Patricia Barnwell Collins Papers
Scope and Contents
The Patricia Barnwell Collins Papers, contains exhibition catalogues and publications produced by Collins & Milazzo, installation views for several Collins & Milazzo exhibitions, invitations, press clippings, and personal memorabilia. The material covers the early 1980s through the 1990s and documents not only the curatorial activities of Collins & Milazzo, but also the Grand Salon, and Tricia Collins Contemporary Art, the latter two established after she and Richard Milazzo parted in the early 1990s.
Series I: Exhibition Documentation contains exhibition documentation from the entire history of Patricia Collins' practice, from the curatorial collaboration Collins & Milazzo, through her galleries Tricia Collins Grand Salon and Tricia Collins Contemporary Art. Materials include exhibition announcements, press releases and other promotional material, as well as exhibition reviews and photographic documentation.
Series II: Press contains press on Collins & Milazzo, and also on Tricia Collins as a gallerist.
Series III: Exhibition Publications and Writings: Publications include the critical writings and editorial work of Tricia Collins and Collins & Milazzo, as well as some manuscript material including a bibliography and exhibition history, as well as a critical curatorial statement by Collins & Milazzo.
Series IV: Photographs contains largely photographs, with some slides and contact sheets. The images in this series consist of press and publicity photographs of the curatorial team Collins & Milazzo, as well as individual images of Patricia Collins. The General Photographs folder consists of snapshots, including images of the Collins & Milazzo art collection c. 1985.
Dates
- 1980-2000, bulk 1984-1995
- Majority of material found within 1984 - 1995
Creator
- Collins, Tricia (Person)
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to researchers without restrictions. Appointments are necessary to consult manuscript and archival materials. Access copies for media materials may not be available yet. Please contact the CCS Archivist for further details.
Use Restrictions
Collection use is subject to all copyright laws. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Director of the Library & Archives at the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. Please contact ccslib@bard.edu for more information.
Biographical / Historical
Tricia Collins is an influential curator, gallerist, and critic best known for her curatorial work in the 1980s and 90s as part of the independent curatorial team of Collins & Milazzo. Dubbed “action critics” by artist Lucio Pozzi, Tricia Collins and Richard Milazzo transformed the mundane group show into a critical curatorial act. Her curatorial practice as part of Collins & Milazzo helped disrupt Neo-expression and establish Neo-conceptual art as the dominant discourse. Through the recursive inclusion in their 1980s exhibitions Collins & Milazzo helped establish a new generation of artists. A partial list of artists include: Richard Prince, Oliver Wasow, Ross Bleckner, Sarah Charlesworth, Robert Gober, Jeff Koons, Jonathan Lasker, Annette Lemieux, Allan McCollum, Vik Muniz, Salvatore Scarpitta, Meyer Vaisman, Not Vital, Julia Wachtel, and Meg Webster.
Collins & Milazzo collaborated with many organizations and galleries including: Nature Morte, International with Monument, Cash/Newhouse, White Columns, Leo Castelli, Colin DeLand American Fine Arts, Massimo Audiello Gallery, Sidney Janis Gallery, John Gibson Gallery, and many others. Some of the exhibitions include: Civilization and the Landscape of Discontent (1984), Still Life with Transaction (1984), The New Capital (1985), Modern Sleep (1986), The New Poverty (1987), Theoretically Yours (1992), among others.
In 1993 Tricia Collins and Richard Milazzo opened a gallery, the Grand Salon, at 83 Grand St. In New York City's Soho neighborhood. In 1994 the partnership dissolved and the gallery name became Tricia Collins Grand Salon. In 1997 the gallery's name was changed to Tricia Collins Contemporary Art. The gallery closed in the summer of 2000. In 1995 Tricia Collins married her childhood sweetheart, Burton Cox, and in 2000 they left New York City returning to their home state of Florida.
Extent
3.5 Linear Feet ( in 10 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The collection is comprised of four series:
Series I: Exhibition Documentation, arranged chronologically by date of exhibition; artwork images which are organized by artist.
Series II: Press, arranged chronologically by title.
Series III: Exhibition Publications and Writings, publications arranged chronologically, and followed by miscellaneous writings.
Series IV: Photographs, arranged with general photographs followed by press and publicity photographs.
Provenance
The Particia Barnwell Collins Papers were donated by Tricia Collins to the Center for Curatorial Studies in 2014.
Separated Materials
Click here for a list of separated materials.
- Art -- 20th century -- Exhibitions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Art -- 21st Century -- Exhibitions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Art criticism -- United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Art, Modern -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Art, Modern -- 21st Century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Clippings (information artifacts) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Collins & Milazzo
- Color transparencies Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Conceptual art -- Exhibitions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Contact sheets Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Curatorship Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Exhibition catalogs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Grand Salon
- Invitations Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Milazzo, Richard
- Neo-geo (Art) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Press releases Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Promotional materials Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Reviews (documents) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Serials (publications) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Slides (photographs) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Tricia Collins Contemporary Art
- Tricia Collins-Grand Salon
- Title
- Guide to the Patricia Barnwell Collins Papers
- Author
- Molly North and Ryan Evans. Collection processed by Molly North; supervised by Ryan Evans.
- Date
- June 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Center for Curatorial Studies Library & Archives Repository
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson 12504-5000 USA
845-758-7567
845-758-2442 (Fax)
ccslib@bard.edu
