Dick Polich papers
name: label: Creator
content: Polich, Dick
label: Names
content: Polich Tallix LLC
label: Names
content: Tallix, Inc.
topic: label: Occupation
content: Fabricators -- New York (State) -- Newburgh
label: Topic
content: Forge shops
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated in 2024 by Cathy Kuttner, Polich's widow.
creator: label: Creator
content: Polich, Dick
setName: label: See more items in
content: Dick Polich papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of fabricator and founder of Tallix Foundry, Dick Polich, measure 9.2 linear feet and date from 1950 to 2020. The material documents Polich's career through personal papers comprised of biographical material, writings, professional activity files, printed material and photographs. The material also documents his work at Tallix Foundry through administrative files, correspondence, writings and lectures, artists files, project and exhibition files, printed material, photographic material, audio-visual material, and born-digital material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Dick Polich (1932-2022) was a fabricator and the founder of Tallix Foundry in Newburgh, N.Y. Polich was born in Lyons, Illinois in 1932 to parents from Croatia. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale and went on to serve in the Navy for three years. Upon leaving the Navy, Polich enrolled in the Harvard Graduate School of Design to study architecture, but left after a year. In the 1960s he began taking courses at M.I.T. where he earned his graduate degree in engineering in 1964. In 1970, Polich left his traditional job and founded Tallix Foundry where he would spend the rest of his career assisting artists in creating their large-scale sculptural works. Polich sold Tallix Foundry to UAP, an arts fabricator in 2019. Polich died in 2022.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 9.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1950-2020
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.polidick
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1: Polich papers, 1950-2020 (2.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)

Series 2: Tallix Foundry, 1968-2020 (6.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-8)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2024.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of fabricator and founder of Tallix Foundry, Dick Polich (1932-2022), measure 9.2 linear feet and date from 1950 to 2020. The material documents Polich's career through personal papers comprised of biographical material,writings, professional activities, printed material and photographs. The material also documents his work at Tallix Foundry through administrative files, correspondence, writings and lectures, artists files, projects and exhibitions, printed material, photographic material, audio-visual material, and born-digital material.

Polich's personal papers consist of biographical material such as school records from his time at Yale, military records, and some interviews on sound reels. Also included is correspondence with family and friends, notebooks and creative writing pieces by Polich, records of professional activities outside Tallix Foundry with other organizations as well as his other business, Polich Art Works, printed material, and personal photographs.

Tallix Foundry material consists of administrative records concerning the operations of the foundry, financial statements, and future leadership. Also included is general correspondence, writings and lectures by Polich on the foundry and metalworking in general, some of the projects and exhibitions the foundry was invlolved with, including creating the statues for the Oscars. There is also a small collection of artist files that consist of prints and sketches, photographs, and some correspondence and clippings. Foundry material also contains printed materials such as clippings, catalogs, and newsletters; photographs and slides of projects completed at the foundry; a number of video recordings of Foundry projects; and a number of computer disks containing digital photographs, documents, and recordings of projects.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also holds the Lee Balter collection of Tallix Inc. records, circa 1970-1977.