for the written word (one of the pillars of our culture) and its history, how it shapes and is shaped by the culture. I want to be part of the tradition of the sharing of the written word and its preservation, and I like playing with old books.” It should come as no surprise that Jackie was an English literature/history major in college. She received her MLS from Queens College, with a certificate in Archives and Records Management. She recommends the Queens program highly, and suggests that folks interested in the field should volunteer and learn from established archivists. Previously, she served as a librarian in local libraries in Dobbs Ferry, Peekskill, and Montrose, New York. The part of her job she enjoys the most is learning “something new every day.”

About the Archives
Since 1985, the Westchester County Archives has collected non-active records from county departments, if they are determined to have historical value. Personal papers are not collected, unless they originate with a prominent county employee and pertain to their work for the county. The vaults mainly contain the county’s official archives, however, some space is dedicated to the collections of the Westchester County Historical Society.

While I can’t show you photos from within the vaults on site, I can tell you that the collections are vast. More than 6,000 cubic feet of records, 60,000 photographs, and approximately 75,000 maps are preserved onsite. In my work at Plainfield Public Library, I’ve seen what 14,000 sets of architectural drawings (stored in boxes) look like, but seeing row upon row of archivally tubed and labeled maps along the length of two stories of the Westchester County Archive was impressive, to say the least.

Ten full-time staffers and three archivists care for the records housed on site, and they are supported by 30 volunteers per week. The Archives are used by genealogists, journalists, county employees, local historians, teachers, students, surveyors, and individuals researching their land. Typically, 9-10 visitors come per week. “We [also] have one student with a summer project who is researching relations between the African-American and Irish populations in Westchester in the 19th century,” says Jackie.

Notably, the archives are funded through the county’s IT department budget. The county archives are preserving information, so why shouldn’t they be funded under the Information Technology line? Further, the amount of digitization that takes place at the county is quite large, therefore having IT support at that level is more seamless than you might see elsewhere. But when it comes to complex conservation and preservation efforts, the Westchester County Archives sends their materials up to the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Mass.

About the Collections
The most popular collections in the Westchester County Archives are the naturalizations, marriages, and surrogates (wills and estate files). Jackie says, “People get very excited over the naturalization records, because they link generations, and the records after 1906 provide a good amount of information on the person.” Below is an example of bound naturalization papers from 1865-1885.

Modern naturalization papers include more information and include Declarations of Intention. An example from 1922 is shown below.

Jackie mentioned that marriage records in the county are based locally and issued by the town clerks’ offices. In 1908, the state mandated that counties would receive a copy of marriage records, but not birth and death records. The law was repealed in 1926, but Westchester County kept collecting them until 1935. Because these records also include parents’ names, marriage records are used very frequently in genealogy. Shown below are some of the Archives’ most famous marriage records, Norman Rockwell’s first marriage license (1916) and Lou Gehrig’s marriage license (1933), respectively. Both are kept in a safe location that I am not permitted to reveal here.

Wills, estate inventories, and other land records also are of great importance to genealogists. These documents provide evidence of their ancestors’ lives in a location, and often name other family members. Sometimes, they reveal more about a family, such as slave ownership. One example Jackie showed me was a facsimile of Edward Pell’s estate inventory from 1787. Pell was a descendant of Thomas Pell, for whom Pelham, N.Y. is named. The photo below shows that the inventory includes two young slaves.

Another will in the collection was written by Washington Irving at his Sunnyside estate in 1858. Jackie said that Irving was “the Ben Franklin of his time.” Most people think of Irving only as the folksy author of short stories such as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle,” however, he was a true cosmopolitan, who served as ambassador to Spain and negotiated trade deals between England and the United States. Irving’s will is shown below.

The oldest records in the collection are within A Booke of Recordes for the County of Westchester, spanning 1683-1688. The Westchester County Clerk’s Office was created in 1683, and the earliest records kept by the office are now within bound volumes (also called “libers”) lettered A to Z, as you can see in the photo below.

Jackie said that she doesn’t pull the book out often because it has been microfilmed and a transcription is available to the public. (This book is an example of records the county keeps in a fireproof safe within the vault.) The fragile leaves have been conserved by the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Most of the records in the books are deeds, but this volume also includes three marriages and a divorce. Additionally, the county has a separate series for wills beginning after the Revolutionary War. Speaking of the War, researchers can find land sale abstracts of property confiscated from loyalists after the war within the Commissioners of Forfeiture. Jackie has scanned the book, and the index to these early records is available digitally on the Archives’ web site. The volume shown below dates from 1783-1785.

The Westchester County Archives also holds the some of the records of the County Poor House, otherwise known as the Alms House. It operated from 1830 to the 1940s. The County has its records up to 1908, and the N.Y. State Archives has them for other counties' Alms Houses. What makes these materials so interesting is that they tell a much more detailed story about an individual down on his/her luck than you might find elsewhere. For example, in the photo below (from the 1875-1880 Alms House book), you can see how long the “inmate” stayed in the Alms House, where his/her parents were born, if they practiced temperance (or not), why he/she was an inmate (destitution or disease), and much more.

In some cases, the stories are quite tragic. Inmates leave, then return multiple times due to alcoholism or mental disorders, or injuries that prevent them from working. If you are interested in seeing some of these, but are unable to visit Westchester County Archives, you can find a selection of records from N.Y. State Archives on Ancestry.com.

There are many, many more records and record types at the Westchester County Archives than the sample I’ve shared with you here. I encourage you to visit the web site (http://archives.westchestergov.com/), explore the collections, and visit Jackie and her colleagues. The Archives is open to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Information
Jackie Graziano
Westchester County Archives
2199 Saw Mill River Road
Elmsford, NY 10523
Tel: (914) 231-1500
Fax: (914) 231-1510
http://archives.westchestergov.com/contact-us

Interview with the Artist, Karen Guancione -- "A Portable Constant Obsession"

Introduction

Over the years, I've had my share of fun and interesting side projects, but this year's project -- documenting a small portion of the work and life of a living artist -- could top the list. The artist Karen Guancione's work is wide ranging, from pocket-sized artists' books to gigantic installations of sewn plastic bags hanging in panels (and loads of other forms in between). The woman Karen Guancione is intelligent, energetic, focused, engaging, humorous, and inspiring. She fights for workers' rights and human rights at an international level, and takes an avid interest in her students' work.

Karen also is very generous with her time and committed to documenting her life's work, so when she said she'd like to open up the cases in the "A Portable Constant Obsession" exhibit at Rutgers, take out her art, and talk with me at length about the pieces and her life as an artist, I jumped at the opportunity. 

In previous posts, I've spotlighted some of Karen's local installations. For instance, I was incredibly moved by her "Found Journal" exhibit at the Printmaking Council of New Jersey in 2010. More recently, exhibit curator Michael Joseph gave me a tour of the "A Portable Constant Obsession" exhibit. 

Now, interspersed with beautiful photographs by Bruce Riccitelli (and a few by yours truly), here is the first in a series of my interviews of Karen Guancione. Note: In some cases, the description above an image applies to other images of the same piece. Those other images will immediately follow the one with the description above it. Additionally, some of the videos are a bit dark, and for that I apologize. 

Begin at the Beginning

We began our interview in the upstairs gallery, across from the entrance of Rutgers' Alexander Library. One of the pieces in the exhibit was Karen's first journal. Even at 7 years old, she documented the world around her.

The two photographs below show the pages Karen read in the video:

Untitled 
First travel journal created at age seven on family cross-country road trip.  Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

From Karen Guancione Art

The Cacophony of Life

During the 1970s through the 1990s, Karen continued keeping diaries, which evolved into art journals, complete with collages of ephemera, drawings, paintings, and text. 

In the video below, she talks about the journals in a display case in the "A Portable Obsession" exhibit.

Aquiloni
Within the entire installation are smaller displays, often hung with Karen's "Aquiloni." In the video below, she explains just what the works are and the amazing effect they have on children.



Below are a series of photographs showing materials Karen referenced in the video above. Additionally, I've included the "Catalog Card Aquiloni" she created specifically for the exhibit, hung in the downstairs Special Collections gallery.

Aquiloni 
Letterpress (edition of 40), Hahnemuhle and handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, w: 5-1/4 x h: 7 3/4 x 43 inches when open, printed and published by Edizioni Pulcinelefante in 2004. The text, "Quando sono stanco di camminare, VOLO" ("When I'm tired of walking, I FLY"), was written specifically for this book and the artist’s installations by the Italian poet Roberto Dossi. The book accompanies a large-scale installation of the same name. Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

Aquiloni, Scuola dell’ Infanzia Ex-Lucca
Mixed media, with drawings of the artist’s Aquiloni installation made by 3 to 5 year old preschool children from Scuola dell’ Infanzia Ex-Lucca in Fiorenzuola d’ Arda, Piacenza, Italy. Translation of page shown: thank you from the children and teachers. Mixed media: handmade paper (wool, cotton and mixed papers), acrylic paint, small sewn photographs of students in the installation Aquiloni, linen thread, children’s original drawings and written descriptions, closed: h: 15 3/4 x w: 12 x d: 1 inch, 2005. Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

From Karen Guancione Art

Card Catalogue Aquiloni
Mixed media installation: old catalogue cards from Alexander Library, small pieces of handmade and hand painted paper, shipping tags, labels, coin wrappers, torn prints and other found materials hand sewn and suspended throughout the 2 galleries, size variable, 2012. 
Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

In the following video Karen talks about how she was able to obtain all those catalog cards, especially when the library no longer uses them. She also talks briefly about her work, "La Jupe" and the installation.

La Jupe (The Skirt)
Found skirt, acrylic paint, created in Nice, France in August 2008, w: 15 x h: 36 1/2 inches ©Karen Guancione.

The photo below shows one of the letterpress books inserted into the case.

Gli Occhi di Santa Lucia (The Eyes of Santa Lucia)
Letterpress (edition of 43), wood engraving, Hahnemuhle paper, gold leaf, grommets, ribbon, metallic pigment, shipping tag, holy card and medal, w: 5-1/4 x h: 7 3/4 inches, printed and published by Edizioni Pulcinoelefante, Osnago, Lecco, Italy, 2007. Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

Artists' Books
In the next video, Karen talks with me about the collaborative art project "Art Trash." Immediately following the video is a photograph of the letterpress cover.




TRASH ART/ ART TRASH
Letterpress (edition of 66), mixed media, Hahnemuhle paper, w: 5-1/4 x h: 7 3/4 inches, with Carmen Cheung, Asha Ganpat, Lisa Hasselbrook, Suzanne Reiman, Carolyn Salinas, Susan Valenza and Sally Willowbee, printed and published by Edizioni Pulcinelefante, Osnago, Lecco, Italy, 2004. Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

Moving to the Special Collections gallery, in the next video, Karen and I talk about what might be her most famous work, "Guide de la Correspondance Amoreuse."



Guide de la Correspondance Amoureuse 
Mixed media, found materials, red bra and underwear, scraps from antique books and actual love letters, contains collage, drawings, paintings, closed: w: 13 1/2 x h: 12 x d: 6 3/4 inches, created in Nice, France in the winter of 2004-05, (view one: front cover, view two: back cover showing closure with bra). Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

From Karen Guancione Art

Guide de la Correspondance Amoureuse 
Mixed media, found materials, red bra and underwear, scraps from antique books and actual love letters, contains collage, drawings, paintings, closed: w: 13 1/2 x h: 12 x d: 6 3/4 inches, created in Nice, France in the winter of 2004-05. Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

From Karen Guancione Art

From Karen Guancione Art

In the next video, Karen shows me one of her most recent works, "Nice 1."

Nice 1 (2011)

Mixed media, handmade paper, found materials, 100 pages of collage, drawing, painting, cover: found tile shards, stones and glass, acrylic paint, w: 13 x h: 10 1/2 x d: 3 1/4 inches, with painted zippered bag, fabric, acrylic paint, w: 16 3/4 x h: 13 inches, July - August 2011.

Next, Karen talked with me about her serendipitous experience finding a different kind of medium to use in an artists' book.

This image shows a close up of the book's cover.

Pátzcuaro (number 3)
Mixed media, handmade paper, collage, painted communion hosts, found materials, 12 plastic baby and ceramic baby Jesus figurines on cover, 100 pages, w: 9 3/8 x h: 6 1/2 x d: 4 1/2 inches, December 2009 – January 2010. 
Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

The following two photographs are © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

From Karen Guancione Art

In the following short video, she talks about using her body as a printing press to produce "Foufune."

During the interview, I asked Karen about her training. I was delighted to hear about her punk foundation. In the video below, she tells me about that exciting time in London, as well as her piece, "No Rest."



No Rest
Mixed media: wood chair, handmade paper, encyclopedia paper, recycled papers from artist's daily life, gold leaf, mirror, gold leafed cups, 40 x 17 x 18 inches, 1998. Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

Finally, Karen warns me about touching "No Rest," and talks with me about her "Garbage Books."

Spiral Bound Garbage Books
Found materials and over 400 spiral bound books made from decades of accumulated recycled trash, packaging and paper scraps from around the world, individual scraps are dated and each book numbered, ongoing project, 2007- present.  Artwork © Karen Guancione. Photograph © Bruce Riccitelli. All rights reserved.

From Karen Guancione Art

These videos represent most of the footage I collected during my interview of Karen on May 5, 2012. If you want to see more, please visit the YouTube playlist at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB889D867E48C3884&feature=plcp. Additionally, more photographs by Bruce (and me) are available on my Picasa Web Album for Karen's art here: https://picasaweb.google.com/debra.schiff/KarenGuancioneArt.

Coming soon, my next interview with Karen at her "Bolsas de Mandado" exhibit in Loveladies, New Jersey.