Ching Ho Cheng papers, circa 1950-2014, bulk 1970-1989

Biographical material dates from circa 1970 to 1990 and includes artist's statements, biographical profiles, art supply lists, memorial service materials and guest book, naturalization paperwork and passports, one file of collaborative poetry with David Rattray, and some writings by others about Ching Ho Cheng.

This series is arranged in alphabetical order by folder title.

The bulk of this series has been digitized. Materials which have not been digitized include blank pages of the memorial guest book, blank versos of photographs, and duplicates. The contact list also has not been digitized for the sake of privacy.

Correspondence dates from 1957-2014 and includes letters and postcards from Cheng's friends, artists, and family. Notable correspondents include Tally Brown, Ira Cohen, Gregory Millard, Vali Myers, David Rattray, and Dui Seid. Several folders contain letters from Cheng to friends, primarily Tally Brown and Dui Seid. Mixed in with letters are exhibition flyers, photographs, and two limited edition publications by Ira Cohen, published by the Bardo Matrix Press in Kathmandu, Nepal. This series also includes professional correspondence from galleries and museums to Cheng or his estate, managed Sybao Cheng-Wilson.

This series is arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent. Unidentified and "first name only" correspondents are grouped together and can be found towards the end of the series.

The bulk of this series has been digitized. Materials which have not been digitized include blank versos of photographs and duplicates. Only the cover and contents page of the Geechies manuscript have been digitized.

Personal business and estate records date from circa 1970-2010 and contain contracts, loan agreements, art inventories, and other records documenting income and expenses. There are receipts for art supplies as well as framing and photography of Cheng's artwork. The hotel receipts are mostly from the Chelsea Hotel where Cheng lived for many years. The miscellaneous bills and receipts include receipts from restaurants, travel documents such as plane tickets and receipts from hotels abroad while traveling, post office receipts, and veterinarian bills for Cheng's pets.

The materials in this series have been arranged in alphabetical order. The receipts have been loosely grouped together by type: receipts for art supplies, receipts for framing and photography expenses, and receipts for hotels.

This series has been digitized selectively. The first three folders consisting of art agent and gallery contracts, art lists, loan agreements, and sales records; Cheng's estate and will; and the folder on income and expenses have been digitized. The rest of the folders which contain various kinds of receipts have not been digitized.

Printed material dates from circa 1970-2011 and is comprised of books, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, journals, magazines, newsletters, postcards, press releases, programs, and posters. The material here predominantly documents the careers of Cheng and his friends. One folder contains material related to Geechies, a collection of poetry by Gregory Millard.

The printed materials have been divided into two sections: the materials related to Ching Ho Cheng comprise the first half of the series, the latter half consists of materials that are exclusively about other artists and subjects. The printed materials are arranged by type, e.g, books, clippings, exhibition catalogs, magazines, etc.

The bulk of this series has been digitized. In some cases, exhibition catalogs and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages digitized. Duplicates have also not been digitized. Only a sampling of the postcards have been digitized due to volume.

The scrapbook dates from 1976-1988 and contains clippings, exhibition announcements and reproductions of Cheng's work. There is one exhibition announcement from his retrospective in 2008.

The scrapbook has been disbound and only consists of one folder of materials.

This series has been digitized in its entirety.

Photographic material dates from circa 1950-1990 and includes photographs, negatives, and slides featuring portraits of Cheng, Gregory Millard, Tally Brown, Vali Myers, Sybao Cheng-Wilson, and others. The folder titled "Artwork," contains photographs of Cheng's paintings, reference subjects, and photographs taken while a student. The photograph album mostly consists of travel pictures, and gatherings of friends, including Gert Schiff, and a few scattered images of Cheng's artwork.

The photographic materials are loosely grouped by subject. Photographs of Ching Ho Cheng are at the beginning, followed by photographs of Cheng with friends and family, photographs of individual friends, then photographs of artwork, and finally the photograph album of Cheng's travels abroad with friends and family.

The bulk of this series has been digitized. Materials which have not been digitized include blank versos of photographs and duplicates.

Artwork dates from circa 1960-1990 and includes over a hundred drawings and sketches, mostly quick studies of geometric compositions. These works are predominantly in pencil, ink, and colored pencil. Also included here is a leather bag similar to those he made and sold in the 1960s, and stencils used to create a larger work. One folder contains artwork by other unidentified artists.

The materials in this series are grouped together by type, e.g., drawings and sketches, stencils, and artwork by others. The leather bag Cheng designed is at the end.

This series has been digitized in its entirety.

Fifteen sketchbooks date from circa 1970-1990 and are filled mostly with quick studies done in pencil of geometric compositions.

Whenever possible, the sketchbooks were arranged in chronological order. Many of the sketchbooks were undated and those were grouped together towards the end of the series.

The bulk of this series has been digitized, except for blank pages of the sketchbooks.

Artifacts date from circa 1970-1990 and include a metal box which held some of the letters from Vali Myers, along with various fabric scraps. The letters can be found in Series 2: Correspondence. Also found here is a paintbrush, and a blue enamel mug, which is the subject of one of Cheng's paintings.

The artifacts are all housed together inside a box.

The series has been digitized in its entirety.