Collection Information
Size: 14.2 Linear feet
Summary: The papers of multimedia and computer artist, Fred Truck, measure 14.2 linear feet and date from 1965-2019. Included are biographical material, interviews, correspondence, writings, subject and project files, photographs, rare printed material, preliminary works of art, and audiovisual material. A portion of the papers are in electronic format. The papers are organized by projects, institutions and individuals and include the following series: Fluxus art criticism and artist's books by Truck; performance art including the Performance Bank, the Electric Bank, and The Des Moines Festival of the Avant-garde; concrete poetry; mail art; digital performance and social media including Art Com Electronic Network (ACEN); sculpture and prints; art software; virtual reality software; three dimensional photography; collaborative works of performance art and collaborative works of early electronic art 1980- and the ACEN artists' network (1986-1999).
There is a 2.4 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2021 and 2022 and includes material related to the 1979 Des Moines Festival of the Avant Garde and consists of original correspondence conveying artists' contributions by mail and a film (on two 16-mm reels) documenting the event itself; and additional Mail Art. Also included are 28 floppy disks documenting the processes of Truck's computer-based work. Materials date from circa 1979-1992.