Jan van Raay photographs of art strike protests
Scope and Contents
The collection contains black-and-white photographs by Jan van Raay documenting strikes, demonstrations, protests, sit-ins, happenings, and other events in New York City, primarily at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photographs depict actions including the Art Strike against Racism, Sexism, Repression, War; the PASTA MoMA union strike; demonstrations and marches in support of the Panther 21, Black and Puerto Rican artists, and abortion rights; and The People's Flag Show, an exhibition at Judson Memorial Church organized by Guerrilla Art Action Group (GAAG) co-founders Jon Hendricks and Jean Toche, and Faith Ringgold, a Black activist and artist, who were subsequently arrested for flag desecration and became known as the Judson Three.
The bulk of the collection documents the activities of GAAG, and included are copies of the group's manifestos, action scripts, open letters, internal memos, and other papers, such as letters written on behalf of Black activist Angela Davis during her imprisonment. Many photographs of protests and meetings prominently feature groups such as the Art Workers Coalition, Women Artists in Revolution, Ad Hoc Women Artists Committee, and Black Emergency Cultural Coalition. Some of the individuals pictured include Raay herself; GAAG co-founder Poppy Johnson; artists Takis, Tom Lloyd, Lil Picard, Roy Lichtenstein, Raphael Montañez Ortiz, Kate Millett, and Alice Neel; Black feminist lawyer Florynce Kennedy; attorney and American Civil Liberties Union Director William Kunstler; activist Abbie Hoffman; and MoMA Director John Hightower. Materials date from 1969 to 1974.
Dates
- 1969 - 1974
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research
Conditions Governing Use
The Jan van Raay Photographs of Art Strike Protests is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Antiquariat Guenter Linke on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2018.
Arrangement
Organized into two series: I. Photographs, 1969-1972. II. Guerrilla Art Action Group Papers, 1974.
Extent
14.46 Linear Feet (13 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The collection contains black-and-white photographs by Jan van Raay documenting strikes, demonstrations, protests, sit-ins, happenings, and other events in New York City, primarily at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photographs depict actions including the Art Strike against Racism, Sexism, Repression, War; the PASTA MoMA union strike; demonstrations and marches in support of the Panther 21, Black and Puerto Rican artists, and abortion rights; and The People's Flag Show, an exhibition at Judson Memorial Church organized by Guerrilla Art Action Group (GAAG) co-founders Jon Hendricks and Jean Toche, and Faith Ringgold, a Black activist and artist, who were subsequently arrested for flag desecration and became known as the Judson Three.
Jan van Raay (1942-)
Jan van Raay is an American photographer, painter, and performance artist. She is known for photographing protests in New York City in the 1970s, as well as her portraits of public figures including Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Raay was born in Brooklyn, New York, and currently resides in Portland, Oregon.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections as they are acquired, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Ad Hoc Committee of Women Artists
- African American artists
- African American women political activists
- Anti-war demonstrations
- Art -- Political aspects
- Art Workers Coalition
- Art, Puerto Rican
- Black Emergency Cultural Coalition
- Black Panthers Trial, New York, N.Y., 1970-1971
- Black-and-white photographs -- 20th Century
- Davis, Angela Y. (Angela Yvonne), 1944- -- Trials, litigation, etc.
- Demonstrations -- New York (State) -- New York
- Dissident art
- Flags -- Desecration -- United States
- Freedom of speech -- United States
- Guerrilla Art Action Group
- Hendricks, Jon
- Hightower, John B. (John Brantley), 1933-2013
- Hoffman, Abbie
- Johnson, Poppy
- Kennedy, Florynce, 1916-2000
- Kunstler, William M. (William Moses), 1919-1995
- Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997
- Lloyd, Tom, 1929-1996
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
- Millett, Kate
- Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)
- Neel, Alice, 1900-1984
- New York (N.Y.) -- Pictorial works
- Ortiz, Rafael Montanez
- Photographers -- United States -- 20th Century
- Photographic prints
- Photographs
- Picard, Lil
- Pro-choice movement--United States
- Raay, Jan van
- Ringgold, Faith
- Takis, 1925-
- Toche, Jean
- Women photographers -- United States
- Women political activists -- United States
- Title
- Guide to the Jan van Raay Photographs of Art Strike Protests
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- by Brooke McManus
- Date
- May 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
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