Oral history interview with Merryll Saylan
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 7 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hr., 9 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Saylan, Merryll B., 1936-
label: Interviewer
content: Adamson, Glenn
label: Creator
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
label: Names
content: American Association of Woodturners
label: Names
content: California State University, Northridge -- Students
label: Names
content: International Turned Objects Show (1988 : Philadelphia, Pa.)
label: Names
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
label: Names
content: University of California, Los Angeles -- Students
label: Names
content: Wood Turning Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)
label: Names
content: Woodstock School of Painting
label: Names
content: Blunk, J. B., 1926-2002
label: Names
content: Cooper, Michael Jean
label: Names
content: Evans, Ralph
label: Names
content: Foy, George
label: Names
content: Fredell, Gail
label: Names
content: Glaser, Jerry
label: Names
content: Lipofsky, Marvin, 1938-2016
label: Names
content: Maruyama, Wendy, 1952-
label: Names
content: Rapp, Joanne
label: Names
content: Stocksdale, Bob, 1913-2003
label: Names
content: Stubbs, Del
label: Names
content: Weir-Quiton, Pamela
place: label: Place
content: England -- description and travel
label: Place
content: France -- description and travel
label: Place
content: Guatemala -- Description and Travel
label: Place
content: Hong Kong -- Description and Travel
label: Place
content: Japan -- Description and Travel
label: Place
content: Philippines -- Description and Travel
topic: label: Occupation
content: Woodworkers -- California
label: Topic
content: Decorative arts
label: Topic
content: Environmental engineering
label: Topic
content: Feminism and art
label: Topic
content: Furniture making
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Woodwork
label: Topic
content: World War, 1939-1945
label: Topic
content: Turning (Lathe work)
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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 administrators.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Saylan, Merryll B., 1936-
label: Interviewer
content: Adamson, Glenn
label: Creator
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Merryll Saylan (1936- ) is a wood artist from San Rafael, California. Glenn Adamson (1972- ) is a museum professional, in London, England.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 7 Items (Sound recording: 7 compact discs (6 hr., 9 min.), digital, 2 5/8 in.)
label: Extent
content: 116 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 2006 May 20-June 5
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.saylan06
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Merryll Saylan conducted 2006 May 20-June 5, by Glenn Adamson, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, in London, England.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Saylan speaks of her childhood in Los Angeles, California; her early musical education in piano and viola; memories of World War II; her family's political views during the Cold War; meeting her first husband at UCLA; dropping out of school to move to Virginia and Georgia in fulfillment of her husband's military service; experiencing anti-Semitism in Georgia; the challenges of her eldest son's speech problems; traveling to France, Japan, Guatemala, Hong Kong and the Philippines; her interest in Japanese culture; completing her B.A. in design at UCLA and her M.A. in studio art at California State University, Northridge; anti-Vietnam sentiment on campus; early interests in environmental design; her second husband and his friends; her interest in furniture and woodworking; differing approaches to woodworking on the east and west coasts; her views on feminism and working women; her use of color and texture in woodworking; teaching experiences; popular perception of her work; receiving a grant to go to England and her involvement with English and German woodturners; the lack of collector interest in her work; forced absences from working because of illnesses; serving on the boards of the American Association of Woodturners and The Woodturning Center; her involvement in the International Turned Objects Show, the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Biannual Exposition, and the International Turning Exchange; her thoughts on future work. Saylan also recalls George Foy, Bob Stocksdale, Michael Cooper, Pamela Weir-Quiton, Joanne Rapp, J.B. Blunk, Marvin Lipofsky, Gail Fredell, Wendy Maruyama, Ralph Evans, Del Stubbs, Jerry Glaser, and others.