Dick Higgins collection

Overview

Title: Dick Higgins collection
Call Number: Coll043
Creator: Higgins, Dick, 1938-1998
Dates: 1958-2002
Size: 18 boxes (17.5 linear feet)
Language: English
Spanish
German
French
Italian
Yiddish
Abstract: This collection provides an overview of Fluxus artwork and includes rare examples from the Something Else Press publications. Over 70 artists are represented in this collection. Includes a sampling of Dick Higgins’ artwork, publications, and exhibition materials; publications from Something Else Press; and individual and collaborative artwork and publications from members of the greater Fluxus movement.
Citation: Dick Higgins collection, Collection 43, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD).

Administrative/Biographical Note

Dick (Richard Carter) Higgins (1938-1998) is best known as a co-founding member of the Fluxus art movement in the 1960s. Embracing the fluidity and boundary-crossing nature of art, Higgins introduced the concept of “intermedia” in 1965 and spent the next 30 years creating artwork in the areas of performance art (Happenings), musical composition, concrete and pattern poetry, painting, and theoretical writings in scholarly and personal publications. He operated three successful specialized publishing companies: Something Else Press (1964-1974), Unpublished Editions (1972-1978), which was later renamed Printed Editions (1978-1985). Higgins was a student of John Cage and a contemporary of George Maciunas, George Brecht, Al Hansen, Ray Johnson, Yoko Ono, LaMonte Young, and Alison Knowles, whom he married (twice) and raised two children, Hannah and Jessica.

March 15, 1938 Born in Jesus Pieces, England to Katharine (Bigelow) and Carter Chapin Higgins, heir to Worchester Pressed Steel in Worchester, Massachusetts.
1955 Graduated from Saint Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire.
1957 Dropped out of Yale University
1958 Co-founded the New York Audio-Visual Group with Al Hansen. Performed in Allan Kaprow’s first Happening, 18 Happenings in Six Parts.
1958
1959		 Studied music with John Cage and Henry Cowell.
1960

 Graduated from Columbia School of General Studies.Married Alison Knowles (b. 1933), a fellow member of the Fluxus art movement.
1961 Fluxus movement develops, primarily in New York City and Germany.
1962 Completed Danger Music Number Seventeen.
1964

 Daughters Hannah and Jessica born.Established Something Else Press.Published Jefferson’s Birthday/Postface (Something Else Press).
1965 Published the seminal essay, “Intermedia,” in the Something Else Newsletter. This essay explains Higgins’s position on his preference for artwork that overlapped the boundaries imposed on art formats. The term and idea of intermedia, though revolutionary at the time, is now widely accepted and may also be called “multimedia”.
1966 Published Manifestos (Something Else Press) with co-editor Emmett Williams.
1968 A Thousand Symphonies is published.
1969 Published foew&ombwhnw (Something Else Press).
1970 Divorced Alison Knowles.
1971 Published Fantastic Architecture (Something Else Press) with co-editor Wolf Vostell.
1972

 Moved to West Glover, Vermont.Established Unpublished Editions.Published A Book About Love & War & Death (Something Else Press).
1973 Began work on what would grow to become 7.7.73, a collection of over one thousand prints “based on chance operations.”
1974 Something Else Press closed after Higgins terminated his financial support of the company in 1973.
1975

 Returned to New York City.Published Modular Poems (Unpublished Editions).
1977 Received his Master’s degree in English from New York University.
1978

 Unpublished Editions renamed Printed Editions.Published A Dialectic of Centuries: Notes Towards a Theory of the New Arts (Printed Editions).
1979

 Moved to Barrytown, New York.Published Some Recent Snowflakes (and other things) (Printed Editions).
1980 Published Piano Album: Short Pieces, 1962-1984 (Printed Editions)
1983 Published Horizons: The Poetics and Theory of the Intermedia (Southern Illinois University Press).
1984 Remarried Alison Knowles.
1986 Published Poems Plain & Fancy (Station Hill Press).
1987 Published Pattern Poems: Guide to an Unknown Literature (State University of New York Press).
1997 Published Modernism Since Postmodernism: Essays on Intermedia (San Diego State University Press).
Oct. 26, 1998 Died in Quebec City, Canada.
1999 Dick Higgins Collection donated to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County by Higgins’s widow, Alison Knowles.
2003 Intermedia, an exhibit about Dick Higgins and the Fluxus movement, is hosted in the Albin O. Kuhn Gallery using items from the Dick Higgins Collection and private collections.

Scope & Content

Arrangement

Organized into four series: Series I. Dick Higgins, 1976-1999. Series II. Something Else Press, 1961-1992. Series III. Fluxus, 1958-2002. Series IV. Franklin Furnace, 1980-2001.

    Series I. Dick Higgins

  1. Artwork
  2. Exhibition materials
  3. Publications
    Series II. Something Else Press

    Series III. Fluxus

  1. Individual Artists
  2. Collections
    Series IV. Franklin Furnace

Note

The Dick Higgins collection spans the years 1958 to 2002 and is 17.5 linear feet. Materials include artwork, publications, and exhibition items. Over one hundred items have been cataloged and are searchable in the USMAI catalog; like the rest of the collection materials, these publications can be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room only.

There are three major divisions within the Dick Higgins collection and they correspond to the official series: Dick Higgins’s artwork, publications, and exhibition materials; publications from Something Else Press; and individual and collaborative artwork and publications from members of the greater Fluxus movement. With the exception of the ReFlux Editions items housed in Series III.B, all items were donated from Higgins’s studio by Alison Knowles. The ReFlux Editions items were purchased by the library from Printed Matter in 2002; see Series III.B container listing and the Publications section in this finding aid for a complete listing of these items.

Higgins’s own materials are located in Series I. A sampling of his own artwork is included, as well as some published works. Publications by Higgins’s that were put out by Something Else Press are located in Series II. The exhibition materials include the flier, bookmark, and catalog from Intermedia, the exhibit produced at UMBC in 2003 using items from this collection as well as privately owned holdings. Our collection of Higgins’s materials does not contain any personal papers, correspondence, or business records; please see the bibliography section for Higgins collections at other archives and institutions.

Series II contains publications from Something Else Press, the publishing house that Higgins ran from 1964 to 1973. The only non-publication materials in this series are two book covers; the business records for Something Else Press are not available in this collection. Highlights from these publications include works by George Brecht, John Cage, Allan Kaprow, Emmett Williams, Gertrude Stein, and Higgins himself.

The third and largest series contains a wide variety of artwork in the Fluxus tradition. This series is divided into two sub-series, one which contains individual artist’s works and the second which contains anthologies and collections of Fluxus artwork. Over 20 individual artists are represented in sub-series A, including George Brecht, John Cage, Ken Friedman, Alison Knowles, and Emmett Williams. Highlights from the collections in sub-series B include the Fluxus Virus Box “mini-museum” (1992), the Fluxus Anthology 30th Anniversary 1962-1992 Sound Anthology. (1992-1993), and items from the ReFlux Editions collection. The ReFlux Editions items are the only materials that were not donated from Higgins’s studio; they are housed together in Box 8.

A selection of promotional materials from Franklin Furnace in New York City is included in the fourth series. These items relate to both Higgins and the greater Fluxus movement.

Provenance Information

Provenance and Acquisition Information

This collection was donated by Alison Knowles, Higgins’s wife, in 1999. UMBC Visual Arts professor Lisa Moren assisted with the acquisition process. The materials were collected from Higgins’s studio in Barrytown, New York. Contained in the collection are items from Higgins’s personal holdings of Fluxus history and artwork, as well publications from Something Else Press, which Higgins’s ran from 1964-1973. Moren later selected additional Fluxus items for library purchase; see Series III.B, Fluxus – Collections for the ReFlux Editions items and Flux: a v tre extra, and Series III.A, Shiomi, Mieko. Events & Games.

Related Collections

Dick Higgins Collection, MsC 790, University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA).
Dick Higgins Archive, MS132, Northwestern University (Evanston, IL).
Dick Higgins papers, Collection 870613, Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles, CA).

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Lindsey Loeper, Visiting Librarian, in the fall of 2007. Additional items were located in the summer of 2008 and the finding aid was updated to reflect these items in September 2008. A preliminary inventory had previously been conducted in preparation for Intermedia, an exhibit showcasing Dick Higgins and Fluxus at UMBC in 2003. Lisa Moren created a website (located at http://intermedia.umbc.edu) that contains this initial inventory, information about the items, and a selection of digital images. After the Intermedia exhibit was removed, the collection materials were placed in acid free flat boxes and any original order from Higgins’s studio was not preserved. An inventory of these boxes was conducted and series designations were assigned. The materials were then rehoused according to the series. Many items required protective folders or tissue paper.

The publications from Something Else Press had been removed from the collection, cataloged, and shelved with the Special Collections General Rare Books and Book Arts items. At the time of processing the collection it was decided that the publications should be returned and shelved with the collection boxes. There were also approximately 60 published items that were not published by Something Else Press that had remained with the collection and did not have catalog records. Catalog records were created for these items and they are shelved with the Higgins’s collection. All publications are listed on the container list in the appropriate series; please note that their location information is a call number and not a box and folder number. The publications are housed with the collection and organized by call number.

Descriptive Rules Used

Describing Archives: a Content Standard (DACS)

Archives Processing Manual: Description (2015)

Access & Use

Finding Aids

Finding aid available.

Finding Aid: /specialcollections/finding-aids/coll043/

Access Conditions

No restrictions.

Conditions Governing Reproductions and Use

Reproductions allowed for research purposes. Copyright maintained by the creators.

Subject Headings

Creators

Higgins, Dick, 1938-1998

Antin, David

Brecht, George

Cage, John

Cohen, Joel S.

Corner, Philip

Dick, William

Eaton, Manford L.

Filliou, Robert

Finch, Peter, 1947-

Fine, Albert

Finlay, Ian Hamilton

Friedman, Ken, 1949-

Gardner, Ian

Giorno, John

Gomringer, Eugen, 1925-

Gris, Juan, 1887-1927

Gutman, Walter, 1903-1986

Hansen, Al, 1927-1995

Hendricks, Geoffrey

Huntly, Gordon

Hutchins, Alice, 1916-

Jacoby, Ruth, 1903-

Johnson, Ray, 1927-1995

Kaprow, Allan

Katz, Leon, 1919-

Kippenberger, Martin, 1953-1997

Knížák, Milan

Knowles, Alison, 1933-

Kostelanetz, Richard

Krauss, Ruth

Lieberman, Fredric

Lucato, Giampaolo

Mac Low, Jackson

MacLennan, Toby

Mahlow, Dietrich

Mallarmé, Stéphane, 1842-1898

Marciunas, George, 1931-1978

McLuhan, Marshall, 1911-1980

Miller, Larry (Composer)

Moore, Peter

Ockerse, Thomas

Oehlen, Albert, 1954-

Oldenburg, Claes, 1929-

Ono, Yoko

Paik, Nam June, 1932-2006

Phillips, Michael Joseph

Pignatari, Décio

Polkinhorn, Harry

Porter, Bern, 1911-2004

Reichert, Josua, 1937-

Ridder, Willem de

Riddle, James, 1933-

Robson, Ernest M.

Roth, Dieter, 1930-1998

Rothenberg, Jerome, 1931-

Sharits, Paul

Shiomi, Mieko

Spoerri, Daniel, 1930-

Starr, Frances

Stein, Gertrude, 1874-1946

Toorn, Jan van, 1932-

Topor, Roland, 1938-1997

Vautier, Ben, 1935-

Vostell, Wolf, 1932-1998

Watts, Robert, 1923-1988

Williams, Emmett

Williams, Jonathan, 1929-2008

Subjects

Art, Modern — 20th century

Happening (Art)

Concrete poetry

Mail art

Avant-garde (Music)

Fluxus (Group of artists)

Something Else Press

Printed Editions (Firm)

Printed Matter, Inc.

Franklin Furnace (Archive)

ReFlux Editions

Series Description & Container List

Series I. Dick Higgins

Date: 1976-1999
Extent: 63 items
Description:

Series I contains items which focus directly on Higgins’s professional career. Includes artwork made by Higgins, promotional materials relating to Higgins exhibitions (including Intermedia), and publications of Higgins’s work. This series is arranged chronologically. The best effort has been made to house items in numerically sequential boxes but due to the irregularity of the item sizes this was not always possible; please note the box, folder, or call number listed when requesting an item. Publications from Something Else Press are located in Series II. All items are from Higgins’s personal studio.

Subseries I.A. Artwork

Date: 1976-1997, undated
Extent: 40 items
Description:

These items are prints or originals of artwork done by Dick Higgins

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
The Thousand Symphonies [sheet music, typeset note, 13 items] (1967) 1967 1 1
Untitled (Signed Performance) [silk-screened, mounted napkin] (1970) 1970 1 2
Five Traditions of Art History, an Essay [poster]. (1976) 1976 1 3
Some Poetry Intermedia [poster]. (1976) 1976 1 4
Higgins, Dick. Emmett William’s Ear. Cavriago: Pari & Dispari, 1977. 1977 N7433.4 .H53E4 1977
Production Materials for “The Nature of Fish” [camera ready artwork, handwritten sheet, 5 items] (1977) 1977 1 5
The Nature of Fish [offset printed concrete poem, 3 items] (1978) 1978 1 6
For “The Nature of Fish” [camera ready artwork] (1978) 1978 1 7
Untitled (Concrete Poetry) [hand typeset] (1978) 1978 1 8
Act This Out [silkscreen copies, proofs and working prints; 32 items]. (1978) 1978 2 1
as: another seven [print of visual poem]. (1979) 1979 2 2
For “Pattern Poetry” [camera ready artwork] (1987) 1987 1 9
Leonardo Vinci [pencil and ink drawing]. (1997) 1997 2 3
Graphis 202 for Feline Quartet [silkscreen]. (1997) 1997 2 4
Song [Musical score]. (undated) undated 1 10
Untitled [prints, 9 items] (undated) undated 1 11

Subseries I.B. Exhibition Materials

Date: 1987-1999, undated
Extent: 18 items
Description:

Exhibition posters, catalogs, and other promotional material for Higgins’s exhibits are included in this series. Six separate exhibits are represented including Intermedia, an exhibit held in the Albin O. Kuhn Gallery in 2003.

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
Exhibition materials (1987-1988) 1987-1988 1 12
Exhibition materials (1996-1999, undated) 1996-1999, undated 1 12
Exhibition materials (undated) undated 1 13
Museum: Barrytown. Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College. 1996. Exhibition catalog. 1996 N5030 .B37M87 1996
Intermedia: The Dick Higgins Collection at UMBC. University of Maryland, Baltimore County. 2003. Exhibition catalog. (2 copies) 2003 NX458 .H53 2003
Intermedia: The Dick Higgins Collection at UMBC. [fliers and bookmarks, approximately 10 items] (2003) 2003 1 14
Choreography, score, scripts and reviews for “Six episodes for the Aquarian Theatre”, April 7, 1959. 1959 Temporary Box 10 1
Concert Program- Cooper Union, January 13, 1961. 1961 Temporary Box 10 2

Subseries I.C. Publications

Date: 1979-1992
Extent: 5 items
Description:

This series includes two biographical works about Higgins as well as three books of his writing that were not published by Something Else Press, Higgins’s first publishing company. The books by Higgins that were published by Something Else Press are located in Series II.

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
Higgins, Dick. Some Recent Snowflakes (and other things). New York: Printed Editions, 1979. 1979 PS3558 .I36S6 1979
Dick Higgins: A Bio/Bibliography. West Glover, Vermont: Threadneedle Editions, 1979. 1979 PS3558 .I36Z68 1979
Higgins, Dick. Piano Album: Short Piano Pieces, 1962-1984. New York: Printed Editions, 1980. 1980 M22 .H63 P5
Polkinhorn, Harry. The Illusion of Reality – An Interview with Dick Higgins. Oakland, CA: Score Publications, 1989. 1989 PS3558 .I36I45 1987
Higgins, Dick. The Journey: eight colored scenes. Left Hand Books, 1992. 1992 N7433.4 .H53J68 1992

Subseries I.D. Correspondence

Date: 1973-1976
Extent: 1 folder
Description:

This subseries contains 9 typed letters of coorespondence between Dick Higgins and Arthur and Glee Knight.

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
Small collection of correspondence between Dick Higgins and Arthur and Glee Knight 1973-1976 Temporary Box 10 PS3558.I36 Z48 1973

Series II. Something Else Press

Date: 1961-1992; bulk 1961-1974
Extent: 54 items
Description:

Dick Higgins founded Something Else Press in 1964. Higgins ran the press over the next 10 years from New York City, California, and Vermont, specializing in Fluxus works and other out of print publications, including several by Gertrude Stein. Something Else Press supported many “intermedia” projects, a term Higgins coined in a 1965 issue of the Something Else Newsletter, also found in this series. The publications have been cataloged and are stored by call number; these are non-circulating items and can only be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room. The listing below is organized alphabetically by author last name; please see the Publications section of this finding aid for a chronological listing. The series also contains proofs for two book jackets: Merce Cunningham: Changes: Notes on Choreography edited by Frances Starr, and Lucy Church, Amiably by Gertrude Stein.

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
Book jackets (1968-1969) 1968-1969 3 1
Antin, David. Autobiography. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 PS 3551 N75 A8
Brecht, George. Chance- Imagery. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1966. 1966 AC 5 G67 no. 3
Brecht, George, and Robert Filliou. Games at the Cedilla, or the Cedilla Takes Off. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 PS 3552 R36 G3
Cage, John. Diary: How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse) Continued, Part Three. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 GV 1471 D53 1967
Eaton, Manford. Bio-Music. Barton: Something Else Press, Inc., 1974. 1974 ML 1092 E26 1974
Filliou, Robert. Ample Food For Stupid Thought. New York: Something Else Press, Inc.1965. 1965 PS 3556.I44 A47 1965
Filliou, Robert. A Filliou Sampler. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 PS 3556 I44 F5
Finch, Peter, ed. Typewriter Poems. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1972. 1972 PR 1195 C6 F5 1972
Finlay, Ian, and Gordon Huntly. A Sailor’s Calendar: A Miscellany. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1971. 1971 GV 819 F54
Giorno, John. Cancer in my Left Ball: Poems 1970-1972. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1973. 1973 PS 3557 I 53 C3
Gomringer, Eugen. The Book of Hours and Constellations. Edited and Translated by Jerome Rothenburg. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1968. 1968 PT 2667 O48 S713 c.2
Gutman, Walter. The Gutman Letter. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1969. 1969 HG 4910 G85
Hansen, Al. A Primer of Happening & Time/Space Art. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1965. 1965 PN 3203 H3
Hansen, Al. Incomplete Requiem for W.C. Fields. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1966. 1966 PS 3558 A57 I63 1966
Hendricks, Geoff. Ring Piece. Barton: Something Else Press, Inc., 1973. 1973 BL 50H48
Higgins, Dick. A Book About Love & War & Death, Canto One. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1965. 1965 AC 4 G67 no. 2
Higgins, Dick. foew&ombwhnnw. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1969. 1969 PS 3558 I36 F6
Higgins, Dick. A Book About Love & War & Death. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1972. 1972 PS 3558 I36 B6 1972
Higgins, Dick and Emmett Williams, eds. Manifestos. New York: Something Else Press, Inc. 1966. 1966 AC 5 G 67 no. 8
Johnson, Ray. The Paper Snake. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1965. 1965 PS 3560 O384 P3
Kaprow, Allan. Some Recent Happenings. New York: Something Else Press, 1966. 1966 AC 5 G67 no. 7
Kaprow, Allan. Untitled Essay and other works. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 PS 3561 A585 U5
Kaprow, Allan. Some Recent Happenings. A Great Bear Pamphlet. New York: Something Else Press, 1966. Reprinted by Ediciones [+/- 491], 1992. 1992 Temporary Box 2
Katz, Leon. The Making of Americans: An Opera and a Play. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1973. 1973 PS 3561 A76 M3
Knowles, Alison, Tomas Schmit, Benjamin Patterson, and Philip Corner. The Four Suits. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1965. 1965 PS 3566 A8 F6
Kostelanetz, Richard, ed. Breakthrough Fictioneers. Barton: Something Else Press, Inc., 1973. 1973 PN 6014 K74
Krauss, Ruth. There’s a little ambiguity over there among the bluebells. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1968. 1968 PS 3561 R3 T5
MacLennan, Toby. 1 Walked out of 2 and Forgot It. Millerton: Something Else Press, Inc., 1972. 1972 BPR 9199.3 M33415O54 1972
Mac Low, Jackson. The Twin Plays: Port-au-Prince & Adams County Illinois. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1966. 1966 AC 5 G 67 no. 10
Mac Low, Jackson. Stanzas for Iris Lezak. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1971. 1971 PS 3563 A31875 S8
McLuhan, Marshall. Verbi-Voco-Visual Explorations. New York: Something Else Press, 1967. 1967 P91 M28
Oldenburg, Claes. Injun & Other Histories. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1966. 1966 PS 3565 L3 I5
Oldenburg, Claes. Store Days: Documents for The Store (1961) and Ray Gun Theater (1962). New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1962 PN 3206 O54
Porter, Bern. I’ve Left: a manifesto and a testament of SCIence and -ART (SCIART). New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1971. 1971 PS 3566 O63 I9 1971
Porter, Bern. Found Poems. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1972. 1972 PS 3531 O7335 F6
Robsom, Ernest M. Thomas Onetwo. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1971. 1971 PS 3568 O318 T494 1971
Rot, Diter [Roth, Dieter]. A LOOK into the blue tide, part 2. New York; Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 PT 2678 079 B62
Roth, Dieter. 246 Little Clouds. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1968. 1968 PS 3568 O8535 A616 1976
Rothenberg, Jerome. Rituals: A Book of Primitive Rites and Events. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1966. 1966 AC 5 G67 no. 6
The Something Else Newsletter 1, no.1 (1966). 1966 Temporary Box 1
The Something Else Newsletter 1, no. 8 (April 1968). 1968 Temporary Box 1
The Something Else Newsletter 2, no. 5 (Sept 1972). 1972 Temporary Box 1
Stein, Gertrude. A Book Concluding With As A Wife Has A Cow: A Love Story. Facsimiles of the original lithographs by Juan Gris. Barton: Something Else Press, Inc., 1973. 1973 PS 3537 T323 B6 1973
Stein, Gertrude. Lucy Church, Amiably. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1969. 1969 PS 3537 T323 L83 1969
Stein, Gertrude. Matisse, Picasso, and Gertrude Stein with two shorter stories. Barton: Something Else Press, Inc., 1972. 1972 PS 3537 T323 M38 1972
Vostell, Wolf. Berlin and Phenomena. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1966. 1966 AC 5 G67 no. 9
Vostell, Wolf, and Dick Higgins, eds. Fantastic Architecture. Lengerich: Kleins Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, 1969. 1969 N6494 C63 H513
Williams, Emmett. The Last French-Fried Potato and Other Poems. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 PS 3573 I449 L3
Williams, Emmett. A Valentine for Noel: Four Variations on a Scheme. Barton: Something Else Press, Inc., 1973. 1973 PS 3573 I449 V3
Williams, Emmett, ed. Anthology of Concrete Poetry. New York: Something Else Press, Inc., 1967. 1967 PN 3110 C77 W5

Series III. Fluxus

Date: 1958-2002
Extent: 76 items
Description:

The final series contains Fluxus items and artwork by artists other than Dick Higgins as well as collections or anthologies. As a founding member of the Fluxus movement, Higgins participated in many of the anthologies. All materials in this series that have a call number have been cataloged; those with box and numbers have not. Like all Special Collections materials, the cataloged items can be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room only. The best effort has been made to house items in numerically sequential boxes but due to the irregularity of the item sizes this was not always possible; please note the box, folder, or call number listed when requesting an item.

Subseries III.A. Individual Artists

Date: 1958-2002, undated
Extent: 33 items
Description:

Items are arranged alphabetically by the artist’s last name. See sub-series 3.B for individual artwork contained in Fluxus collections and anthologies.

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
Barra, F. (1966) 1966 4 1
Brecht, George (1961, 1963) 1961, 1963 4 2
Cage, John. (9) Empty Words; Parte iii. Ediciones +/- 491, 1992. 1992 Temporary Box 2
Cage, John (1992) 1992 4 3
Danon, Betty (undated) undated 4 4
Friedman, Ken (1971, undated) 1971, undated 4 5
Gardner, Ian and Jonathan Williams. ridaeza A Celebration In Lithography & Poetry For the Garden at Levens Hall, Westmorland.tland, Cumbria: the Jargon Society, 1975. 1975 Temporary Box 8
Johnson, Ronald (1996) 1996 4 9
Jones, Joe (1988) 1988 5 1
Kippenberger, Martin and Albert Oehlen. No problem – no problème. Stuttgart, Germany: Patricia Schwartz, Galerie Kubinski, 1986. 1986 Temporary Box 2
Knowles, Alison. Bean Bag. Edition 20/22. New York: Printed Editions, 1978. 1978 Temporary Box 6
Knowles, Alison. Bean Reading Kit. Printed Editions, 1981. 1981 Temporary Box 6
Knowles, Alison. Cena Per Otto. Pari and Dispari, ed. Cavriago, Reggio Emila, Italy: [1985]. 1985 Temporary Box 4
Knowles, Alison. Spoken Text. Barrytown, NY: Left Hand Books, 1993. 1993 PS3561 .N67S67 1993
Knowles, Alison. Indigo Island. Saarbrucken: Stadtgalerie Saarbrucken, 1995. 1995 N6537 .K63I53 1995
Knowles, Alison. Bread and Water. Barrytown, NY: Left Hand Books, 1995. 1995 Temporary Box 2
[Knowles, Alison] Tortue Verte de Mer, no. 9/10. Paris: Nina Ricci, 1997. 1997 Temporary Box 1
Mahlow, Dietrich and Josua Reichart. Westoestliche Kalligraphie. Frankfurt: Typos-Verlag, 1962. 1962 Temporary Box 5
Mallarmé, Stéphane. Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard. Publication information unknown. (undated) undated Temporary Box 1
Niikuni, Seiichi (1967) 1967 7 3
Niikuni, Seiichi (1976) 1976 5 2
Oliveros, Pauline (undated) undated 5 3
Pignatari, Décio. “LIFE.” Noigandres no. 4, 1958. 1958 Temporary Box 2
Rillo. Wolf’s Clothing. Left Hand Books, 1994. 1994 PS3568 .I385W6 1994
Shiomi, Mieko. Events & Games. Tokyo: Gallery 360, [2005] 2005 N7433.4 S53 E94 2005
Shiomi, Mieko Correspondence with Klaus Groh

 1963-1973 Temporary Box 10 3 Description
Shiomi, Mieko Artist Book: Spatial Poem 1976 N7433.4.S53 S63 1976
Sohm, Hanns. Liber Maister S: Hanns Sohm zum siebzigsten Geburtstag. Stuttgart: Die Staatsgalerie, 1991. 1991 Temporary Box 1
Sorin, Raphaël (1990) 1990 6 1
Valoch, Jiri (n.d) undated 6 2
Williams, Emmett. Faustzeichnungen. Berlin: Rainer Verlag, 1983. 1983 Temporary Box 2
Williams, Emmett (1988) 1988 6 3
Williams, Jonathan. Lord Stodge’s good thing guide to over 100 English delights. Roswell/Denver: DBA/JCA Editions, 1985. 1985 Temporary Box 2
Williams, Jonathan. Aposiopeses. Edition 61/100. (undated) undated Temporary Box 2
Unknown artist (undated) undated 6 4

Subseries III.B. Collections

Date: 1960-2002; bulk 1980-2002
Extent: 44 items
Description:

This sub-series contains collections that demonstrate the variety of thought and art forms that were included in the Fluxus movement. Typically only the editor is named in the citations below; please contact Special Collections to view the items in person or request information on a specific artist or item. Box 8 contains items from the Flux Kit, a collection of Fluxus collectibles produced by ReFlux Editions and available through Printed Matter in 2002. This listing is chronological; the items in 8 have been listed alphabetically by artist last name.

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
John Cage folder. Contains: The American Record Guide 26, no. 12 (August 1960). The Kenyon Review 27, no. 3 (Summer 1965). Nam June Paik, “electronic art.” John Cage, Stony Point, 1965. Joglars 3 (1966) (2 copies). 1960-1966 7 1
DéCollage 5 “Happenings.” Edited by Wolf Vostell. Koln, 1966. 1966 Temporary Box 3
Christiansen, Henning. Modeller: første serie, op. 33 (1964-1967). Copenhagen: Engstrøm & Sødring Musikforlag, 1968. 1968 Temporary Box 2
Notebook 1 (April 1970) [Mail art]. 1970 Temporary Box 3
Friedmanswerk. Edited by Ken Friedman. Berlin: Edition Hundertmark, 1971. 1971 Temporary Box 7
Jacoby, Ruth and Richard Kostelanetz, Tom Ockerse, Michael Joseph Phillips. 4 Major Visual Poems. Edited by Michael Joseph Phillips. Indianapolis, IN: Free University Press, 1980. 1980 Temporary Box 2
Le Point d’Ironie no. 5 (April 1980) 1980 Temporary Box 3
Shaped Poetry. Edited by Glenn Todd. San Francisco: Arion Press, 1981. 1981 Temporary Box 9
Fluxus : concert of events, performances and actions and exhibition of events, by Ken Friedman, 1982. 1982 N6494.F55 F74 1982
Ken Friedman : events / edited with an introduction, by Peter Frank, 1985. 1985 N6494.F55 K46 1985
Kaldron: a journal of visual poetry and language art, autumnal equinox issue (1986) 1986 Temporary Box 1
Truck, Fred. The Memory Bank. Des Moines, IA: The Electric Bank, 1986. 1986 Temporary Box 5
WhiteWalls: A Magazine of Writings by Artists no. 16 (Spring 1987). Fluxus edition. 1987 Temporary Box 2
Fluxus Performance Workbook; El Djarida. Edited by Ken Friedman. Trondheim, Norway: Guttorm Nor, 1990. 1990 N6494 .F55F584 1990
Fluxus Virus Box “Fluxus-Mini-Museum”. Edited by Ken Friedman. Koln, 1992. 1992 [On shelf]
Toorin, Jan van, ed. Fluxus Anthology 30th Anniversary 1962-1992 Sound Anthology. ‘S-Hertogenbosch, Holland: Slowscan Editions, 1992-1993. Cassette tapes with compact disc copies. 1995 PQ2679 P6 T6313 1995
Performing Arts Journal Number 44, vol. 15, no. 2 (May 1993) 1993 Temporary Box 2
Spoerri, Daniel, Robert Filliou, Emmett Williams, Dieter Roth, and Roland Topor. An Anecdoted Topography of Chance. London: Atlas Press, 1995. 1995 PQ2679 .P6T6313 1995
Flux: a v tre extra. Edited by George Maciunas. [New York?] : Fluxus Editorial Council, c1979. 1979 N7433.38 F55 F55 1979
Lucato, Giampaolo. Fluxus: Una Storia Veneta. Citta di Bassano del Grappa: Museo Biblioteca Archivo, [1996]. 1996 Temporary Box 2
7 Poets Poems: A Portfolio of Visual Poems. Minneapolis: Stamp Pad Press, [1999]. 1999 Temporary Box 5
PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art Number 61, vol. 21, no. 1 (Jan 1999). 1999 Temporary Box 2
ReFlux Editions items: 8
“Catalog: ReFlux Editions at Printed Matter.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Brecht, George. “Directions.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1983. 1983 8
Brecht, George. “Games & Puzzles: Bead Puzzle.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1983. 1983 8
Brecht, George. “Games & Puzzles: Swim Puzzle.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1983. 1983 8
De Ridder, Willem. “Paper Fluxwork.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1990. 1990 8
Fine, Albert M. “Piece for Fluxorchestra.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1988. 1988 8
Friedman, Ken. “A Flux Corsage.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Friedman, Ken. “Garnisht Kigele.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1983. 1983 8
Friedman, Ken. “Open and Shut Case.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1987. 1987 8
Hutchins, Alice. “Jewelry Fluxkit.” Flux Kit. New York: Alice Hutchins and ReFlux Editions, 1980. 1980 8
Knizak, Milan. “Flux White Meditation.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Knizak, Milan. “Flux-Snakes.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1990. 1990 8
Lieberman, Fredric. “Divertevents One.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Maciunas, George with Peter Moore, Geoff Hendricks, Larry Miller. “Maciunas Flux-Deck.”Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1988. 1988 8
Maciunas, George. “New Flux Year.” Flux Kit. New York: Reflux Editions, 1983. 1983 8
Maciunas, George. “Burglary Fluxkit.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1988. 1988 8
Miller, Larry. “Orifice Flux Plugs.” Flux Kit. New York: Larry Miller and ReFlux Editions, 1993. 1993 8
Moore, Peter and The Sticker Dude. “Yoko’s Cheeks.” New York: ReFlux Editions and Ragged Edge Press, 2002. 2002 8
Ono, Yoko. “A Box of Smile [Black Box].” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1971. 1971 8
Riddle, James. “DOP.” Flux Kit. New York: James Riddle, repackaged by ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Sharits, Paul. “Flux Wall Poem.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Shiomi, Mieko. “Fluxfilm No. 4: ‘Disappearing Music for Face’.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Shiomi, Mieko. “Water Music.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1991. 1991 8
Vautier, Ben. “Dirty Water.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 2002. 2002 8
Vautier, Ben. “Flux Holes.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1981. 1981 8
Vautier, Ben. “Flux Missing Card Deck.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1996, 2002. 1996, 2002 8
Watts, Robert. “Hospital Events.” Flux Kit. New York: ReFlux Editions, 1983. 1983 8

Series IV. Franklin Furnace

Date: 1980-2001
Extent: 22 items
Description:

Founded in 1976, Franklin Furnace has provided a venue for otherwise unsupported artists to present avant-garde, performance, and time-based art. “Fluxus: A Conceptual Country” began an international tour at Franklin Furnace in October 1993. This series contains posters, promotional materials for upcoming events, and artist postcards.

Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
1 patch, 1 Franklin Furnace “Risk” Poker Chip (undated) undated 9 1
11 “Great Performances at Franklin Furnace” Postcards 9 2
8 Promotional materials announcing upcoming events at Franklin Furnace and poster designed by Dick Higgins for Concrete Poetry exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art (1986) 1986 9 3
Booklet for Seibu Museum of Art 9 4

Bibliography

Publications used for this finding aid:

“Dick Higgins: In Memoriam.” PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art 62, vol. 21, no. 2 (May 1999). Special section containing articles about Higgins. Accessed November 18, 2015.
Friedman, Ken. “Dick Higgins, 1938-1998.” Umbrella 21, no. 3/4 (December 1998): 106-9. Accessed November 18, 2015.
“Intermedia: The Dick Higgins Collection at UMBC.” Exhibition catalog. Baltimore, MD: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2003.
Smith, Roberta. “Dick Higgins, 60, Innovator In the 1960’s Avant-Garde.” Obituary. New York Times, Late Edition (October 31, 1998): 16.

Related resources:

“Intermedia: the Dick Higgins Collection at UMBC.” Website. Accessed November 18, 2015.
Fluxus Portal. Accessed November 18, 2015.
Alison Knowles website. Accessed November 18, 2015.
Digitized copies of the Great Bear Pamphlets at UbuWeb. Accessed November 18, 2015.