Judith Schaechter papers
name: label: Creator
content: Schaechter, Judith, 1961-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Stained glass artists -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women sculptors
label: Topic
content: Scrapbooks
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated in 2019 and 2021 by Judith Schaechter.
creator: label: Creator
content: Schaechter, Judith, 1961-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Judith Schaechter papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of stained glass artist and educator Judith Schaechter measure 14.3 linear feet and 35.3 Gigabytes and date from circa 1900s-2019, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1960s-2019. The collection documents Schaechter's career through biographical material, correspondence, professional files, writings, printed material, photographic material, and artwork, and includes records in digital format.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Judith Schaechter (1961-) is a Philadelphia-based stained glass artist and educator. 

Schaechter was born in Gainesville Florida and her family soon relocated to Newton Massachusetts where her father Moselio Schaechter was a microbiology professor at Tufts University.  She exhibited artistic talent and imagination that was nurtured at an early age, and Schaechter worked on developing her art in high school. She received her bachelor's degree from Rhode Island School of Design in 1983. During her undergraduate work she discovered the glass program and completed her undergraduate work there.  

While her methods of art production may be centuries old, Schaecter infuses contemporary themes in her pieces that resonate with the grotesque imagery that appears in the Medieval and Renaissance motifs that she emulates. In addition to lending her works as cover artwork to literary and music artists, Schaecter also played in bands such as Ken throughout the 1990s and recorded her own music. In this way the punk and D.I.Y. ethos resonates with all of her creative endeavors, despite the fact that her works take many hours to create. Skillful draftsmanship is at the core of her artistic practices and her more recent work incorporates computer illustration as well as animation. 

Schaechter served as an adjunct professor in the Crafts Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Adjunct Faculty at the New York Academy of Art in New York, New York. She has also taught workshops and classes at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Penland School of Crafts, Toyama Institute of Glass (Toyama, Japan) and Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, among others. 

An early career milestone was achieved with her stained glass artwork appearing on the cover of The New Yorker in 1993. She showed her work Bigtop Flophouse Bedspins in the 2002 Whitney Biennial. Schaechter's artwork is featured in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Hermitage Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Corning Museum of Glass, and the Renwick Gallery, among numerous other public and private collections.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 14.3 Linear Feet
label: Extent
content: 35.3 Gigabytes
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1900s-2019
label: Date
content: bulk 1960s-2019
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.schajudi
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Gigabytes
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Diaries
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in seven series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1969-2019 (0.3 Linear feet; Box 1, 13; 0.936 Gigabytes: ER0001-ER0002)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1974-2019 (4.4 Linear feet; Boxes 1-4, 20-21; 0.027 Gigabytes: ER0003-ER006)

Series 3: Professional Files, circa 1982-2019 (0.9 Linear feet: Box 5, 13; 0.624 Gigabytes: ER0007-ER0013, ER0056-ER0057)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1973-2019 (0.9 Linear feet: Boxes 5-6; 12.4 Gigabytes: ER0014-ER0026)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1973-2019 (3.8 Linear feet: Boxes 6-9, 14-15, OV19; 17.1 Gigabytes: ER0027-ER0042)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1900s-2019 (1.8 Linear feet: Boxes 10, 12, 16; 4.17 Gigabytes: ER0043-ER0055)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1965-2015 (2.2 Linear feet: Boxes, 10-11, 15, 17-18, 22)
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Diaries
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of stained glass artist and educator Judith Schaechter measure 14.3 linear feet and 35.3 Gigabytes and date from circa 1900s-2019, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1960s-2019. The collection documents Schaechter's career through biographical material, correspondence, professional files, writings, printed material, photographic material, and artwork, and includes records in digital format. 

Biographical material includes student records, honors and awards, and biographies and genealogical research.

Schaechter's correspondence is professional and personal. Professional correspondence documents many aspects of Schaechter's art career and includes business-related correspondence and some conversations on art. Personal correspondence (which is access restricted) includes greeting cards and extensive letters with family and friends including other artists and musicians. 

Professional files includes calendars documenting professional appointment planning, exhibition records including consignments, condition reports, and Schaechter's workshop teaching records.

Schaechter's writings series includes, but is not limited to, notebooks, diaries, digital blog entries, interviews, and artist statements, and an original music recording by the artist.

Printed material includes a press and exhibition archive arranged by year, with printed and digital records such as televised interviews and studio tours. Also included are a catalogue raisonné produced by Schaechter, and memorabilia related to her visual art and music career performing in bands.   Digital image bank files contain source material used by Schaechter in her work.

Photographic material includes photos of home and family gatherings, glass workshops, art openings, and music shows. Also included are printed images of artwork and historic photographs related to Schaecter's genealogy.