Carol Hamoy Papers

Dates

circa 1970-2019

Scope and Content Note

The Carol Hamoy Papers consist of approximately fifteen cubic feet of materials, comprising of fourteen record center cartons, three oversized tubular containers, and one oversized box spanning the period of circa 1970-2019. About ninety-five percent of the collection is in English, with the remaining five percent composed of Hebrew documents used for research and a German catalog featuring Hamoy's work. The collection is divided into nine series. The collection provides a detailed documentation of her artistic career.

The vast majority of the collection centers on Carol Hamoy's professional life as a visual artist. CORRESPONDENCE (1978-2019) is composed of emails and letters, mostly between Hamoy and museum professionals. It is interesting to note that a large portion of the files are query letters which were sent to various institutions asking if they would like to host a traveling exhibition featuring Hamoy's work. Included in these files is a letter from Senator Hillary Clinton office indicating regret in being unable to accept Hamoy's artwork entitled Hail to the Chief which portrayed Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president in 1867. Several of the series document her efforts to maintain financial stability in order to be able to create artwork. GRAPHIC WORK FILES (1986-2010) details Hamoy's interactions with artists seeking her help to create exhibition announcements and exhibition catalogs. Materials in this series include mock-ups, examples of type, and correspondence with various artists and printing companies. PROJECTS, GRANTS, AND MISCELLANEOUS FILES (circa 1990s-2019 and undated) partially document Hamoy's efforts to apply for grants and various funding. Also included are projects like the Feminist Art Base that were meant to promote and categorize her artwork..

Hamoy's documentation of her research and her exhibition history span several series as well. ARTWORK AND EXHIBITION FILES (1970s-2019, and undated) contain research files, exhibition announcements, mock-ups, exhibition details, and some correspondence. Of special interest are the examples of embroidery and the fortune cookie fortune collection. Meanwhile PHOTOGRAPHS AND NEGATIVES(1970s-2010s) document Hamoy's early paintings, as well as later sculptures and mixed media installations. Also included are images of exhibition openings. Almost all of the images are in black and white, and many are unlabeled.

PUBLICATIONS AND ESSAYS (1973-2010 and undated) contain clippings, exhibition reviews, unpublished essays, exhibition catalogs, and a few books owned by Hamoy. These publications cement Hamoy's work in a larger feminist and Jewish context. Of special interest are the Jewish feminist Esther Broner's essays on Hamoy's work. Similarly, JOURNALS, SKETCHBOOKS, AND MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS (circa 1970 - circa 2000, largely undated) cement the Hamoy's personal reflections into her art. Included in this series are several artist statements and journal entries that describe Hamoy's search for meaning.

Finally, AUDIO AND VISUAL FILES (1987-2016, and undated)contains VHS tapes, Beta tapes, and cassette tapes. The VHS and Beta tapes are short movies that played during various exhibitions, creating a multimedia environment for the viewer. The cassette tapes document panel discussions about art that Hamoy was a part of.

The remainder of the collection centers on Hamoy's personal life. . BIRTHDAY EPHEMERA (1994-2009) contains correspondence and photos related to Hamoy's 60th, 65th, 70th, and 75th birthdays. Of special interest are the script and correspondence related to Hamoy's 1994 "croning" ceremony. Additional personal materials are to be found in other series. CORRESPONDENCE includes letters from her family, PHOTOGRAPHS AND NEGATIVES contains images of her family, and PROJECTS, GRANTS, AND MISCELLANEOUS FILES contains various personal ephemera.

Extent

14.75 Cubic Feet (14 record center cartons, 3 oversized tubes, and 1 oversized box)

Language of Materials

English, Hebrew, and German

Additional Description

Abstract

The Carol Hamoy Papers chiefly contain the visual artist's documentation of her artwork, correspondence with curators and art institutions, photographs of her artwork, and various publications her work was included in.

Biographical Sketch

Carol Hamoy is a visual artist who primarily works in mixed media sculptures that express an understanding of both her Jewish heritage and her history as a woman. Her papers document her work from the 1970s through the 2010s as well as the various women's art organizations she was involved in, including Ceres Gallery.

Born and raised in New York City, Hamoy was the child of immigrant parents. Her parents worked extremely hard and expressed the desire for Hamoy to follow typical gender roles. Hamoy cites this as influence in both her rebellious nature and in her future artwork.

Her introduction to art came through an elementary school teacher who took Hamoy and her class to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the Egyptian Rooms. In a interview conducted by the project archivist, Hamoy recalled looking at small statues of various gods and wondering who made those "dolls". In the future, on Saturdays she would spend the entire day at the museum, eventually wandering into the other sections. Later, she attended the high school of Music and Art in Harlem where she studied studio art.

After schooling she worked in the educational field, developing behavior modification programs, teaching tools, other various educational publications, and animations for large corporations and hospitals. Reaching the status of art director, Hamoy eventually quit her job to pursue fulfillment through her artistic career. Experimenting with gestural paintings in the 1970s eventually led to mixed media sculptures, which she continues to make. Two themes that dominate Hamoy's work are an exploration of her Jewish heritage and an exploration of women's history. Hamoy researches and creates thoughtful installations on topics like: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the women of Old Testament, women of the west, and the names of women artists. Two of her most successful installations, PsalmSong and Welcome to America were exhibited around the country. Her artwork can be found in several institutions, including Douglass Library at Rutgers University.