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Records of Fiberarts Magazine

 Collection
Identifier: MFAM

Scope and Contents

The records of Fiberarts Magazine consists of documents dated 1970 to 2001, with the bulk falling from 1976 to 1993. The collection contains artist files and production files of the magazine.

The artist files make up the majority of the collection and contain the slide library, submissions for the first four Design Books and the Surface Designer's Art book, as well as articles submitted for publication, correspondence between the editorial staff and artists, newsletters from fiber groups and art organizations around the country, and background information on galleries, artists, and fiber techniques. The filing system was not consistently applied to the files that contain submitted articles and reviews as they may be filed under the artist the article is about, the gallery where the show was held, or by the author of the article.

Files that were part of the slide library include the artist name, medium (if known), and state or country of residence (if known). Materials include correspondence with artists, writers, and gallery owners; audiovisual materials include photographs, transparencies, negatives, and, mostly, 35 mm slides. In the early days of the magazine (1976-1977) artist interviews were conducted by the magazine staff and a few audiotapes of the interviews are included. Some articles and reviews, both solicited and un-solicited, are included in draft form as is the related correspondence and visual materials, but very few final articles are included. Some of the files appear incomplete, especially those that contain submissions for the four Design Books. Slides or pictures will be included but there is no corresponding entry and vice versa. Files from the middle of the P's through the middle of the R's are missing.

Production files include release forms, drafts of articles, correspondence between the editorial staff and authors and artists, magazine layout and proofs, a few photographs and slides that would have accompanied an article, and tear sheets. Only a couple of published magazine issues are included. Of note are the files on "The Creative Process;" seven well-known fiber artists were each sent a box of the same materials and were asked to create a work of art using at least a third of the materials in the box. The resulting works and associated articles were featured in the November/December 1984 issue, and a traveling exhibit was later created.

Not included in the collection are copies of Fiberarts magazine, except the few found in the production files, books published by Fiberarts, business records of the magazine, and artist or production files past 1993, except for a few scattered emails.

Dates

  • Creation: 1970-2001
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1976-1993

Creator

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

History

Fiberarts was started in 1975 by Rob Pulleyn and Kate Mathews, in the back of their yarn shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The January/February 1976 issue was the first published. Originally directed towards weavers, the content of the magazine quickly began to expand to include all the fiber arts including tapestry, needlework, basketry, surface design, paper, quilting, embroidery, sculpture, crochet, wearables, felt, applique, fabric dyeing, and batik. Production of Fiberarts moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 1979 and it became the leading textile-art magazine with subscribers across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia. In addition to the bimonthly magazine, Fiberarts published seven textile design books and one book dedicated to surface design (1993).

One service offered by the staff of Fiberarts was a "slide library" of artist work; any artist working in fiber was invited to submit slides and a resume to Fiberarts which the staff maintained and made available to anyone wishing to research an artist or technique. The editorial staff also used the slide library for article ideas. When established, the slide library was only open to North American fiber artists but this expanded to include international artists as the magazine became more widely known. Fiberarts eventually became part of Interweave Press (now Thrums LLC), located in the Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado area. Because of waning support, Fiberarts' last published issue was Summer 2011.

Extent

27 linear feet (18 record cartons)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The collection contains the records of Fiberarts Magazine, the leading textile-art magazine for over 30 years with subscribers across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Materials include correspondence with artists, writers, and gallery owners; audiovisual materials including photographs, transparencies, negatives, 35 mm slides; and production files on the publication of the magazine.

Arrangement

The materials were maintained in the original order. The collection consists of 2 series in 18 record cartons:

Series 1: Artist files, 1970-2001 and undated

Series 2: Production files, 1981-1993

Acquisition

The Records of Fiberarts Magazine was donated by Thrums LLC on May 2, 2014.

Processing

Processing was completed in November 2014. Materials were rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes. Paper clips and rubber bands were removed. Visual materials were placed in mylar sleeves.

Inventory Note

Note: Title information supplied by the archivist is bracketed.

Title
Guide to the Records of Fiberarts Magazine
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Prepared by Karen Spilman
Date
Copyright 2014
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the CSU Libraries Archives & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Fort Collins Colorado 80523-1019 USA
970-491-1844