More Information
Sarah Haug
Scope and Contents note
The records of the New York City gallery Thread Waxing Space measure 36.7 linear feet and 3.86 GB and date from 1980s-2001 (bulk 1991-2001). Exhibitions and events held at the gallery are documented through correspondence, artists' bios, printed and digital materials, shipping records, photographic materials, audiovisual materials, and other administrative records. Also found are a handful of artist research files, clippings, and press books.
Program Files provide a nearly comprehensive documentation of the exhibitions, performances, lectures and other programs held at Thread Waxing Space. Materials include correspondence, contracts, administrative records, printed materials, photographic materials, audiovisual materials, and scattered electronic records.
Research Files include a handful of folders containing materials related to artists, such as resumes, biographies, printed and digital materials, clippings, and scattered correspondence. Press books containing photocopied newspaper and magazine articles, scattered clippings and scattered printed materials are found in Press Files. Audiovisual Materials contain sound and video recordings presumably of artists found in the Program Files series.
Exhibitions and performances for which there is considerable documentation in the collection include Post-IZUM Moods Music Series (1993), "Don't Look Now" (1994) curated by Joshua Decter, "Garbage!" (1995), "Beyond Ars Medica: Treasures from the Mutter Museum" (1995-1996), "European Comics: Another Image" (1997), "Celluloid Cave" (1997), "Ascent of Western Civilization: American Independent Rock, 1976-1991" (1997), "Jump Cut (Faust)" (1997), "Sanctuary: A Spiritual Music Festival" (1998), "Conceptual Art as Neurobiological Praxis" (1999), "Foul Play" (1999), and "Mr. Fascination" (1999-2000); and traveling exhibitions "Archigram: Experimental Architecture 1961-1974" (1998-1999), "Spectacular Optical" (1998-1999), "After the Gold Rush" (1999), and "Achieving Failure: Gym Culture 2000" (2000).
The Thread Waxing Space records were donated in 2008 by Thread Waxing Space founder Tim Nye.
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund
Processing Information
Portions of the collection were processed at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College prior to accession at the Archives of American Art. The collection was minimally processed, arranged, and described by Sarah Haug in 2011 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2019 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Additional finding aid description of the sound recordings was completed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2024.
The goal for minimal-level processing at the Archives of American Art is to provide access to collections as quickly as possible while maintaining our high standards for arrangement, description and preservation. Generally, materials are minimally rearranged, existing folder titles are retained, and all materials are rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes. Staples and other fasteners are not removed, but materials are removed from binders or damaged binding when necessary.
As best as possible, the processing archivist integrated separated audiovisual materials into the corresponding Program Files based on the item's label. The materials were not viewed for verification. Audiovisual materials for which the processing archivist was not able to determine the content by existing labels were arranged in an audiovisual materials series.
Where found, Social Security numbers on documents were redacted. Social Security numbers were covered on the original and the document was photocopied. The originals were removed from the collection and replaced with the redacted photocopies.
