Area Gallery records
name: label: Creator
content: Area Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The records were donated in 1978 by Ruth Becker Fortel, Treasurer of Area Gallery.
creator: label: Creator
content: Area Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Area Gallery records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The records of the Area Gallery measure 1.1 linear feet and date from 1958-1977 (bulk dates 1959-1964).  Area Gallery was one of the Tenth Street Co-ops in New York City, and operated from 1958-1965. Materials in this collection include artist bios, price lists, black and white photos of artwork; financial records with annotations; member lists, exhibition lists, and daily notes; gallery sign-in sheets; correspondence, including letters to and from the gallery and regarding rent issues; and an extensive scrapbook containing exhibition posters, photos of artwork, announcements, exhibition reviews, and clippings.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Area Gallery was one of the Tenth Street Co-ops in New York City, and operated from 1958-1965. From fall 1958 to summer 1962, the gallery was located at 80 East 10th Street, and then moved to 90 East 10th Street until the summer of 1965. Area Gallery's original members were: Tom Boutis, John Ireland Collins, Charles DuBack, Joe Fiore, Bernard Langlais, Ed Moses, Daphne Mumford, and Paul Yakovenko.

New York's Tenth Street Galleries were a cooperative of artist-run galleries that began opening in the early 1950s, located between 3rd and 4th Avenues, where spaces for living and studios were relatively inexpensive. It was the center for anything new and avant-garde in downtown Manhattan at this time. Galleries operated on very low budgets, artists were often members of more than one gallery, and they provided an alternative to the highly selective Madison Avenue and 57th Street galleries. The top galleries of the 10th Street Co-ops were the Tanager, Hansa, James, Camino, March, Phoenix, Brata, and Area Gallery.
function: label: Function
content: Artist-run galleries -- New York (State)
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.1 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1958-1977
label: Date
content: bulk 1959-1964
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.areagall
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 5 series.

Series 1: Administrative Records, 1958-1977 (8 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1958-1965 (3 folders; Box 1)

Series 3: Artist Files, 1959-1964 (15 folders; Box 1)

Series 4: Financial Records, 1958-1965 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 5: Scrapbook, 1959-1966 (0.3 linear feet; Box 3)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Anna Rimel in 2014. The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal processing tactics when possible in order to increase information about and access to more of our collections.  Minimal processing included arrangement to the series, subseries, and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles, but not arranged further. Folders with boxes may not be numbered. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders, but not all staples and clips were removed.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The records of the Area Gallery measure 1.1 linear feet and date from 1958-1977 (bulk dates 1959-1964).  Area Gallery was one of the Tenth Street Co-ops in New York City, and operated from 1958-1965. Materials in this collection include artist bios, price lists, black and white photos of artwork; financial records with annotations; member lists, exhibition lists, and daily notes; gallery sign-in sheets; correspondence, including letters to and from the gallery and regarding rent issues; and an extensive scrapbook containing exhibition posters, photos of artwork, announcements, exhibition reviews, and clippings.  

Administrative records contain member lists, daily operational notes and messages, artwork loan contracts to museums, some mail received by the gallery, and all sign-in sheets for the gallery from 1962-1965. It is noted that all sign-in sheets prior to April 1962 have been lost. 

Correspondence is primarily to and from the Treasurer of Area Gallery, and also contains requests for hire and exhibitions, member resignations, payments made and received. Additionally, rent correspondence contains letters regarding late or overdue payments. 

The artist files and scrapbook contain black and white photographs of artwork, artist bios, price lists, and some exhibition announcements, and represent a small fraction of the number of artists who showed at Area Gallery. The scrapbook also contains exhibition review clippings and exhibition posters. 

The financial records include cancelled checks, many of which have been annotated, deposit slips and bank statements, also annotated. Receipts for bills, supplies, artist payments, and dues are also included, as well as two bookkeeping ledgers.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is a collection relating to the Tenth Street Galleries and collection donor, Ruth Fortel. See: Joellen Bard's, Ruth Fortel's, and Helen Thomas' exhibition records of "Tenth Street Days: the Co-ops of the 50s," 1953-1977.