Oral history interview with William Dawson
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 6 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr., 58 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Dawson, William, 1901-1990
label: Interviewer
content: Blum, Betty
label: Names
content: Brown, Roger, 1941-1997
label: Names
content: Kind, Phyllis, 1933-2018
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews
label: Occupation
content: Folk artists -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Art, American
label: Topic
content: African American artists
label: Topic
content: Sculptors -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Self-taught artists -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Interviews
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Dawson, William, 1901-1990
label: Interviewer
content: Blum, Betty
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: William Dawson (1901-1990) was a self-taught painter and sculptor from Chicago, Illinois. Dawson was born in 1901 in Huntsville, Alabama, came to Chicago in 1923, and after retiring from a career as a janitor and porter, he began sculpting and painting. He died July 1, 1990.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 173 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1990 April 11-23
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.dawson90
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of William Dawson conducted 1990 April 11-23, by Betty Blum, for the Archives of American Art.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Dawson speaks of his childhood in Alabama; coming to Chicago in 1923; working as a porter and janitor; the beginnings of his art career after retiring in 1965; making carvings from found objects; the process of discovering and creating forms; his first exhibition at the Lincoln Park Public Library; his first sales to collectors, including Phyllis Kind and Roger Brown; gaining exposure through collectors and eventually getting discovered; the beginning of his work in painting; his exhibition at the Corcoran in 1982; work methods; and inspirations and ideas.