Sound, Light, and Silence: Art That Performs Exhibition Records
Scope and Contents Note
The Sound, Light, and Silence: Art that Performs exhibition records, dating 1965 to 1973, consist of correspondence, photographs, negatives, sketches, newspaper clippings and other miscellaneous material. This collection provides partial documentation of the exhibition’s organization. It gives slightly more information about some, but not all, of the artists whose works were displayed in the show.
Dates
- Creation: 1965-1973
Creator
- Coe, Ralph T. (Person)
Restrictions on Access
Open to researchers. Appointments are necessary for the use of manuscript and archival collections.
Conditions Governing Use
Notification of intent to publish, quote, or cite archival materials is required. Contact the archives via https://nelson-atkins.org/library/.
Biographical / Historical Note
The avant-garde exhibition Sound, Light, and Silence: Art that Performs was held at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art from November 4, 1966 to December 4, 1966. This was the first and only venue for the show. Ralph T. Coe, the Museum’s Assistant Director and Curator of Paintings and Sculpture, who planned and organized the exhibit, used examples of Pop, Op, Kinetic, and Minimal Art, along with electronic and sound devices in an attempt to define points of mergence between many of these new styles of art. The exhibition featured twenty-four works by twenty-three artists, many of which were never before exhibited and several of which were completed specifically for this show. Included was a spectacle happening, staged by Al Hansen, entitled Max: Engineered Theater: Kansas City ’66. This was performed just once on November 18, 1966. Sound, Light, and Silence was the direct precursor to the 1968 exhibition The Magic Theater.
Extent
0.4 Linear Feet (In 1 legal document case.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection is the records of the Sound, Light, and Silence: Art that Performs exhibition, held at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in 1966. The collection, dated 1965 to 1973, primarily consists of correspondence, photographs, negatives, sketches, newspaper clippings, and other miscellaneous material.
Organization
This collection is organized into two series: Artists (Series I) and Miscellaneous (Series II). The first series is arranged alphabetically by artist name.
Immediate Source of Acquistion Note
Transfer. Accession numbers associated with this record group are 1992-15.
Accruals Note
Additions to the collection are not anticipated.
Subject
- Coe, Ralph T. (Person)
- Hansen, Al, 1927-1995 (Person)
- William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid of the Sound, Light, and Silence: Art That Performs Exhibition Records, RG 24/15
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives Repository