Scope and Contents
The collection consists of correspondence, writings, notebooks, photographs, artwork, objects, audiovisual materials, and electronic media the document the life and work of Ira Cohen. The papers include materials relating to other writers, artists, and groups including Ronnie Burk, Louise Landes-Levi, the Living Theatre, Gerard Malanga, Petra Vogt, Tom Weigel, various Beat generation writers, and others. Artwork includes mail art, paintings, drawings, screen prints, and posters. Objects include stamps, Cohen's typewriter, masks, and plaster and papier mache casts. Casts include life masks made by Cohen of friends including Allen Ginsberg and Julian Beck and a cast of William S. Burroughs' hand.
Dates
- 1924-2007
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Boxes 44, 93-97, 185-213 (audiovisual materials): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Boxes 98, 214-219 (digital media): Restricted fragile material. Access copies of digital files may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Ira Cohen Papers 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 Johan Kugelberg on the Ezra Pound Archive Fund, 2011.
Arrangement
Organized into eleven series: I. Selected Papers, 1924, 1960s-2000s. II. Correspondence, 1970s-2000s. III. Papers Relating to Other Writers and Groups, 1960s-2000s. IV. Manuscript Materials and Working Files, circa 1961-2007. V. Notebooks, 1979-2005. VI. Photographs, 1960s-2000s. VII. Papers Removed from Printed Material, undated. VIII. Artwork, 1970s-2000s. IX. Objects, circa 1936, 1980s-2000s. X. Audiovisual Materials, 1965-2000s. XI. Electronic Media, 1980s-2000s.
Extent
132.64 Linear Feet ((206 boxes) + 14 broadside, 2 record album storage, and 1 art)
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 consists of correspondence, writings, notebooks, photographs, artwork, objects, audiovisual materials, and electronic media the document the life and work of Ira Cohen. The papers include materials relating to other writers, artists, and groups including Ronnie Burk, Louise Landes-Levi, the Living Theatre, Gerard Malanga, Petra Vogt, Tom Weigel, various Beat generation writers, and others. Artwork includes mail art, paintings, drawings, screen prints, and posters. Objects include stamps, Cohen's typewriter, masks, and plaster and papier mache casts. Casts include life masks made by Cohen of friends including Allen Ginsberg and Julian Beck and a cast of William S. Burroughs' hand.
Ira Cohen
Ira Cohen (1935-2011) was an American poet, photographer, publisher, and filmmaker. He was associated with the Living Theatre, as well as various writers associated with the Beat generation.
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.
- American literature -- 20th century
- Audiovisual materials
- Beat generation
- Beck, Julian, 1925-1985
- Born digital
- Burk, Ronnie
- Burroughs, William S., 1914-1997
- Cohen, Ira
- Drawings (visual works)
- Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997
- Landes-Levi, Louise
- Life masks
- Living Theatre (New York, N.Y.)
- Mail art
- Malanga, Gerard
- Paintings (visual works)
- Photographers -- United States -- 20th Century
- Photographers, American -- 20th Century
- Photographs
- Poets -- United States -- 20th century
- Poets, American -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Vogt, Petra
- Weigel, Tom
- Title
- Guide to the Ira Cohen Papers
- Author
- by Beinecke staff
- Date
- November 2015
- 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
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.