Kington, L. Brent (Louis Brent), b. 1934

L. Brent Kington papers, 1944- 2007

4.1 linear ft.
ADDITION: 2.0 linear ft.

Correspondence, writings, subject files, photographs, and audiovisual and printed material providing an overview of Kington's career as a blacksmith, sculptor, metalsmith, and educator.

Correspondence relates primarily to exhibitions in the United States and includes invitations to Kington to participate and Kington's responses, details about the artwork selected, arrangements, documentation of resulting sales, and some printed material such as exhibition catalogs and announcements and clippings. Among the institutions represented are the American Craft Museum, the Evansville Museum of Arts and Science, the National Ornamental Metal Musem, the Philbrook Museum of Art, Southern Illinois University Museum (SIU). Also found are correspondence from people interested in Kington's work, requests to reproduce photographs of works, information about meetings, exhibitions and other events, and letters concerning the award of fellowships and grants. Some of the correspondence contains sketches or signed art work by Kington. Additional correspondence is also found in Series II: Subject Files.

Subject Files, 1956-2001, contain primarily correspondence, and relate to Kington's education at Cranbrook Academy of Art (including sketches of jewelry designed by Kington while a student); his involvement with professional organizations such as the American Craft Council (ACC) and the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG); his work as an educator at Southern Illinois University, Penland School of Crafts, and elsewhere and as a juror and visiting artist; consigments, sales, and shows at galleries, among them J.J. Klejman, The Sculptors Gallery, Lee Nordness Galleries, Gilman Galleries, Sheldon Memorial Gallery, Theo Portnoy Gallery and elsewhere. Several photographs are scattered throughout the files.

Printed material consists of Kington exhibition announcements and catalogs; news clippings; and publications showing Kington's work. Also found here is a letter from Harvey Z. Yellin enclosing publications regarding his father, Samuel Yellin, with an inventory of Yellin's antique iron collection.

Photographs, ca. 1962-2001, are primarily of artwork, but also include photographs of Kington, several with Tod Kington, his studio, and a 1970 blacksmith workshop picturing Kington and others, including Alex Bealer, Michael Croft, Fred Fenster, Bill Freeman, Nilda Getty, Mike Jerry, Stanley Lechtzin, Richard Mawdsley, Ronald Peasron, and J. Fred Woell.

Audiovisual material includes an oral history interview of Kington conducted by Ilin Hsu, 2001 (on Compact disk); a videorecording of a blacksmith workshop conducted at SIU, and the program "Brent Kington: Image of an Artist," 1982.

ADDITION: Correspondence and files relating to various commissions, awards, and donations; files on Kingtons affiliation with SIU, Cranbrook Academy of Art, SNAG, and his participation in advisory councils and workshops; teaching materials; a DVD entitled, "Arts Across Illinois", produced by WTTW Chicago; and exhibition announcements and catalogs.

This collection was donated in installments from 2001-2008 by L. Brent Kington as a part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

How to Use this Collection

• Use requires an appointment.
• Please read the Finding Aid for more detailed information on this collection.
• Selected images of documents in this collection are online.
• For more information on using resources at the Archives of American Art, please visit our Ask Us page

Also in the Archives:

• Oral history interview with L. Brent Kington, 2001 May 3-4