Bob & Bob and The Dark Bob papers
name: label: Creator
content: Bob & Bob
label: Names
content: Dark Bob
topic: label: Occupation
content: Performance artists -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Topic
content: Performance art
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Bob & Bob papers were donated 2019 by Francis Shishim and Paul Velick and additional papers regarding The Dark Bob were donated in 2021 by Francis Shishim.
creator: label: Creator
content: Bob & Bob
setName: label: See more items in
content: Bob & Bob and The Dark Bob papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Bob & Bob and The Dark Bob papers measure 11.0 linear feet and date between 1974 and 2021. The papers document the careers of California performing artists known as The Light Bob and The Dark Bob through correspondence with art galleries, radio broadcast stations, and record companies; audio recordings, film and video recordings, resumes, and contract agreements pertaining to shows they produced for sound and video recording studios and related professional material; clippings, catalogs, announcements, and other printed material; and photographs, slides, negatives, and transparencies of artwork and performances.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The Dark Bob and The Light Bob founded the art team Bob & Bob in the early 1970s in Los Angeles, California. They were part of early performance art in Los Angeles that used ironic humor and media stereotypes to critique the art world and surrounding society.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 11 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1974-2021
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.bobbob
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1976-2021 (1.0 linear feet; Box 1, 33)

Series 2: Professional Activity Files, 1974-2020 (6.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 7, FC 9-32, Boxes 33-35)

Series 3: Printed Material, 1975-2017 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, 7, 35)

Series 4: Photographic Material, 1974-2014 (2.2 linear feet; Boxes 4-7, OV 8, 36-37)

Series 5: Writings, circa 1982 (0.3 linear feet; Box 33)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2020. An addition to the collection was processed by Ricky Gomez in 2022.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Bob & Bob and The Dark Bob papers measure 11.0 linear feet and date between 1974 and 2021. The papers document the careers of California performing artists known as The Light Bob and The Dark Bob through correspondence with art galleries, radio broadcast stations, and record companies; audio recordings, film and video recordings, resumes, and contract agreements pertaining to shows they produced for sound and video recording studios and related professional material; clippings, catalogs, announcements, and other printed material; and photographs, slides, negatives, and transparencies of artwork and performances.  

Correspondence includes letters between Light Bob and Dark Bob, correspondence with friends, and with galleries and organization in regards to their performances and production of sound and video recordings. Correspondence with Peter Hillen and Gary Panter and general correspondence from the 1980s through 2021 were donated as part of an addition to the collection. Among the Gary Panter correspondence are some CDs.

Professional material includes exhibition material such as loan agreements in regards to exhibitions, some sales records and receipts in regards to artwork sold or donated, resumes, and interview transcripts. Also included are twenty-four motion picture film reels of various performances, sound reels and video recordings of performances, and commercially produced vinyl records of performances. Addition materials include files related to performances and album productions. There are also a series of files related to Dark Bob show tour around the United States during the late 1980s. Among the addition are several vinyl records and CDs of performances.

Printed material consists of clippings; exhibition and performance announcements, catalogs, and posters; and lyrics for commercially produced records. Addition material includes more clippings, some announcements and catalogs for performances.

Photographic material consists of photographs, slides, negatives, and transparencies of performances and artwork. Addition material includes photographs, slides, and negatives of Dark Bob shows and miscellaneous slides and photos of shows and artwork. Included is a file of inventory pictures and corresponding pertinent information on artwork created by Bob and Bob.

Writings include a series of notebook/scrapbooks related to the various performances created by Bob and Bob. There is also one file of rough draft scripts for some of the performances.