Norman B. Colp papers
name: label: Creator
content: Colp, Norman
topic: label: Occupation
content: Conceptual artists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Curators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Conceptual art
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated by Norman B. Colp in 1993 and 2005.
creator: label: Creator
content: Colp, Norman
setName: label: See more items in
content: Norman B. Colp papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of conceptual artist and curator Norman B. Colp measure 4 linear feet and 0.031 GB and date between circa 1973 and 2005. The papers shed light on Colp's career through biographical material, project files, personal business records, printed and digital material, and sound and video recordings.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Norman B. Colp was a conceptual artist and curator from New York City.

Colp received his bachelor's degree in art from Queens College in 1967, and took classes at the Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design. Colp's artistic projects include 63 Artists' Objects (1974) and 24 Small Scale Art Thefts (1975), in which he "borrowed" door stops from 24 galleries and museums around the United States; both projects were exhibited individually as solo exhibitions. Additionally, in 1991 Colp was commissioned by the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority to install Commuter's Lament or a Close Shave, a poem and one photograph on nine porcelain tiles found in the Times Square subway. 

Colp's solo exhibitions include those held at Hundred Acres Gallery in New York, and Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, England. He was also represented in group exhibitions at the Alternative Center for International Arts, Franklin Furnace, Artworks, and Boca Rotan Museum of Art, among others. Exhibitions curated by Colp include those held at the Center for Book Arts, Georgia State University Art Gallery, and White Plains Public Library. His work is found in the permanent collections of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, International Center of Photography, New York Public Library and many other museums and institutions.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 4 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 0.031 Gigabytes
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1973-2005
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.colpnorm
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This series is arranged as 4 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1974-2005 (Box 1; 10 folders)

Series 2: Project Files, circa 1973-2004 (Box 1-2; 1 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1975-2005 (Box 2; .8 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1974-2004 (Box 2-4; 2 linear feet, ER01; 0.031 GB)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Christopher DeMairo in 2020. Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2020 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of conceptual artist and curator Norman B. Colp measure 4 linear feet and 0.031 GB and date between circa 1973 and 2005. The papers shed light on Colp's career through biographical material, project files, personal business records, printed and digital material, and sound and video recordings. 

Biographical material includes correspondence with artists, museums, galleries, and municipalities, two sound recordings of interviews, biographical sketches, and a note from Colp's mother. Project files relate to works of art and exhibitions curated by Colp. Personal business records contain some inventories, expenses, sales and trade files as well as the records of Colp's various donations to archives, museums, and libraries between 1983 and 2004. Printed material includes postcards, catalogs, and invitations from group and solo exhibitions, reviews of Colp's artwork and his curated shows, and an artist-made Xerox calendar.