amoore writes: "From Greg Sholette, RepoHistory artist now teaching at Art Institute of Chicago, comes this letter...
Dear Friends, I just discovered that the Political Art
Documentation and Distribution (PADD) archive is now a
searchable database on line from the Museum of Modern Art at:
http://www.moma.org/docs/research/library/LibraryF AQ/index.htm#padd
Q. What is the Political Art Documentation/Distribution
(PAD/D) Archive?
A. Political Art Documentation/Distribution, an
artists' collective conceived by Lucy Lippard in 1979,
was active through 1988. Its archive was organized by
Barbara Moore and Mimi Smith and donated to the Library
in 1989. PAD/D's stated goal was to:
"provide artists with an organized relationship to
society, to demonstrate the political effectiveness of
image making, and to provide a framework within which
progressive artists can discuss and develop
alternatives to the mainstream art system."
The Archive focuses upon the decade 1979-1990, with
some material dating from the early 1960s. The
collection is composed of two sections: files and
posters. Files are organized by names of persons,
groups and exhibition spaces as well as by topics and
PAD/D administrative categories. The files are
cataloged individually in DADABASE. See also How can I
find Political Art Documentation/Distribution Archive
materials in DADABASE?
The poster collection includes works relating to ACT
UP, Allen Ginsberg, Angry Arts, Art Workers Coalition,
Barbara Kruger, Coalition for a People's Alternative in
1980, Dona Ann McAdams,Elizabeth Kulas, Greg Sholette,
Guerrilla Girls, Heresies, Jerry Kearns, Keith Haring,
PAD/D, Printed Matter, Terminal New York, War Resisters
League, Yoko Ono and John Lennon, and others. Prior
arrangement is required; please contact the Library.
For a brief history of PAD/D, see The Museum of
Modern Art Library Bulletin, n.86, Winter 1993/94.
