Italo Scanga papers
name: label: Creator
content: Scanga, Italo, 1932-2001
label: Names
content: Chihuly, Dale, 1941-
label: Names
content: Merkin, Richard
label: Names
content: Schwedler, William, 1942-1982
label: Names
content: Stoneman, Gary
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- California -- San Diego
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- California -- San Diego
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- California -- San Diego
label: Topic
content: Italian American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Italo Scanga Foundation via Joseph and Katherine Scanga, Italo Scanga's children, donated the papers in 2002.
creator: label: Creator
content: Scanga, Italo, 1932-2001
setName: label: See more items in
content: Italo Scanga papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of Italian-American sculptor, educator, printmaker, and painter Italo Scanga, date from circa 1930 to 2001 and measure 15.4 linear feet. The papers focus on Scanga's work as an artist but also include scattered teaching materials. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, artist files, exhibition and gallery files, professional files, a video recording, and printed material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Italo Scanga (1932-2001) was a sculptor, painter, and educator based in San Diego, California.

Born in Calabria, Italy in 1932, Italo Scanga and his family immigrated to the United States in 1946 and settled in Michigan. After graduating from high school, Scanga worked on the assembly line of General Motors and enlisted in the United States Army, serving in Austria in the early 1950s. Upon returning to Michigan, Scanga studied at Michigan State University where he received his MFA in sculpture in 1961. 

Scanga's career was marked by a dual love of teaching and creating art. He accepted many teaching positions at various institutions including the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the Tyler School of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Pilchuck Glass School, and the University of California, San Diego. He created works of art in various forms of media including sculpture, sometimes using found-objects, prints, ceramics, glass, painting, and mixed-media. His works combined fine art, craft, and kitsch. 

Scanga married Mary Louise Ashley in 1956 and together they had five children. Later, he married artist Stephanie Smedley. Italo Scanga died in 2001 and is survived by his partner, Su Mei Yu, a restauranteur and his five children, Katherine, Sarah, Anthony, Joseph, and William.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 15.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1930-2001
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.scanital
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged as 6 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1930-2001 (2.5 linear feet; Box 1-3)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1950s-2000s (3.4 linear feet; Box 3-6, 17)

Series 3: Artist Files, 1957-2000s (3.4 linear feet; Box 6-10, 16)

Series 4: Exhibition and Gallery Files, 1973-2001 (1.1 linear feet; Box 10-12)

Series 5: Professional Files, 1971-2001 (0.6 linear feet; Box 12)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1950s-2000s (3.5 linear feet; Box 12-17)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2019.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of Italian-American sculptor, educator, printmaker, and painter Italo Scanga, date from circa 1930 to 2001 and measure 15.4 linear feet. The papers focus on Scanga's work as an artist but also include scattered teaching materials. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, artist files, exhibition and gallery files, professional files, a video recording, and printed material.

Of note are files containing correspondence, photographs, and printed materials on Dale Chihuly, a friend and collaborator of Italo Scanga. Considerable material is also found for Richard Merkin, William Schwedler, and Gary Stoneman.