James Magee papers
name: label: Creator
content: Magee, James R.
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Texas
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated in 2016, 2019 and 2024 by James Magee.
creator: label: Creator
content: Magee, James R.
setName: label: See more items in
content: James Magee papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of James Magee measure 6.2 linear feet and date from circa 1970 to 2019. The papers document Magee's career as a sculptor through correspondence with friends, colleagues, and art institutions; literary writings associated with certain pieces of sculpture; interviews, video footage of studio and works, audio of literary text written to accompany sculpture pieces, and other recordings; catalogs, book of literary text to accompany sculpture pieces, books on Magee, and other printed material; sketches and numerous sketchbooks; and photographs and negatives of specific sculpture pieces.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: James Magee (1946-2024) was a sculptor and painter in El Paso, Texas. He was known for his work "The Hill", a monumental work of art on a 2,000 acre tract of desert land outside of El Paso, Texas that Magee had been continuously working on since the 1980s.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 6.2 Linear feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1964-2023
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.magejame
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into seven series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1979-2023 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1, 13)

Series 2: Writings, 1985-2009 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1, 13)

Series 3: Sound and Video Recordings, 1972-2012, 2022 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, 13)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1964,1993-2019 (0.3 linear feet; Box 2, 13)

Series 5: Artwork, circa 1970-2005 (4.1 linear feet; Boxes 2-9, OV 10-12, Box 13)

Series 6: Photographic Material, 1972-2008 (0.6 linear feet, Box 4)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2021.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of James Magee measure 6.2 linear feet and date from circa 1970 to 2019. The papers document Magee's career as a sculptor through correspondence with friends, colleagues, and art institutions; literary writings associated with certain pieces of sculpture; interviews, video footage of studio and works, audio of literary text written to accompany sculpture pieces, and other recordings; catalogs, book of literary text to accompany sculpture pieces, books on Magee, and other printed material; sketches and numerous sketchbooks; and photographs and negatives of specific sculpture pieces.

Correspondence includes letters from friends and colleagues and letters praising Magee for his "Hill" project outside El Paso, Texas. 2024 addition includes correspondence from Rod McCall.

Writings are primarily literary text (poems) inspired by Magee's pieces of sculpture that Magee had published.

Recordings consist of one video cassette on Magee's "Hill" project, audio cassette interviews for an article published in Mexico, audio cassettes and one audio reel of what appears to be poems inspired by sculpture pieces, and CD's containing audio and some documentation related to his exhibitions. 2024 addition includes one thumb drive with video recordings.

Printed material consists of a book of poems inspired by sculpture pieces that Magee had published, a book written on the life and art of Magee, catalogs, and a book of Goya letters that Magee compiled and edited. Also included with the book of Goya letters is a digital audio version of the book. 2024 addition includes exhibition announcements.

Artwork consists of sketches and numerous sketchbooks belonging to Magee. Sketchbooks contain a mix of watercolor paintings, pencil sketches, and ink sketches. Photographic material is primarily photographs and some negatives and contact sheets of some of Magee's works.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with James Magee conducted by Jason Stieber, September 29-30, 2016.