South SFV Today

A new series at the Cantor Arts Center, titled "Archive Rooms," offers a unique glimpse into artists' sources of inspiration and creative processes through materials preserved in their archives. Launched in July, this pilot presentation showcases the archives of Bernice Bing and Lynn Hershman Leeson from Stanford University Libraries' Department of Special Collections. The exhibition features small, single-gallery installations with evocative objects such as photographic prints, journals, correspondence, and video interviews that provide insight into the artists' lives and works.

Kathryn Cua, curatorial assistant for the Asian American Art Initiative, curated the Archive Room dedicated to Bernice Bing. Cua explained that Bing's archive was donated to Stanford University Libraries in 2020 and is crucial for studying Asian American artists from the San Francisco Bay Area. Over one hundred items have been digitized for online access. “Bernice ‘Bingo’ Bing (1936-1998) came of age during a time when self-estrangement was a form of self-preservation,” Cua said. She added that despite Bing's prominence, her legacy has been primarily remembered by those who knew her personally until recently.

The Archive Room featuring Lynn Hershman Leeson is curated by Maggie Dethloff, assistant curator of photography and new media. Dethloff noted that Hershman Leeson's archive provides valuable insights into her contributions to filmmaking and new media art. “This installation of videos, photographs, and ephemera from the 1970s considers the artist’s consistent challenge to rethink what and where art can be,” Dethloff said.

Both Cua and Dethloff highlighted suggestions from Deborah Cullinan, vice president for the arts, and Veronica Roberts, director of the Cantor Arts Center, to emphasize Stanford's art historical resources in future presentations of "Archive Rooms." Lindsay King from Bowes Art & Architecture Library collaborated with library preservation specialists to loan exhibited materials and acquire additional archives relevant to the Asian American Art Initiative.

King stated that having archival material at Stanford opens up possibilities for exhibitions like "Archive Rooms" as well as original scholarship on these artists: “Having archival material here at Stanford University Libraries that documents artists’ practices...opens up possibilities not only for exciting exhibitions like Archive Rooms but also for original scholarship on these artists.”