| On February
1, acclaimed
poet, artist
and musician
Patti Smith presented her
Washington fans with an early
Valentine’s Day gift — a special
evening of spoken word and
song inspired by artist’s love
letters from the collection of
the Smithsonian’s Archives of
American Art. The event was
a celebration of the Archives’
most recent publication
With Love: Artist’s Letters and
Illustrated Notes and proceeds
from the evening will benefi t
the educational programs of
the Archives of
American Art, the
world’s largest and
most widely used
resource dedicated
to collecting and
preserving the
papers and primary
records of the visual
arts in America.
Pe r f o r m i n g
before a sold out
audience at the auditorium of The Donald
W. Reynolds Center for American Art and
Portraiture, Smith read from letters written by
art world |
luminaries such as Joan Mitchell, Frida
Kahlo, and Lee Krasner, and shared personal, offthe-
cuff memories of her own, including a letter
to Smith from iconic photographer Robert
Mapplethorpe. Her heartfelt solo performance
brought their words vividly to life. Interspersed
among the readings, she performed several of
her own songs on acoustic guitar, holding the
audience in thrall for nearly two hours. By turns
passionate, tragic and humorous, Smith’s incisive
interpretations brilliantly demonstrated that in
the right hands, these old letters are as powerful
today as they were decades ago.
Following the performance, a group of
forty fans and friends of the Archives of
American Art convened for a private reception
and dinner hosted by Teatro Goldoni.
Although our unparalleled collection
of 16 million items has long been a crucial |
resource for scholars and art historians, never
before has the public had so much access to our rich holdings. Washington, D.C. residents
and visitors have the unique opportunity
to view original documents at the Archives’
headquarters, visit our new exhibition space,
the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery, at The
Donald Reynolds Center, attend a program,
or access many of our collections online at
www.aaa.si.edu.
This memorable event was the fi rst in
what will be a continuing effort to work
with contemporary artists in exciting and
experimental ways to bring their unique
perspectives to our collections, and we invite
you to be a part of it. |
