Kenneth Kerslake papers
name: label: Creator
content: Kerslake, Kenneth A., 1930-2007
label: Names
content: University of Florida -- Faculty
topic: label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Florida
label: Occupation
content: Printmakers -- Florida
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Papers were donated in 2009 by Sarah Kerslake, widow of Kenneth Kerslake.
creator: label: Creator
content: Kerslake, Kenneth A., 1930-2007
setName: label: See more items in
content: Kenneth Kerslake papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of printmaker and educator Kenneth Kerslake measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1900-2009. They illustrate his career through biographical material, correspondence, personal business records, printed and photographic material, and artwork. In addition to paper records, the collection also includes digital formats.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Kenneth Kerslake (1930-2007) was a printmaker and educator who worked mainly in Florida. 


Kenneth Kerslake was born in Mount Vernon, New York and went to school at the Pratt Institute in New York City to begin his formal art studies. He transferred from Pratt to the University of Illinois in Champaign in 1953 where he received both a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts. In 1958 he joined the faculty of the University of Florida where he founded its Printmaking Program. In 1956, Kerslake married his wife Sarah "Sally" Allen, and they adopted two children Scott Paul in 1963 and Katharine Rachel in 1964. 


Kerslake's first foray into lithography was in 1964 and was based on his paintings created in response to the assassination of President Kennedy. In the 1970s, Kerslake began his work using photograph processes in printmaking. In the late 1980s Kerslake spent the summer teaching with the University of Georgia's Summer Study Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy. In 1990, Kerslake became interested in Vitreography when he was invited to be an artist-in-residence to create in the technique at Littleton Studio in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.


His work is found in many museums, including a permanent display at the University of Florida's Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art. 


Kerslake died on January 7th, 2007, in Gainesville, Florida.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3.8 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1900-2009
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.kerskenn
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection consists of seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1930-2007 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1952-2008 (.9 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1965-2000 (.4 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1971-2006 (.8 Linear feet: Boxes 2-3)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1952-2008 (1.2 Linear feet: Boxes 3-4)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1900-2009 (.3 Linear feet: Box 5)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1930-2004 (.1 Linear feet: Box 5)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared, by Allessandra Liberati in 2023.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Kenneth Kerslake papers measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1900-2009.


Biographical material includes two interviews, one with Kerslake and one by Kerslake, records relating to Kerslake's death, and a folder containing materials regarding Kerslake's son's time in the Navy. Correspondence includes letters from students, friends, and colleagues. Also included is correspondence concerning Kerslake's exhibition submissions and commissions and his teaching career at the University of Florida. Writings include a forward to a biography on Lee Chesney by Kerslake, miscellaneous typescripts of Artist Statements, and multiple record books containing writings and notes.


Personal business records consists of teaching material including notes, syllabi, and contracts from Kerslake's time at the University of Florida, as well as workshop files including the University of Georgia study abroad program in Cortona, Italy and Vitreography workshops at Littleton Studios in Spruce Pine, N.C., among others. Materials related to the CIF faculty and University of Colorado include digital formats. Printed Material includes two fellowship applications and exhibition catalogs featuring Kerslake's work. Also included are clippings, print proofs, and multiple transparencies used for printmaking designs. Photographic materials include photographs of Kerslake, his family and friends, and his exhibitions. Material relating to Kerslake's artwork and projects includes digital formats. Artwork includes multiple loose sketches and drawings by Kerslake.