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 Collection
Identifier: GA 17

Suellen Glashausser Papers

Dates

  • Majority of material found in 1956-2001 <lb/> ( 1980-2000)

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains material related to Suellen Glashausser’s career as an artist and teacher. She worked as a book artist, sculptor, and textile artist. Included are slides and prints depicting her work and that of other artists, handouts and examples used in classes and workshops, exhibition catalogs, instruction and examples of paper and other media techniques, correspondence with other artists, articles and administrative papers. Her graduate studies are represented by class notes and written thesis, as well as photographs of the thesis installation at the University of California, Berkeley. Curriculum vitae, as well as photographs and catalogs document her artwork and exhibitions. Administrative papers relate primarily to her work at Montclair State University, as do teaching notes and slides of student work. Articles, correspondence and photographs of work by other artists illuminate areas of professional and artistic interest. Documents related to the administration and operation of Amos Eno Gallery are also included, as are the manuscript and other material for Plaiting: Step-by-step (Watson-Guptill, 1976), which she co-authored with Carol Westfall. In addition, there are photographs, contact prints, and negatives of the artist, her immediate family, and her work. More detailed description of the contents can be found at the beginning of each series.



The Rutgers University Libraries, Special Collections has other material by Suellen Glashausser, including Plaiting step-by-step, 1976, Rutgers Special Collections and University Archives, X-REF, call number TT879.B3G56 1976, and a collection of many of her artist books (see Related Collections below).



The following books, which were part of Suellen Glashausser’s papers, have been cataloged and placed in the library’s collection:

Billeter, Erika, André Billeter, Pierre Magnenat, and Anic Zanzi. Art Textile Contemporain: Collection de l’Association Pierre Pauli/ Contemporary Textile Art: the Collection of the Pierre Pauli Association. Berne: Editions Benteli, 2000.

Kropper, Jean G. Handmade Books and Cards. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc., 1997.

Smith, Barbara Lee. Celebrating the Stitch: Contemporary Embroidery of North America. Newtown, CT: The Taunton Press, 1991.

Spector, Buzz. Book Maker’s Desire. Pasadena, CA: Umbrella Editions, 1995.

References

Lee, Anne. “Don't Judge a Book that Lacks a Cover.” The Star Ledger. October 21, 2000, Sec. In the Towns. Access World News database. Accessed April 30, 2006.

“Suellen Glashausser, 55, professor at Montclair State.” The Star Ledger, obituary. December 28, 2000. Access World News database Accessed April 20, 2006.

Who’s Who in American Art. 23rd edition, 1999-2000. New Providence, NJ: Marquis Who’s Who, 1999.

Who’s Who in the East. 23rd edition, 1991-1992. Wilmette, IL: Marquis Who’s Who, 1990.

Extent

15 3/4 cubic feet, consisting of 15 record cartons, one medium flat box and one 2 1/2 inch manuscript box for restricted material.

Physical Location

Stored offsite: Advance notice required to consult these records.

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Suellen Glashausser worked as a book artist, sculptor and textile artist, as well as teaching at Montclair State University in New Jersey. This collection primarily consists of her administrative and professional papers, teaching materials such as syllabi and class handouts, art and craft technique instructions and examples, catalogs and promotional materials for exhibition of her works and that of other artists, as well as photographs and slides of her work and work of other artists.

Biographical Sketch

Contributed by Romina Gutierrez and edited by Debra Schiff



Suellen O’Brien Glashausser was born in New York City on March 17, 1945, the daughter of William James and Agatha (neé Walsh) O’Brien, and died in Highland Park, New Jersey on December 27, 2000. She married Charles Glashausser in September 1965. They had two children, Alexander and Allegra. Glashausser was a well-known fiber and book artist, as well as a teacher of visual arts. She began creating artists’ books in the 1980s after spending most of her career producing large constructions and paintings. Glashausser received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York in 1965. She continued her studies in Paris, France, at the École Lemmonier d'Art Appliqué, earning in 1976, a “Degree Française Superier” from the Sorbonne. In 1969, she received her Master of Art in Textile Design from the University of California at Berkeley. Later that year, she and Charles Glashausser moved to Highland Park, New Jersey.



Glashausser began her teaching career in the 1970s as a part-time instructor at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey; the New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts in Summit; and Livingston College, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. From 1974 until her death, she taught at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, first as a part-time instructor and from 1983 as an assistant professor. Throughout her career, she taught and planned workshops, and served as a lecturer, panelist, and exhibit juror in the United States, Belgium, Japan, and France. A prolific artist, Glashausser exhibited widely in solo and group shows throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and India. Her exhibits are numerous, and accounts of them reside in this collection. Along with her contributions to books on fiber arts and her art reviews, Glashausser’s best-known writing work is the basketry art book Plaiting: Step-by-Step, written with Carol Westfall.



At the time of her death, Glashausser was represented by Amos Eno Gallery, New York City.

Arrangement Note

The material is arranged in eleven series: Administrative, Artwork – Exhibitions, Artwork – Photographs, Mariage Montand, Other Artists - Exhibitions, Other Artists - Slides, Personal, Professional, Teaching, Techniques, and Restricted Material.



ADMINISTRATIVE papers consist primarily of material directly related to Suellen Glashausser’s work as a professor at Montclair State College in New Jersey and include contract renewal materials, promotion requests and course proposals. ARTWORK – EXHIBITIONS include catalogs, as well as organizational and promotional material relating to exhibitions of her artwork. ARTWORK – PHOTOGRAPHS includes prints, slides and negatives of much of her artwork. MARIAGE MONTAND has materials used in the creation of her artists’ book Mariage Montand. OTHER ARTISTS - EXHIBITIONS has both documents and catalogs relating to exhibitions of other artists and OTHER ARTISTS - SLIDES contains slides of other artists’ work. PERSONAL includes correspondence and family photographs. PROFESSIONAL papers cover a range of material used in her art and teaching, such as articles, her curriculum vitae and artist's statements, vendor information and her early work at the University of California at Berkeley. TEACHING has materials used in her coursework and workshops, including teaching notes, handouts and photographs of student work. TECHNIQUES has both examples and instructions for a variety of craft and art technique, such as bookmaking, papermaking, braiding and fabric dying. RESTRICTED MATERIAL includes grades and evaluations of specific students and personal financial information of Suellen Glashausser. More detailed information on each series is found in a Scope and Content note that precedes the container list for that series.



An attempt has been made to cross-reference related material.



An overview of series and the boxes in which they are to be found follows:

Administrative (Boxes 1-2)

Artwork – Exhibitions (Boxes 2-4)

Artwork – Photographs (Boxes 4-7)

Mariage Montand (Boxes 7 & 17)

Other Artists - Exhibitions (Boxes 7-8)

Other Artists - Slides (Boxes 8-9)

Personal (Box 10)

Professional (Boxes 10-12, & 17)

Teaching (Boxes 12-13)

Technique (Boxes 13-15)

Restricted Material (Box 16)

Processing Note

Suellen Glashausser’s papers were donated to library by her husband, Charles Glashausser. The material was processed over a number of years by multiple hands. Therefore, the original organization, to some extent, has been lost. To the extent possible, an effort has been made to refer to original order, associate similar items or to provide cross references.



Throughout the collection, brittle documents and news clippings have been photocopied on to acid-free paper. Attempts were made to associate undated materials with dated materials on the same subject. Where no such association was possible, the undated material has been placed at the back of the folder in the year of the other materials with which it appeared. Many of the papers are purple mimeographs. These were not photocopied unless the color was transferring to surrounding material. When multiple copies of a document were available, three copies were retained.

Title
Guide to the Suellen Glashausser Papers
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Elizabeth M. Phillips, Michael Joseph, Cassandra Alpaugh, Jared Ash, Susan Bucks, Amy DiPasquale, Romina Gutierrez, Chris Murray and Debra Schiff
Date
November 2016
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.
Sponsor
Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

Revision Statements

  • March 2009: Items listed as n.d. changed to undated, per DACS
  • September 2009: revised coding to add encoding analogs to some elements per the EAD report card