| 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). |
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 He operated three successful specialized publishing companies: Something Else Press (1964-1974), Unpublished Editions (1972-1978), which was later renamed Printed Editions (1978-1985).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. |
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
Series II. Something Else Press
Series III. Fluxus
Series IV. Franklin Furnace
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.
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.
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).
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.
Describing Archives: a Content Standard (DACS)
Archives Processing Manual: Description (2015): The processing manual used in Special Collections for all descriptive platforms, including PastPerfect.
Finding aid available.
Finding Aid: http://library.umbc.edu/speccoll/findingaids/coll043.php
No restrictions.
Reproductions allowed for research purposes. Copyright maintained by the 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
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
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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
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 |
|
Spatial Poem with two original Spatial Poem invitations numbers 6 and 8, two hand-written
letters to participant Klaus Groh with envelopes, a form letter informing participants
of the forthcoming Spatial Poem book, an announcement card for the Spatial Poem book,
a photocopied article about Shiomi from Art and Artists October 1973, and a fragment
of a package addressed to Klaus Groh..
|
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| 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 | |
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 |
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 |
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. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/paj/toc/paj21.2.html#cluster2a.
Friedman, Ken. "Dick Higgins, 1938-1998." Umbrella 21, no. 3/4 (December 1998): 106-9. Accessed November 18, 2015. http://www.fluxus.org/higgins/ken.htm.
"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. http://intermedia.umbc.edu/.
Fluxus Portal. Accessed November 18, 2015. http://www.fluxus.org/.
Alison Knowles website. Accessed November 18, 2015. http://www.aknowles.com/.
Digitized copies of the Great Bear Pamphlets at UbuWeb. Accessed November 18, 2015. http://www.ubu.com/historical/gb/index.html.
