William Conger papers
name: label: Creator
content: Conger, William
label: Names
content: De Kooning, Elaine
label: Names
content: Ito, Miyoko, 1918-1983
label: Names
content: Klement, Vera, 1929-
label: Names
content: Leaf, June, 1929-
label: Names
content: Mallary, Robert, 1917-1997
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago
label: Topic
content: Art, Abstract
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The William Conger papers were donated in 2007, 2015 and 2019 by William Conger.
creator: label: Creator
content: Conger, William
setName: label: See more items in
content: William Conger papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter and educator William Conger measure 7.3 linear feet and 3.51 gigabytes, and date from the 1940s to 2018. The collection documents Conger's career as a painter and details his business dealings and involvement with Chicago's art community through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, writings including artmaking journals and notes, and personal business records documenting commissions and sales. Also found are exhibition and gallery records including video recordings, printed material on Conger's career and Chicago art history, photographic material picturing Conger and his artwork, and artwork including a sketchbook and preparatory sketches for paintings.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: William Conger, born 1937 in Dixon, Illinois, is an abstract painter and art educator living in Chicago. 

From a young age Conger's interest in art making and a fascination with the masters was encouraged by his mother, an amateur painter who brought him on regular visits to exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago from their home in Evanston, Illinois. Conger received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico where he studied with renowned abstract painters Elaine de Kooning and Raymond Johnson, and later received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Chicago. Conger taught painting throughout the 1970s at DePaul University, then became Professor of Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University from 1985 until he retired as Professor Emeritus in 2006. At Northwestern he taught alongside friend and colleague Ed Paschke. Conger has published writings on art on topics such as psychoanalysis and the masters, the Chicago art scene, and abstract art of the region. 

Conger's mature style is an abstract style of painting largely informed by color and form, reminiscent of Wassily Kandinsky, often titled with musical and metaphorical references. He began exhibiting as early as his undergraduate years in the New Mexico Biennial and was included by professor Elaine de Kooning in a 1960 group exhibition at the Great Jones Gallery in New York City. In addition to showing at commercial art galleries Conger has completed a number of public artworks primarily in the Chicago area, including murals and painted sculptures. His work can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and the Wichita Art Museum, as well as numerous university museums and corporate collections internationally.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 7.3 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 3.51 Gigabytes
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1940s-2018
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.congwill
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1948-1999 (0.2 linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1940s-2018 (2.5 linear feet: Boxes 1-3)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1970s-2014 (0.9 linear feet: Boxes 3-4)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1960s-2016 (0.8 linear feet: Boxes 4-5)

Series 5: Exhibition and Gallery Records, circa 1967-2017 (0.5 linear feet: Box 5; 2.54 gigabytes: ER01-ER03)

Series 6: Printed Material, circa 1950s-2017 (0.9 linear feet: Boxes 5-6; 0.97 gigabytes: ER04)

Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1947-2012 (0.9 linear feet: Boxes 6-8)

Series 8: Artwork, circa 1940s-2010 (0.7 linear feet: Boxes 7-8)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid was prepared by Ryan Evans in 2021.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter and educator William Conger measure 7.3 linear feet and 3.51 gigabytes, and date from the 1940s to 2018. The collection documents Conger's career as a painter and details his business dealings and involvement with Chicago's art community through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, writings including artmaking journals and notes, and personal business records documenting commissions and sales. Also found are exhibition and gallery records including video recordings, printed material on Conger's career and Chicago art history, photographic material picturing Conger and his artwork, and artwork including a sketchbook and preparatory sketches for paintings.

Biographical material includes biographies and résumés, student awards, and student records. Correspondence is professional and personal in nature and includes letters from Elaine de Kooning, Robert Mallary, June Leaf, Miyoko Ito, James Valerio, Ed Paschke, Richard Loving, Vera Klement, and others. The writings series includes artmaking journals with extensive notes and sketches, as well as numerous articles and reviews by Conger, artists statements and comments on paintings, contributions to art criticism listservs and message boards, lectures, and writings on Conger by others. Personal business records include artwork commissions and grants, artwork inventories and sales and consignment records, as well as information about an art supply company once part owned by Conger, Puresol, Inc.. 

Exhibition and gallery records include sales and consignment records organized by gallery, as well as exhibition files for select group and solo exhibitions at galleries and museums, as well as a sound recording regarding a 1967 group exhibition, and miscellaneous exhibition documents. Some of the exhibition files include digital video recordings, digital images, and documents. Printed materials include press and exhibition announcements as well as exhibition catalogs, printed material on the subject of Chicago art history, and a CD-ROM showcase of contemporary art featuring Congers' paintings. The photographic material series includes photographs of artwork, installations, and the artist in black and white and color prints, Polaroids, snapshots, slides, transparencies, negatives, and inkjet prints. The artwork series includes a sketchbook and signed mixed media works on paper, as well as loose drawings and preparatory sketches for paintings.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with William Conger in 2015, May 18-20.

William Conger papers relating to his years as a faculty member at Northwestern University are located at Northwestern University Archives.