Noah Purifoy papers
name: label: Creator
content: Purifoy, Noah, 1917-
label: Names
content: California Arts Council
label: Names
content: Watts Towers Art Center
topic: label: Occupation
content: Arts administrators -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Occupation
content: Assemblage artists -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Occupation
content: Assemblage artists -- California -- Joshua Tree
label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- California -- Joshua Tree
label: Topic
content: African American artists
label: Topic
content: African American sculptors
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Noah Purifoy donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1998.
creator: label: Creator
content: Purifoy, Noah, 1917-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Noah Purifoy papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of African American assemblage artist Noah Purifoy measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1935 to 1998 with the bulk of the material dating from 1971 to 1998. The collection contains biographical material; correspondence; writings on Purifoy and art; material related to the California Arts Council; material related to other professional activities, including commissions and exhibitions; printed material; and scrapbooks.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Noah Purifoy (1917-2004) was an African American sculptor, assemblage artist, and arts administrator in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, California.

Born in Snow Hill, Alabama, Purifoy attended Alabama State Teachers College (now Alabama State University) and Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). In 1953, Purifoy enrolled at the Chouinard Arts Institute (now CalArts) as the first full-time African American student. He earned his bachelor's of fine arts degree in 1956, just before his 40th birthday. 

Purifoy co-founded the Watts Towers Art Center in Los Angeles, California and he, along with artist Judson Powell, organized the exhibition 66 Signs of Neon as a way to interpret the 1965 Watts Riots. 

In 1989, Purifoy moved to the Mojave Desert, just outside of Joshua Tree, California. He spent the remainder of his life creating the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Sculpture Museum, which is composed of large-scale assemblages in the desert constructed entirely from found objects. The museum is open to the public and maintained by the Noah Purifoy Foundation.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1935-1998
label: Date
content: bulk 1971-1998
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.purinoah
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged as seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1939-1953, 1980-circa 1987 (Box 1; 3 folders) 

Series 2: Correspondence, 1971-1979, 1992-1998 (Box 1; 3 folders) 

Series 3: Writings, 1974, circa 1990s, undated (Box 1; 4 folders) 

Series 4: California Arts Council, 1976-1980 (Box 1, OV 2; 0.1 linear feet) 

Series 5: Other Professional Activities, circa 1967-1977, 1994-1998 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet) 

Series 6: Printed Material, 1939, 1966-1998 (Box 1, OV 2; 0.2 linear feet) 

Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1935-1938, 1957-1997 (Box 1, OV 3; 0.5 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was minimally processed and a finding aid prepared by Rayna Andrews in 2021 with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of African American assemblage artist and arts administrator Noah Purifoy measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1935 to 1998 with the bulk of the material dating from 1971 to 1998. The collection contains biographical material, including an award, diplomas, and resumes; correspondence with arts institutions and artists; writings on Purifoy and art; material related to the California Arts Council, including drafts for the Artists-in-Education Summer Workshop and Conference; material related to other professional activities, including a commission from the Getty Center and exhibitions; and printed material, including clippings, exhibition catalogs, and magazines. Also included are two scrapbooks, which contain photographic material, correspondence, printed material, as well as selected writings and other materials documenting Purifoy's career as an artist and arts administrator.