Amanda Louie
Scope and Contents note
The records of the New York City SoHo Artists Association measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1968 to 1978. They document the Association's lobbying efforts to change New York City zoning laws to allow artists to live and work in SoHo lofts. Found within the collection are correspondence, reports, founding documents, notes, publicity and printed material, photographs, and a sound recording of the first meeting of the Association in 1970.
The records contain documentation of the SoHo Artists Association's relationship with other organizations and city commissions, including the Artists Tenants Association, Citizens for Artists Housing, Historic Districts Council, New York City Planning Commission, New York State Commission on Cultural Resources, and Department of Cultural Affairs.
The collection includes a sound recording of the Association's first official meeting held on June 5, 1970 after incorporation. Members discuss the history of negotiations, how to work with commissions and boards, membership growth, the definition of who is an artist, how much minimum space an artist needs, what an artist considers to be adequate living quarters, and how to raise visibility and support. The meeting concluded with a vote, the ballots of which are included in the records.
Publicity records includes festival and tour information, the SoHo Newsletter, clippings, and other materials. Photographs are of the SoHo Artists Association meeting on June 5, 1970.
Provenance
The records were donated to the Archives of American Art by Gerhardt Liebmann, a member of the SoHo Artists Association, in 1979.
Related Archival Materials note
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Artist Tenants Association records, 1959-1978.
Funding
Sponsor
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Processing Information
The collection was fully processed and a finding aid prepared by Amanda Louie in 2011. The collection was digitized in 2012 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.