Anna Rimel
Scope and Contents
The records of the Area Gallery measure 1.1 linear feet and date from 1958-1977 (bulk dates 1959-1964). Area Gallery was one of the Tenth Street Co-ops in New York City, and operated from 1958-1965. Materials in this collection include artist bios, price lists, black and white photos of artwork; financial records with annotations; member lists, exhibition lists, and daily notes; gallery sign-in sheets; correspondence, including letters to and from the gallery and regarding rent issues; and an extensive scrapbook containing exhibition posters, photos of artwork, announcements, exhibition reviews, and clippings.
Administrative records contain member lists, daily operational notes and messages, artwork loan contracts to museums, some mail received by the gallery, and all sign-in sheets for the gallery from 1962-1965. It is noted that all sign-in sheets prior to April 1962 have been lost.
Correspondence is primarily to and from the Treasurer of Area Gallery, and also contains requests for hire and exhibitions, member resignations, payments made and received. Additionally, rent correspondence contains letters regarding late or overdue payments.
The artist files and scrapbook contain black and white photographs of artwork, artist bios, price lists, and some exhibition announcements, and represent a small fraction of the number of artists who showed at Area Gallery. The scrapbook also contains exhibition review clippings and exhibition posters.
The financial records include cancelled checks, many of which have been annotated, deposit slips and bank statements, also annotated. Receipts for bills, supplies, artist payments, and dues are also included, as well as two bookkeeping ledgers.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records were donated in 1978 by Ruth Becker Fortel, Treasurer of Area Gallery.
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art is a collection relating to the Tenth Street Galleries and collection donor, Ruth Fortel. See: Joellen Bard's, Ruth Fortel's, and Helen Thomas' exhibition records of "Tenth Street Days: the Co-ops of the 50s," 1953-1977.
Processing Information
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Anna Rimel in 2014. The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal processing tactics when possible in order to increase information about and access to more of our collections. Minimal processing included arrangement to the series, subseries, and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles, but not arranged further. Folders with boxes may not be numbered. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders, but not all staples and clips were removed.