UMBC
Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

Overview

Title: Robert W. Fichter collection
Call Number: Coll132
Creator: Fichter, Robert, 1939-2023
Dates: 1960-2015
Size: 11 boxes (8.25 linear feet)
Language: English
Abstract: The Robert W. Fichter collection contains research materials, correspondence, notebooks, exhibition pamphlets and invitations, personal and professional correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs and artwork that ranges between polaroid pictures, transparencies, slides, stretched canvases, rolled canvases, and drawers his work and the work of other artists.
Citation: Robert W. Fichter collection, Collection 132, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD).

Administrative/Biographical Note

Robert Whitten Fichter was born in Fort Meyers, Florida in 1939. As the yearbook photographer at his high school, he became inspired to pursue art. While attending the University of Florida at Gainesville (1959-1963), he studied printmaking with Ken Kerslake and photography with Jerry Uelsmann, who encouraged him to pursue an MFA under photographer Henry Holmes Smith at the University of Indiana (1963-1966). Fichter started his career working as an Assistant Curator at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY where he hosted his first solo exhibit in 1968. He joined the faculty of UCLA in 1968 and in 1972, he returned to Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he remained until his retirement in 2006. In the same year, Fichter donated his archives of drawings, prints, photographs, paintings, preparatory materials and manuscripts to the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. Fichter has exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada (1970), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1974), School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1974), Kunsthaus Zurich (1977), Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies (1981), Whitney Biennial (1981), University of South Florida Art Galleries (1984), Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (1986), and the Gallery of Art, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls (1990). Fichter’s work is included in the collections of the Center for Creative Photography, George Eastman Museum, High Museum, International Center of Photography, Los Angeles County Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography, National Gallery of Art, and Norton Simon Museum, among others.Fichter passed away in June 2023 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Scope & Content

Arrangement

Series I: Teaching and Exhibition Materials A: Florida State University B: Exhibitions and Writings Series II: Coorespondence A: Personal Coorespondence B: Professional Correspondence Series III: Notebooks

Provenance Information

Provenance and Acquisition Information

Accessions P2011-04, P2013-36, P2013-37, P2017-12, and P2018-01.

Processing Note

The Robert W. Fichter collection was recieved by UMBC Special Collections and Gallery in 2007 from the donor, Robert Fichter.

Descriptive Rules Used

Describing Archives: a Content Standard (DACS)

Archives Processing Manual: Description (2015): The processing manual used in Special Collections for all descriptive platforms, including PastPerfect.

Access & Use

Finding Aids

Finding aid available.

Access Conditions

This collection is open for research. There are no restricted materials.

Conditions Governing Reproductions and Use

Permission is required for all reproduction requests. Copyright maintained by the creator.

Subject Headings

Creators

Fichter, Robert, 1939-2023

Subjects

Fichter, Robert, 1939- --Archives.

Photography, Artistic -- Exhibitions.

Photographers -- Archives.

Photographers -- Florida.

Florida State University -- Faculty.

Series Description & Container List

Expand all descriptions | Collapse all

  1. Series I: Teaching and Exhibition Materials

    Date: 1963-2007

    Description: Series I: Teaching and Exhibition Materials contains teaching materials from Robert Fichter’s time at Florida State University (1972-2006) and exhibitions and publications that he was featured in throughout his professional career.

    1. Sub-series I.A Florida State University

      Date: 1979-2007

      1. Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
        Florida State University Tenure Credentials 1979-1999 1 1
        Tenure: Letters of Support for Robert Fitcher, Associate Professor Promotion 1979 1 2
        Florida State University Committee on Faculty Sabbaticals 1982-1985 1 3
        Tenure Promotion Package, Professor Rank 1982 1 4
        History of Photography Course Materials 1992 1 5
        Teacher Incentive Program- Robert Fitcher 1994-1995 1 6
        Distinguished Research Professor Award 2000 1 7
        Fitcher Syllabus 2002-2007 1 8
        Design Research Profiles undated 1 9
        Lecture Notes undated 1 10
        Various Teaching Materials undated 1 11

    2. Sub-series I.B Exhibitions and Writings

      Date: 1963-2007

      1. Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
        "Alternative Image: An Aesthetic and Technical History of Nontraditional Photographic Printing Processes" 1992 1 12
        "AX Cavation/ RWF: A weapon to meet the terrible needs..."By James Hugunin, illustrations by Robert Fitcher July 5, 1988 1 13
        "Made In Florida" Exhibit Press Packet 1992 1 14
        "Phtographer and Photography" Film Prospectus 1974-1975 1 15
        "Todd Walker" Speech undated 1 16
        Art Reviews 1978-1983 1 17
        Confessions of a Silver Addict 1990 1 18
        Exhibition Pamplets and Flyers 1963-2007 1 19 Description
        Exhibition Pamplets and Flyers 1977-1988 1 20
        Exhibition Pamplets and Flyers 1979-2007 1 21
        Exhibition Pamplets and Flyers 1985-2003 1 22
        Florida Photogenesis Notes undated 1 23
        Florida Photogenesis: The Work of Creative and Experimental Photographers in Florida October 6-November 19, 2000 1 24
        Investigating the Image of Reality: Making Designs to Test your Sense of Reality undated 1 25
        MEMO: Student Work/ Photography, edited by Richard Jaquish February 29, 1964 1 26
        The Tatooed Green Dragon by Robert Fitcher undated 1 27
        Untitled Draft undated 1 28
        Working Papers November 1980 1 29

  2. Series II: Coorespondence

    Date: 1960-2014

    Description: Series II: Correspondence contains the many letters received by Robert Fichter, of personal and professional in nature. Subseries II.A contains insight into his personal life with letters sent and received by members of the Fichter family and fellow artists and friends. Subseries II.B contains more professional correspondences listed by museum name or institution for various panels, exhibitions, teaching opportunities and artistic collaboratives.

    1. Sub-series II.A Personal Correspondence

      Date: 1960-2011

      1. Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
        Coorespondence with "Bud P" 1976-2010 2 1
        Coorespondence with Steve Gluckman 1964-1994 2 2
        Correspondence with "Vickie" 1976-1981 2 3
        Correspondence with Lynda Davis undated, 1978 2 4
        Letter from Fred Licht 1989-2000 2 5
        Letter from Virginia Cartwright June 5, 1984 2 6
        Letters from "Al" 1960-1964 2 7
        Letters from "Net" 1960 2 8
        Letters from A. Colson 1963-1964 2 9
        Letters from Angie Mount 1960 2 10
        Letters from Arthur McVoy 1960 2 11
        Letters from Barbara Fialkoff 1960-1972 2 12
        Letters from Bea Nettles undated 2 13
        Letters from Betty Hahn 1976-1978 2 14
        Letters from Bob Heinecken 1968-1998 2 15
        Letters from Carl Chiarenza 1980-1995 2 16
        Letters from Cindy Keyworth February 1962-April 1963 2 17
        Letters from Cindy Keyworth Novembr 1960-December 1961 2 18
        Letters from Dave Kent 1963-1975 2 19
        Letters from Eileen Cowan 1972 2 20
        Letters from Frank Sadler 1960 2 21
        Letters from Harold Jones 1968-2011 2 22
        Letters from his mother 1960 2 23
        Letters from Hollis Fitcher 1963-1964 2 24
        Letters from Horton H. Hobbs, Jr. 1960 2 25
        Letters from Jack Nicholson 1980-2007 2 26
        Letters from Jackie Prammell 1960 2 27
        Letters from Jan Stussy undated 2 28
        Letters from Jerry N. Uelsmann 1963-1964 2 29
        Letters from Julie Pesrod 1960 2 30
        Letters from Kay Baldwin 1960 2 31
        Letters from Lawrence Hetrick 1960-1966 2 32
        Letters from Nelson Meyer 1960-1963 2 33
        Letters from Oliver T. Ivey 1968-1978 2 34
        Letters from Paige Pinnell 1968 2 35
        Letters from Paula Braswell 2 36
        Letters from Robert Freidus 1994-1999 2 37
        Oversized Postcards 1975-1978. 2 38
        Various Personal Coorespondence (2) 1973-1978 2 39
        Various Personal Coorespondence (3) 1960-1996 2 40
        Various Personal Coorespondence (4) 1960-1997 2 41
        Various Personal Correspondence (1) 1968-1998 2 42

    2. Sub-series II.B Professional Correspondence

      Date: 1962-2014

      1. Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
        Andrew Smith, Inc. Fine American Photography 1985 2 43
        Appalachian State University 1989 2 44
        Art South 1985 2 45
        Arthur Taussig 1986 2 46
        Awards in Visual Arts (AVA) 1985 2 47
        Boca Raton Museum of Art 1988-2012 2 48
        California Insitute of the Arts 1976-1983 2 49
        Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona 1976-2012 2 50
        Center of Exploratory and Perpetual Art (CEPA) Gallery 1986-1992 2 51
        Center of Photography, Tokyo Insitute of Polytechnics 1995-1996 2 52
        College Art Association 1991-1993 2 53
        Colorado Mountain College 1972-1981 2 54
        Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College 1991-1992 2 55
        Creolde School of Arts 1981-2001 2 56
        Daum Museum of Contemporary Art 2013 2 57
        Daytona Beach Community College 1988-1999 2 58
        Disarming Images: Art for Nuclear Disarmament 1984-1985 2 59
        Eitharong Gallery 1990-1991 2 60
        Fay Gold of Fay Gold Gallery 1983 2 61
        Film in the Cities 1980-1986 2 62
        Florida Center for Contemporary Art 1994-1995 2 63
        Florida Department of State 1980-1986 2 64
        Florida Department of State- Secretary of State, George Firestone 1974-1981 2 65
        Florida State University 1971-2005 2 66
        Gillman Stein Gallery 1988-1990 2 67
        Goucher College Department of Art History 1997-1998 3 1
        Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, Inc. 1989-1990 3 2
        High Museum of Art 1988-1994 3 3
        John Michael Kohler Arts Center 1981-1982 3 4
        Laguna Arts Museum 1992 3 5
        Light Gallery 1971-1997 3 6
        Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies 1976-1986 3 7
        Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1986-2011 3 8
        Madison Art Center 1985 3 9
        Miami- Dade Community College 1978-1995 3 10
        Mint Museum of Art 1980-1981 3 11
        Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design 2013 3 12
        Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg 1978-1982 3 13
        National Endowment for the Arts 1974-1996 3 14
        National Gallery of Art 1985-1991 3 15
        National Gallery of Canada 1969-1989 3 16
        New Orleans Museum of Arts 1975-1978 3 17
        Northern Kentucky University 1981-1982 3 18
        Northlight Gallery at Arizona State University 1980-1996 3 19
        Norton Gallery and School of Art 1989-2013 3 20
        Norton Simon Museum and Foundation 2004-2013 3 21
        Nova Scotia College of Art and Design 1972 3 22
        Ohio University School of Art 1986 3 23
        Palm Springs Art Museum 2013 3 24
        Penland School of Crafts 1968-1981 3 25
        Pensacola Junior College 1971-1990 3 26
        Photo Group Center 1987-1994 3 27
        Polaroid Corporation 1979-1986 3 28
        Robert Freidus Gallery 1979-1984 3 29
        Rolling Stone Press 1991-1997 3 30
        Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida 1990-2013 3 31
        San Francisco Camerawork Inc. 1977-1990 3 32
        San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 1982-1984 3 33
        Smithsonian Insitution 1966-1978 3 34
        Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art 1986 3 35
        Stetson University 1990-1993 3 36
        Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities undated, 1978 3 37
        Susan Spiritus Gallery 1979 3 38
        Tamarind Institute 1987-1994 3 39
        Tampa Museum of Art 1989-1994 3 40
        The Bush Foundation 1983 3 41
        The Deland Museum of Art 1994 3 42
        The Friends of Photography 1972-1989 3 43
        The Gallery of Contemporary Art 1968 3 44
        The George Eastman House 1962-2013 3 45
        The J. Paul Getty Museum 2013 3 46
        The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art 1980-1989 3 47
        The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1989 3 48
        The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston undated 3 49
        The Museum of Modern Art 1981 3 50
        The Nelson-Adkins Museum of Art 2012-2013 3 51
        The New Museum of Contemporary Art 1982-1984 3 52
        The New York Times 1971-1976 3 53
        The Santa Barbara Museum of Art 1979-2014 3 54
        The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago 1972-1986 3 55
        The University of Connecticutt School of Fine Arts 1976-1990 3 56
        The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival 1985-1986 3 57
        UCLA Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery 1983-1984 3 58
        United States Information Agency (USIA) 1974 3 59
        University Art Museum at the University of New Mexico 1980-1993 3 60
        University of California- Various Campuses 1968-1984 3 61
        University of Central Florida 1983-1984 3 62
        University of Colorado- Various Campuses 1976-1988 3 63
        University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Art and Design 1981-1982 3 64
        University of Maryland, Baltimore County 1987-2011 3 65
        University of Nevada Department of Art 1976-1977 3 66
        University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art 1990 3 67
        University of Rochester 1988-1990 3 68
        University of South Florida and Art Galleries 1979-2002 3 69
        University of West Florida Art Gallery 1977-2011 3 70
        Valencia Community College 1981 3 71
        Various Museum Agreements 1976-2014 3 72
        Various Professional Coorespondence 1974-1992 3 73
        Various Professional Coorespondence 1971-2003 3 74
        Various Professional Coorespondence 1973-1995 3 75
        Victor Landwebber 1981-1983 3 76
        Virginia Beach Center for the Arts 1990-1991 3 77
        Visual Studies Workshop 1977-2010 3 78
        Weatherspoon Art Museum 2013-2014 3 79
        Wellington B. Gray Gallery, School of Arts at East Carolina University 2002-2003 3 80

  3. Series III: Notebooks

    Date: 1965-2015

    Description: Series III: Notebooks contains the sketchbooks and diaries of Robert Fitcher between the early 1960s and late 2010s. Fitcher used multiple notebooks simultaneously with overlapping use for sketches, observations, poetry, and project ideas. Some of the notebooks titles feature numbers, which were added by the former UMBC Curator for an exhibition.

    Due to the varying sizes of the notebooks, oversized notebooks needed to be housed separately to be preserved safely in boxes that could accommodate them. All oversized notebooks are listed in chronological order towards the end of series.

    1. Folder Title/Description Date Box # Folder # Additional Info.
      Fitcher Notebook: Clayton, Georgia 1965 4 1
      Fitcher Notebook #6 1970 4 2
      Fitcher Notebook #1 1971 4 3
      Fitcher Notebook #2 1973-1974 4 4
      Fitcher Notebook #3 1973-1976 4 5
      Fitcher Notebook: Italy 1974 4 6
      Fitcher Notebook #7 1974 4 7
      Fitcher Notebook: Brussels, Belgium 1975-1976 4 8
      Fitcher Notebook 1976 4 9
      Fitcher Notebook 1976 4 10
      Fitcher Notebook 1976 4 11
      Fitcher Notebook #5 1976-1977 4 12
      Fitcher Notebook #13: San Fransciso and Los Angeles, California 1978 4 13
      Fitcher Notebook #12 1978-1979 4 14
      Fitcher Notebook #17 1979 4 15
      Fitcher Notebook #19 1979 4 16
      Fitcher Notebook #16: Boston and Sun Valley 1979 4 17
      Fitcher Notebook 1980 4 18
      Fitcher Notebook : Colorado Springs Little Notebook 1980 4 19 Description
      Fitcher Notebook 1981 4 20
      Fitcher Notebook : Italy 1982 5 1
      Fitcher Notebook : "Japorty's" 1982 5 2
      Fitcher Notebook : Japan 1982 5 3
      Fitcher Notebook # XX 1982-1984 5 4
      Fitcher Notebook 1982-1984 5 5
      Fitcher Notebook : Colorado Springs, Colorado 1983-1984 5 6
      Fitcher Notebook : Minature 1983-2009 5 7
      Fitcher Notebook : Piano Player, Italy 1984 5 8
      Fitcher Notebook : Atlanta, Georgia 1985 5 9
      Fitcher Notebook : Faculty Portraits 1985 5 10
      Fitcher Notebook : Salt Lake City, Utah 1986 5 11
      Fitcher Notebook 1986 5 12
      Fitcher Notebook #26 1986-1990 5 13 Description
      Fitcher Notebook 1991 5 14
      Fitcher Notebook #30 1987 5 15
      Fitcher Notebook 1989 6 1
      Fitcher Notebook #46 1989-1997 6 2
      Fitcher Notebook #69: Washington D.C 1990-1991 6 3 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #56: Colorado Springs 1994 6 4
      Fitcher Notebook #57: Washington, DC 1994 6 5
      Fitcher Notebook 1996 6 6
      Fitcher Notebook #49 1998 6 7
      Fitcher Notebook #71 1998 6 8
      Fitcher Notebook : Italy 1998 6 9
      Fitcher Notebook #76 1999-2000 6 10
      Fitcher Notebook 2001 6 11
      Fitcher Notebook : Minature 2002-2009 6 12
      Fitcher Notebook #31: London, UK 2004 6 13
      Fitcher Notebook : Portland, Oregon 2007 6 14
      Fitcher Notebook : Clayton, Georgia 2010 6 15
      Fitcher Notebook #32 2010 6 16 Description
      Fitcher Notebook: Tallahasee, London, and Perugia 2015 6 17
      Fitcher Notebook : Oakland Museum undated 6 18
      Fitcher Notebook : Light Gallery Comment Book undated 6 19
      Fitcher Notebook : Washington undated 6 20
      Fitcher Notebook undated 6 21
      Fitcher Notebook undated 6 22
      Fitcher Notebook undated 6 23
      Fitcher Notebook #8 1977 7 1 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #15 1979 7 2 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #20: New York Show Notes 1979-1980 7 3 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #23: Colorado Spring 1980 7 4 Description
      Fitcher Notebook : James and Martha 1980 7 5 Description
      Fitcher Notebook 1981 7 6 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #34 1981 7 7 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #35 1981 8 1 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #36 1981-1982 8 2 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #30: Phone Log/ Daily Studio Notes 1981-1983 8 3 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #33: Freidas Gallery, NYC 1981 8 4 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #31 1982 8 5 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #37: Milan, Italy 1982 8 6 Description
      Fitcher Notebook 1983 8 7 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #29: Florence, Italy 1987-1988 9 1 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #41 1989 9 2 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #45 1989-1990 9 3 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #50: Austrailia Notebook 1992 9 4 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #63 1992-1997 9 5 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #53 1993-1996 9 6 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #76: North for the Summer 1996 9 7 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #72: Last Teaching Adventure 1998 10 1 Description
      Fitcher Notebook : Italy 1998 10 2 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #77 1999-2005 10 3 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #89 2002 10 4 Description
      Fitcher Notebook #12: Highland, North Carolina 2005 10 5 Description
      Fitcher Notebook : Drawing on the Farm 2005 10 6 Description
      Fitcher Notebooks undated 11 1 Description
      Fitcher Notebook undated 11 2 Description

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