Boston Visual Artists Union records
name: label: Creator
content: Boston Visual Artists Union
label: Names
content: Angier, Roswell
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The records were donated by the Boston Visual Artists Union in 1980.
creator: label: Creator
content: Boston Visual Artists Union
setName: label: See more items in
content: Boston Visual Artists Union records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The records of the Boston Visual Artists Union measure 0.6 linear feet and date from circa 1970-1978. The collection documents the aspirations, activities, and achievements of the Union from the it's inception in 1970 to 1978, through organizational records such as by-laws, membership lists, and statements of purpose, printed material including exhibition announcements, catalogs, and detailed newsletters, press releases, testimonials of members, and records and photographs of the Second American Artists Congress which was hosted by the Union in 1975.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The Boston Visual Artists Union was founded in 1970 to foster a community of visual artists working in various media, provide support to artists through exhibitions and varied services, and facilitate interactions with the public and access to opportunities. 

The Boston Visual Artists Union evolved during the winter of 1970-1971 from an informal meeting of artists dissatisfied with the lack of opportunities available to them in Boston. The first exhibition of the Union was held in November, 1971, at Boston City Hall and the organization was incorporated in October 1972. In January 1974 the Union moved to 3 Center Plaza and opened a gallery. By 1975 it had a peak membership of 1,000 and was the largest organization of individual artists in the United States. The Union relocated again in 1978 to 77 North Washington Street, Boston.

In addition to exhibitions and other art programs the Boston Visual Artists Union published a newsletter, assisted artists with housing and studio space, operated a job bank, a slide registry, and a federal credit union, and hosted the second American Artists Congress in November 1975 where the primary issue was "survival of the visual artist in the 70's."
function: label: Function
content: Arts organizations -- Massachusetts -- Boston
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.6 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1970-1978
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.bostvisu
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to the small size of the collection, the records are arranged as one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Stephanie Ashley in 2024.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The records of the Boston Visual Artists Union measure 0.6 linear feet and date from circa 1970-1978. The collection documents the aspirations, activities,  and achievements of the Union from the it's inception in 1970 to 1978, through organizational records such as by-laws, membership lists, and statements of purpose, printed material including exhibition announcements, catalogs, and detailed newsletters, press releases, and testimonials of members. Also found are a sound recording of a 1973 Union panel discussion, and records and photographs of the Second American Artists Congress which was hosted by the Union in 1975. Many of the photographs were taken by Roswell Angier.