Betty Woodman. "Wall Vase," c. 1980s, approx. 25 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 7 in. Glazed earthenware © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Betty Woodman: Images of Function” by Layaan Roufai
We are pleased to share “Betty Woodman: Images of Function” by Layaan Roufai, who was our Library & Archives intern this summer through the Studio Institute Arts Intern program.
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George Woodman. "Loie Wearing an 18th Century Sculpture," 2012, 24 x 20 in. Gelatin silver print with oil paint. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
George Woodman, "Loie Wearing an 18th Century Sculpture," 2012: STAFF PICKS
Hello! I’m Layaan Roufai, the Woodman Family Foundation’s Library and Archives Intern. As I perused the many publications filled with works by the Woodmans, I found myself particularly interested in the art of George Woodman.
L to R: George Woodman, c. 1963 from slide preserver with slides most likely from his solo exhibition at Henderson Gallery, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1963. The installation views of such an early show in George's career are so exciting to see, especially since there are far fewer photos of these earlier shows / Photo of George’s New York studio with “Lattice Lady with Convolvulus,” 1986 visible in the background. I love getting glimpses of the artist's studios and how the set up of them reflects the artist himself / George's Palazzo Pitti show in 1987 where he can be seen taking the photo in a mirror. I don't actually get to see images of George, so I liked that he set up this shot so that you could see him actually taking the photo / Overview of a small portion of slide cases in George's collection. Not the prettiest picture, but it's interesting to see the number of slide cases in the collection and George's handwriting on each of them / Slide preserver with slides from a trip to Spain in 1965 featuring photos of tiles, nature, and people. I like how even on a trip, George is still thinking about his art and taking photos of things that can inspire his own work / Slide of George Woodman. “Untitled #VIII,” c. 1980s. Monotype. 30 x 22 in. I thought it was interesting to see the process and sketch of an artwork and how it is different from the final product / Slide preserver “Pictures of house 1965” featuring the interior and exterior of the family’s house in Boulder, Colorado. It's a view into the personal life and residence of George, and one of the few times in the slides where it seems that none of the photos are related to any artworks or research / Slide of George Woodman. “Untitled,” 1966. A medium format slide of one of George's earlier paintings that I really enjoyed / Slide preserver with slides from a trip to Morocco featuring photos of tiles, pottery, and the landscape. George is still thinking about his art and took photos of things that would inspire his own work. All materials George Woodman Collection, Woodman Family Foundation Archives, New York.
George Woodman, c. 1963 from slide preserver with slides most likely from his solo exhibition at Henderson Gallery, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1963. George Woodman Collection, Woodman Family Foundation Archives, New York.
A glimpse into George Woodman's slide collection: FROM THE ARCHIVES...
Our archival intern Erin Moss, who is in her second year at the Pratt School of Information earning her MLIS, has been processing George Woodman's extensive slide collection this semester. The slide collection consists of thousands of 35mm or medium format slides from the 1950s through the early 2000s documenting both George's work and personal life. Erin has been struck by the experience of discovering an artist through their own archival materials.
L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. Images 1-3: “On the Way to Mexico,” 2012. 34 x 35 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and acrylic paint. Photo: Jeff Elstone / “Rococco Vase,” 1978. 9 1/2 x 6 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware.
Betty Woodman. “On the Way to Mexico,” 2012. 34 x 35 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and acrylic paint. Photo: Jeff Elstone.
Betty Woodman, "On the Way to Mexico," 2012 and "Rococco Vase," 1978: STAFF PICKS
Eliza Guzman, our intern through the Studio Institute’s Summer Arts Intern program: As the Cataloguing and Library Intern at the Woodman Family Foundation this summer, I have had the opportunity to peruse various publications showcasing the exceptional artworks by the Woodman family. Betty Woodman’s artistry, in particular, caught my attention. Her ceramic pieces have undergone a significant transformation throughout her career, illustrating her versatility across several artistic styles.
Our Cataloguing & Library Research Intern Eliza Guzman.
Our Cataloguing & Library Research Intern Eliza Guzman.
Introducing our Cataloguing & Library Research Intern Eliza Guzman
We are pleased to introduce our Cataloguing & Library Research Intern Eliza Guzman. Eliza just graduated from Gettysburg College with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Studio Art. She is working with us this summer as part of the Studio Institute Arts Intern program to build our research library of periodicals, books, and exhibition catalogues for all three of our artists.
L to R: Betty Woodman, Charles Woodman, and Francesca Woodman, 1959 / George Woodman and Francesca Woodman, 1964 / Francesca Woodman, 1964 / 4-5: Charles Woodman, 1962 / Betty Woodman, 1959.
Betty Woodman, Charles Woodman, and Francesca Woodman, 1959
Summer with the Woodman family, 1959-1964: STAFF PICKS
Emma Horning is a Library and Information Science graduate student at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. As the Foundation’s Archives Intern, she has been digitizing photographic slides and prints in the collection and building a database to manage these archival materials: Summer brings us bountiful sun-drenched days. As a family, the Woodmans spent the summer months soaking in the potential the season brings.
Our Archive & Library Intern Hafsa Habib.
Our Archive & Library Intern Hafsa Habib.
Thank you to our Archive & Library Intern Hafsa Habib
It has been an enormous pleasure to have our Archive & Library Intern Hafsa Habib working alongside us this summer as part of the Studio Institute Arts Intern program. Hafsa has spent the summer reorganizing and rehousing Betty Woodman’s slide library collection which was no small task! Here she is with her completed project.
L to R: All artworks by Betty Woodman. “Ladies Engaged in Unnecessary Activities,” 2017. 36 x 180 x 72 in / “Jules & Jim,” 2016. 9 x 36 x 15 in. All glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint, fabric.
Betty Woodman. “Ladies Engaged in Unnecessary Activities,” 2017. 36 x 180 x 72 in. Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, paint, fabric.
Betty Woodman, "Fabric Girls," 2002-2017: STAFF PICKS
Hafsa Habib, The Woodman Family Foundation’s Archive & Library Intern through the Studio Institute’s Summer Arts Intern program: When I came across Betty Woodman's "Fabric Girls" series, I immediately was drawn to the colorful sculptures that were each meticulously adorned in fabric. The dynamic poses of the figures give them each a life of their own.
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1975-78. 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. Gelatin silver print.
“The Lady of the Glove: Francesca Woodman and Surrealism" by Celia Bùi Lê
We are pleased to share “The Lady of the Glove: Francesca Woodman and Surrealism” by Celia Bùi Lê, who was our research intern this past summer through the Studio Institute. In her essay, Lê traces the history of Surrealism as related to women, both as maker and as muse, and discusses Woodman’s use of its tropes as a type of creative empowerment.
L to R: 1-4: Betty Woodman’s slide collection / Betty Woodman. “Interior Diptych,” 1998. 28 x 52 x 10 in. Glazed earthenware / Betty Woodman. “Seashore,” 1998. 24 x 58 x 9 in. Glazed earthenware. Private collection.
Betty Woodman’s slide collection.
Betty Woodman's slide collection: From the Archives...
Hi, this is Molly McBride Jacobson, archives intern at the Woodman Family Foundation. One of my projects has been inventorying, condensing, and rehousing Betty Woodman’s slide collection, which she used to document her work from the 1970s until the mid-2000s. She used this collection as a pre-digital database, arranging her slides by year and then separately by format.
L to R: Our archives intern Molly McBride Jacobson digs into unsorted family photographs from our archives, 2021.
Our archives intern Molly McBride Jacobson digs into unsorted family photographs from our archives, 2021.
Our archives intern Molly McBride Jacobson digs into unsorted family photographs from our archives: From the Archives...
The Woodman Family Foundation archives include boxes and boxes of family photographs, spanning the early days George and Betty spent in Albuquerque where they welcomed their son Charlie into the world; to their move to a modernist home in Boulder—the site of many birthday parties, pottery sales, impromptu installations of paintings and Francesca’s earliest experiments with “dress up;” until just a few years ago enjoying breakfast with their grandson Alexander in both New York and Antella.
L to R: Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 5 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Claude Cahun. “Self-Portrait (in a cupboard),” 1932. Gelatin silver print. © Estate of Claude Cahun / Kirsten Justesen. “Portræt i arkiv med samling (Portrait in cabinet with collection),” 2013. 58 1/4 x 39 1/2 x 1 in. Chromogenic print mounted on Dibond with matte acrylic. © Kirsten Justesen.
Francesca Woodman. “Untitled,” Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. 5 1/4 x 5 3/16 in. Gelatin silver print.
Francesca Woodman, "Untitled," Providence, Rhode Island, 1976: STAFF PICKS
Hi, Celia Lê here! I am the Woodman Family Foundation’s Research Intern and my main responsibility is exhibition and provenance research for Francesca Woodman. Personally, I love how Francesca often investigates the relationship between the body and space, from the various textures created by the wall to the extension of her legs outside of the cupboard in this work.