Joan Semmel papers
name: label: Creator
content: Semmel, Joan, 1932-
label: Names
content: Bernstein, Judith, 1942-
label: Names
content: Edelson, Mary Beth
label: Names
content: Golden, Eunice, 1927-2025
label: Names
content: Grossman, Nancy
label: Names
content: Hammond, Harmony
label: Names
content: Hardy, John
label: Names
content: Markson, David
label: Names
content: Nieto, José Antonio
label: Names
content: Schapiro, Miriam, 1923-2015
label: Names
content: Sleigh, Sylvia, 1916-2010
label: Names
content: Stevens, May, 1924-2019
topic: label: Occupation
content: Authors -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Women and erotica
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Painting, Abstract
label: Topic
content: Feminism and art
label: Topic
content: Erotica
label: Topic
content: Art -- Political aspects
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated by Joan Semmel in 2014.
creator: label: Creator
content: Semmel, Joan, 1932-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Joan Semmel papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter Joan Semmel measure 5.9 linear feet and span the dates of 1949-2013 with the bulk of the material dated circa 1960s-2013. The papers reflect her career and activities as a painter, writer, feminist, and educator through biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, writings, project files, teaching files, printed material, and photographic materials.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Joan Semmel (1932- ) is an abstract painter working in New York City and Easthampton, N. Y.  Semmel's work explores erotic themes and the female body.  She taught painting at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University from 1978-2000.   

Born in New York City in 1932, Joan Semmel studied at the Cooper Union, the Art Students League of New York, and received her BFA in 1963 and MFA in 1972 from Pratt Institute.  Semmel moved to Spain in 1963 and exhibited her abstract expressionist work in galleries and museums there before returning to New York in 1970. 

Upon Semmel's  return to New York, she became involved in the feminist art movement.  One of the original Guerrilla Girls, Semmel was involved with several feminist activist art groups devoted to gender equality in the art world. Semmel spent years researching a book about women's erotic art. At the same time, her painting style shifted to incorporate more figurative imagery and she began working on series that explored the themes of the female body, desire, and aging. Each series consisted of 10-30 paintings, produced over several years, among them First and Second Erotic Series, Self Images, Portraits, Figure in Landscape, Gymnasium, Locker Room, Overlays, and Mannequins. 

In addition to her teaching career at Rutgers University as a tenured Professor of Painting, Semmel taught briefly at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, Skowhegan, and the Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg, Germany. Over the years she served as a visiting artist, critic, and lecturer at many colleges, and participated in numerous symposia, panel discussions and conferences. She has received several grants and awards including Macdowell Colony and Yaddo residencies.

Semmel has exhibited widely and prolifically in the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, and South America, in addition to curating two exhibitions, Contemporary Women: Consciousness and Content (1977) at The Brooklyn Museum of Art School and Private Worlds - Art in General (2000).  Her work is represented in the permanent collections of many museums including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Chrysler Museum, Guild Hall, Museum of Women in the Arts, Parrish Art Museum, and Vassar College Museum.

Joan Semmel continues to live and work in New York City and Easthampton, NY.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 5.9 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1949-2013
label: Date
content: bulk 1960-2013
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.semmjoan
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Illustrations
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in 8 seres:

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1949-2013 (Box 1; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1973-2013 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear feet) 

Series 3: Interviews, circa 1970s-1986 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, 1970s-2009 (Box 3; 0.7 linear feet) 

Series 5:  Project Files, 1972-2000 (Box 3; 3 folders)

Series 6:  Teaching Files, 1970s-2000 (Box 3; 0.4 linear feet) 

Series 7:  Printed Material, circa 1960s-2013 (Boxes 4-6, OV 8; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 8:  Photographic Materials, circa 1965-2013 (Boxes 6-7; 0.6 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared in 2015 by Catherine S. Gaines. 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 and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles, but not arranged further. Folders within boxes were not numbered. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders, but not all staples and clips were removed.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Illustrations
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter Joan Semmel measure 5.9 linear feet and span the dates of 1949-2013 with the bulk of the material dated circa 1960s-2013. The papers reflect her career and activities as a painter, writer, feminist and educator through biographical materials, correspondence, interviews, writings, project files, teaching files, printed material, and photographic materials. 

Among the biographical materials are awards, educational records,and audiovisual recordings about Joan Semmel and her work.

Professional correspondence concerns exhibitions, publication permissions, panel discussions, symposia, and visiting artist and summer school appointments. Also included are letters of recommendation for colleagues and students. A scattering of personal letters are from novelist David Markson and José Antonio, both of whom had personal relationships with Semmel.  There are also a few letters from friends of a purely social nature and a few letters concerning routine personal affairs.  

There are two interviews with Joan Semmel on video recordings, one was conducted for a television broadcast and the other is unidentified. 

Writings by Semmel include the manuscript, illustrations, research material, and letters relating to her unpublished book about women's erotic art. Also found are articles, artist's statements, and notes for talks about her work. The writings about Semmel consist of several student papers. 

Project files relate to two exhibitions curated by Semmel, Contemporary Women: Consciousness and Content (1977) at The Brooklyn Museum of Art School and Private Worlds (2000).  One file is related to a project in which Semmel was involved to document the role and status of women in the arts. 

Scattered teaching files concern a course about contemporary women artists developed and taught by Semmel for the women's studies program at Rutgers University, circa 1978.  Also documented are summer programs at Skowhegan and Sommerakademie in Austria where Semmel served as an instructor.

Binders (now unbound) of printed materials were compiled by Semmel consisting of exhibition catalogs and announcements for solo and group shows, reviews, posters, and miscellaneous printed matter. 

Photographs of people include Joan Semmel, friends and colleagues. Among the individuals pictured are: writer David Markson, painter John Hardy, José Antonio Nieto; and feminist artists: Judy Bernstein, Mary Beth Edelson, Eunice Golden, Nancy Grossman, Harmony Hammond, Miriam Schapiro, Sylvia Sleigh, and May Stevens. There are slides, photographs, color photocopies and digital images of Semmel's paintings. Of particular interest are photographs, photocopies of photographs, and digital images that served as source material for paintings, including portrait commissions.