Oral history interview with Jesse Amado
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 7 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hrs., 45 minutes.
label: General
content: Interview recorded on mini discs and compact discs.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Amado, Jesse, 1951-
label: Interviewer
content: Cordova, Cary
label: Creator
content: Recuerdos Orales: Interviews of the Latino Art Community in Texas
label: Names
content: ArtPace (Foundation : San Antonio, Tex.)
label: Names
content: Contemporary Art for San Antonio (Organization)
label: Names
content: Finesilver Gallery
label: Names
content: Recuerdos Orales: Interviews of the Latino Art Community in Texas
label: Names
content: Casas, Mel, 1929-2014
label: Names
content: Davis, Barbara
label: Names
content: Ford, O'Neil, 1905-
label: Names
content: Hickey, Dave, 1940-
label: Names
content: Holland, Rebecca, 1962-
label: Names
content: Mondini-Ruiz, Franco, 1961-
label: Names
content: Ramirez, Chuck
label: Names
content: Reynolds, Steve
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Texas -- San Antonio
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Texas -- San Antonio
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Art -- Technique
label: Topic
content: Religion in art
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: Amado, Jesse, 1951-
label: Interviewer
content: Cordova, Cary
label: Creator
content: Recuerdos Orales: Interviews of the Latino Art Community in Texas
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Jesse Amadao (1951-) is an artist in San Antonio, Texas. Cary Cordoza (1970-) is an art historian.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 79 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 2004 May 31-June 7
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.amado04
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Jesse Amado conducted 2004 May 31 and June 7, by Cary Cordova, for the Archives of American Art, at the artist's studio, in San Antonio, Texas.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Includes artist's family background, personalities, and relationship of artist's mother and father; parents' occupations and the effect on the family; brother Gilbert; early influences and experiences in drawing; role of religion during childhood; experiences in school including parochial school and losing interest in 12th grade; experiences working with architect O'Neil Ford in high school; decision to go into the Navy; experiences and travels in the Navy; first impressions of New York City; interest in literature and reading on works and life, including T.S. Eliot, "Tom Sawyer," "The Odyssey;" first experiences with foreign film, especially L'Avventura; bilingualism including learning to speak English and it's possible influences on art; work after the Navy on a tanker; travels in Europe; New York City and experiences working and living there; decision to return to San Antonio; starting at San Antonio College and experience of returning to school; first paintings; attempt at teaching; joining the fire department and influences of that job on his art; MFA study at University of Texas, San Antonio; influences of professors including Steve Reynolds, Mel Casas, and Dave Hickey; major influential discussion with Dave Hickey and art that resulted; BFA show exhibition; beginnings of ideas of fragility and mutability in early pieces; relationship to Minimalism or Conceptual Art in works; the growing art scene in San Antonio and it's galleries, including FineSilver, Blue Star and Art Pace; relationships with other San Antonio artists including Franco Mondini, Chuck Ramirez, Rebecca Holland; discussion of Bemis Foundation show; artist's feelings on being a Latino or Chicano artist; possible Latino influences on his art; discussion of Latino culture and iconography; change from stronger tendencies in painting towards sculpture and installation pieces; discussion of works in the "Taking Liberties" exhibition [1992]; the artist's creation process; discussion of Antonioni's L'Avventura and its use in artist's work; use of text as a visual form; importance of backstory and context to artist's work; use of music and lyrics in work, including James Brown and the Beatles; interest in taglines and its use in art; interest in fashion especially fashion magazines and its use in art; introduction and use of DYMO tape in art; relationship and interactions with galleries and museums, especially the Whitney, Blue Star, FineSilver; Barbara Davis; use of digital photography in work; discussion of the economics of the gallery; the future of artist's work and the importance of the process for the artist in the future; role of Catholicism in artist's work; the exhibition "Renascence" at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston; influence of marriage and divorce on works.