Jim Sanborn papers
name: label: Creator
content: Sanborn, Jim, 1945-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Washington (D.C.)
label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Maryland
label: Topic
content: Interviews
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated in 2023 by Jim Sanborn.
creator: label: Creator
content: Sanborn, Jim, 1945-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Jim Sanborn papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of sculptor Jim Sanborn measure 14.3 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2023. The papers document Sanborn's career as a sculptor through biographical material, writings, commission records, exhibition files, general professional activity files, printed material, artwork, photographic material, scrapbooks, audio and video recordings, and born digital material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Herbert James "Jim" Sanborn Jr. (1945- ) is a sculptor in Washington, D.C. and Piney Point, Maryland. Sanborn, the son of James Herbert Sanborn Sr. who was head of exhibitions at the Library of Congress, grew up in the Alexandria and Fairfax County area of Virginia. He attended Randolph-Macon College earning a degree in paleontology, fine arts, and social anthropology in 1968 before going on to receive a Masters of Fine Arts in sculpture from the Pratt Institute in 1971. He has taught at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, and he served as the artist-in-residence at Glen Echo Park for nine years. 

Sanborn's artwork has been displayed at the High Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. He has created sculptural works for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Themes in his work have included "making the invisible visible", with many sculptures focusing on topics such as magnetism, the coriolis effect, secret messages, and mysteries of atomic reactions. Among his most popular works is "Kryptos" which was commissioned for the CIA in 1990 and was his first cryptographic sculpture containing cyphered messages. In addition, Sanborn has created large scale outdoor projects such as "Coastline" located at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, and "Indian run park" located adjacent to the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Beltsville, Maryland.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 14.3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1950-2023
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.sanbojim
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into eleven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1952-2010 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Writings, 1963-2023 (2.1 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)

Series 3: Commission Files, 1968-2019 (4.3 linear feet; Boxes 3-7)

Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1999-2018 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 5: Professional Activity Files, 1969-2010 (0.2 linear feet; Box 8)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1973-2017 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 8-9)

Series 7: Artwork, 1950-ca. 2005 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 9, 15)

Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1950-2013 (3.3 linear feet; Boxes 10-12, 15-16)

Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1974-1991 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 16-17)

Series 10: Audio and Video Recordings, 1991-2003 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 13)

Series 11: Unprocessed Born Digital Material (0.4 linear feet; Box 14)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2024.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of sculptor Jim Sanborn measure 14.3 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2023. The papers document Sanborn's career as a sculptor through biographical material, writings, commissions, exhibition files, general professional activity, printed material, artwork, photographic material, scrapbooks, audio and video recording, and born digital material.

Biographical material consists of elementary, high school, and college records. Also included are certificates and genealogical material.

Writings consist primarily of some school assignments, research papers, Master's thesis, notes and notebooks. Notebooks contain contact information for people Sanborn worked with, lists, some sketches and designs, financial notes related to projects, and miscellaneous notes.

Commissions consist of records for various sculpture pieces Sanborn created. Materials include project applications, contracts, designs and sketches, budgets, some photographs, correspondence, and notes. Some of the projects include: "Kryptos," "Sails," "Libros," and "Obelisk." Also included are type work quotes and related research for his various sculpture pieces, files on project concepts, and general public art contracts.

Exhibition files consist of materials related to exhibitions Sanborn participated in. Materials include correspondence, loan agreements, photographic material, and some designs. Exhibitions Sanborn participated in include: "Atomic Time," "Energy Effects," and "Without Provenance."

Professional activity files consist of resumes, fellowships and a residency in Ireland, metalworking and sculpture courses offered through the National Park Service, and renovations to his studio.

Printed material consist of articles and clippings on Sanborn or on his sculpture pieces, exhibition and sculpture announcements, exhibition catalogs, and booklets outlining Sanborn's career.

Artwork consists of drawings done by Sanborn while in elementary school and a number of sketchbooks primarily consisting designs. Sketchbooks also contain sections of notes.

Photographic material consists of photographs of Sanborn, his family, and friends. Also included are photographs, slides, transparencies, and negatives of Sanborn's sculpture pieces and installations.

Scrapbooks consist of two scrapbooks detailing Sanborn's career. Material includes clippings, annoucements, photographs, and some correspondence.

Audio and video recordings consist of video recordings of news broadcasts and other programs that feature his sculpture pieces, primarily "Kryptos." Some of the video recordings may also have been done by Sanborn or an associate. Also included are some unlabeled audio cassettes and mini-DVs of some of his exhibitions.

Unprocessed born-digital material consists of three DVD's, and number of CD's, and a number of floppy disks. Material looks to be video recordings, digital photogrpsa, and documents related to Sanborn's commissions and exhibitions.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Jim Sanborn conducted by Avis Berman, July 14-16, 2009.