• Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson
Research Center
•
Archive & Finding Aid
GUIDE to the
CREATIVE CRAFTS VIDEO COLLECTION, 1973-1991
METROPOLITAN LIBRARY SYSTEM. Videocassettes, 1973-1991.
744 videocassettes.
Location: Library closed stacks area.
Introduction:
Videocassettes of the television program Creative Crafts, produced by
the Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma between 1973
and 1991. The collection includes 388 half-hour programs on 744 videocassettes.
The program format typically features one or more guests discussing
a topic of interest with host and moderator Daniel L. Blanchard. Many
of the guests were artists and artisans, and these guests often demonstrate
or display their work during the course of the program. Among the prominent
contemporary artists who appear on the program are Robert Abbett, Ansel
Adams, Joseph Bohler, Duane Bryers, Len Chmiel, Clark Hulings, Wilson
Hurley, Bob Kuhn, Robert Lougheed, Kenneth Riley, Morris Rippel, Trevor
Southey, Bettina Steinke, Kent Ullberg, William Whitaker, and Richard
Zoellner. In addition to art, other major topics covered in the program
include handicrafts, literature and publishing, Native American art
and culture and performing arts.
History:
The Creative Crafts television series was produced between 1973 and
1991 by the Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in
association with the American Institute of Discussion. Daniel L. Blanchard
of the American Institute of Discussion served as the host and moderator
of the program. Series programs were aired by television stations in
Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma. The half-hour programs typically
consist of one or more guests discussing a single topic of interest.
Many of the programs feature artists and artisans discussing and demonstrating
their work; other topics include Native American cultural history, publishing
and literature, dance, music and theater.
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Scope and Content:
The Creative Crafts Video collection includes 388 half-hour
television programs on 744 videocassettes. All but two of the videocassettes
are in U-matic format; nearly all programs exist in two copies on two
different videocassettes. Because of age and other factors the video
and audio quality of some videocassettes has deteriorated. The collection
is physically arranged in call number order, but to aid the researcher
it has been intellectually arranged into seven series, Art, Group Discussion,
Handicrafts, Literature and Publishing, Native Americans, Performing
Arts and Various Topics. A catalog record for each Creative Crafts program
is available through the Research
Center Web Catalog.
Art (1973-1991) series is the largest in the collection with 245 programs. The series has been further divided into ten subseries, Architecture; Collections, Exhibitions and Collecting; Drawing; Education; Painting; Photography; Pottery; Prints; Sculpture; and Textiles. Series highlights include discussions and demonstrations of drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture presented by a variety of well known contemporary Western artists and others including Robert Abbett, Joseph Bohler, Duane Bryers, Len Chmiel, Valoy Eaton, Tom Hill, Clark Hulings, Wilson Hurley, James Kramer, Bob Kuhn, David A. Leffel, Carl Link, Robert Lougheed, Jean Richardson, Kenneth Riley, Morris Rippel, Trevor Southey, Bettina Steinke, Kent Ullberg, William Whitaker, and Richard Zoellner. Also included are programs about photography featuring Ansel Adams, David Fitzgerald, David Lubbers, Kurt Markus, Michael Ricker, John Ward and Don Worth. Other covered topics include the pottery and textile art of Jim Romberg and Leonardo Nierman, as well as discussions about the architecture of Bruce Goff, Mies Van Der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. Additionally, artwork found in collections and museums including the Lehman Collection, the Phillips Collection, the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame is shown and discussed. Although many of the artists interviewed or profiled are nationally known, the programs also feature many local Oklahoma artists who are not well known outside the state.
Group Discussion (1973-1989) series includes 16 programs featuring videotaped group discussions by members of the American Institute of Discussion. These discussions fall into three main categories: art, history and current events, and the “art of discussion.” The programs about the nature of good art are probably most interesting, while the programs on discussion technique and current events are probably of lesser interest.
Handicrafts (1973-1991) series includes 31 programs featuring artisans discussing and demonstrating their craft. Crafts covered in these programs include jewelry making, leatherworking, stained glass making, glassblowing, picture framing and furniture making. Most of the featured artisans are from Oklahoma, but the work of Vail, Colorado art jewelry designer Dan Telleen is featured in several programs.
Literature and Publishing (1973-1991) series has 13 programs and features discussions with book and magazine writers, publishers and book designers. Oklahoma authors including Ralph Ellison, science fiction writer C. J. Cherryh and mystery writers Jean Hager, Carolyn Hart and Eve Sandstrom are featured in several of these programs. Other programs include conversations about art magazines with Susan McGarry, cowboy poetry with Guy Logsdon, and book publishing with Texas small press publisher William Wittliff.
Native Americans (1974-1989) series includes 29 programs divided into two subseries, Art and Handicrafts and Cultural Issues. The majority of these programs feature Santa Fe, New Mexico Native American art dealer and author Rex Arrowsmith. The Art and Handicrafts programs cover a wide variety of Native American arts and crafts including, basket making, beadwork, flute making, jewelry making, painting, pottery and rug making. Other featured artists and artisans are Mavis Doering, Enoch Kelly Haney, Doc Tate Nevaquaya, Bert Seabourn and Jr. Weryackwe. The Cultural Issues programs all feature Rex Arrowsmith; covered topics include traditional dance and costume, fetishes and Kachinas, musical instruments, weapons and traditional Indian relationships with the horse and buffalo.
Performing Arts (1974-1991) series with 38 programs is the second largest series in the collection; it has been divided into three subseries, Dance, Music and Theater. Most of the program participants are persons associated with Oklahoma City-area universities and performance groups. Dance subseries topics include jazz and tap dance, ethnic dance and square dance. Dance program participants include Jo Rowan, dance educator at Oklahoma City University and the director of the American Spirit Dance Company. The Music subseries includes both discussion and musical performance, primarily of jazz and classical music. Music program participants include University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) professor and UCO Jazz Lab founder Kent Kidwell, composer Ray Luke and Irvin Wagner, director of the University of Oklahoma Trombone Choir. Theater subseries topics include costume and set design, the Oklahoma Theater Center and the Oklahoma City-based Black Liberated Arts Center. Theater program participants include UCO set designer and director Carveth Osterhaus.
Various Topics (1974-1990) series includes 16 programs on a variety of different topics, which were covered in only a few Creative Crafts programs. Topics include cookery, libraries, zoological parks, gardening and landscaping, television and video production, and vintage photographic postcard views of Oklahoma City.
Subject Terms:
Personal Names:
Abbett, Robert K.
Arrowsmith, Rex
Blanchard, Daniel L.
Bohler, Joseph
Bryers, Duane
Burris, Jon
Chmiel, Len
Eaton, A. VaLoy (Armon VaLoy), 1938-
Ellison, Ralph
Fitzgerald, David, 1935-
Goff, Bruce, 1904-
Hager, Jean
Hart, Carolyn G.
Hill, Tom, 1922-
Hurley, Wilson, 1924-
Kidwell, Kent
Krakel, Dean Fenton, 1923-
Kramer, James, 1927-
Kuhn, Bob
Le Corbusier, 1887-1965
Leffel, David A.
Link, Carl, 1887-
Logsdon, Guy William
Lougheed, Robert
Lubbers, David, 1947-
Mies Van Der Rohe, Ludwig, 1886-1969
Richardson, Jean, 1940-
Riley, Kenneth, 1919-
Rippel, Morris
Romberg, Jim
Rowan, Jo
Southey, Trevor, 1940-
Steinke, Bettina, 1913-
Teeter, Don E.
Ullberg, Kent
Ward, John, 1943-
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959
Corporate Names:
American Institute of Discussion
Black Liberated Arts Center
Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
Metropolitan Library System (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
National Academy of Western Art
National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center
Oklahoma Art Center
Subject Headings:
Acting—Study and teaching
Architecture
Architecture, Modern
Art—Collectors and collecting
Art—Exhibitions
Art—Study and teaching
Art—Technique
Art museums
Basket making
Book design
Bronze sculpture
Carving (Decorative arts)
Ceramic sculpture
Ceramics
Chamber music
Cherokee baskets
Color in art
Composition (Art)
Composition (Music)
Cookery
Costume design
Cowboy poetry
Detective and mystery stories
Discussion
Dixieland music
Drawing
Etching
Fetishes (Ceremonial objects)
Fiberwork
Figure drawing
Folk dancing
Form (Aesthetics)
Furniture design
Furniture making
Glass blowing and working
Glass painting and staining
Gouache painting
Graphic arts
Historical museums
Indian art
Indian art—Collectors and collecting
Indian baskets—Collectors and collecting
Indian beadwork—Collectors and collecting
Indian dance
Indian metal-work—Collectors and collecting
Indian painting
Indian pottery—Collectors and collecting
Indians—Antiquities
Indians of North America—Clothing
Indians of North America—Folklore
Jazz
Jazz dance
Jewelry
Jewelry making
Kachinas
Landscape painting
Landscape photography
Leatherwork
Musical theater
Needlework
Oklahoma City (Okla.)—Description—20th century
Outdoor photography
Painters
Painting
Pastel drawing
Periodicals
Photographers, American
Photography, Artistic
Photography, Artistic—Printing processes
Picture frames and framing
Plein air painting
Porcelain
Portrait drawing
Portrait painting
Potters
Pottery
Printmakers
Prints
Publishers and publishing
Rugs—Collectors and collecting
Sculpture
Singing—Instruction and study
Small press books
Square dancing
Still-life painting
Tap dancing
Television—Production and direction
Tempera painting
Theatrical companies—Oklahoma
Trombone music
Watercolor painting
Weaving
Wildlife art
Wildlife painting
Wood sculpture
Zoos
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Processing Note:
The Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center
acquired the Creative Crafts Video Collection in 1998. The collection
was cataloged and arranged by Jonathan Nelson in 2003.
Ownership and Literary Rights:
The Creative Crafts Video Collection is the property of the
Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy
& Western Heritage Museum. Literary right, including copyright,
belongs to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, with the
exception of copyrighted artwork images and published literary works,
which are the property of the respective copyright holders. It is the
responsibility of the researcher, and his/her publisher, to obtain publishing
permission from individuals pictured, relevant copyright holders, and
the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
Restrictions on Access:
The collection is open for research. It is advisable for researchers
to discuss their proposed research with staff prior to visiting the
Center.
Preferred Citation:
Creative Crafts Video Collection, Title, Call ##, Dickinson
Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma.
