Lynn Hershman Leeson Papers, 1957-2007

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Summary

Creators:
Hershman-Leeson, Lynn
Abstract:
Lynn Hershman Leeson (1941-) is an American new media artist and filmmaker. Her collection of archival papers, audiovisual media, publications, artifacts, photographs, and letters document Hershman Leeson's artworks and projects created since the 1970s. Her most notable works include Strange Culture, Teknolust, Conceiving Ada, The Electronic Diaries, and her performance art as Roberta Breitmore.
Extent:
189 Linear Feet
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], Lynn Hershman Leeson Papers (M1452). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Lynn Hershman Leeson (b. 1941) is a performance artist and filmmaker who, in various media, has investigated the idea of selfhood and what establishes an individual as a sentient, gendered, unique person. Between the years of 1974 and 1978, Hershman Leeson spent much of her time performing as an alter ego, the character Roberta Breitmore. Much of the work--drawings, photographs, clothing, medical records, letters, etc.--Hershman Leeson produced during the Breitmore years related to the character's emotional and practical existences. Hershman Leeson seemed to be demonstrating that the two existences could and should not be easily separated--nor should the artist herself be easily separated from the character she created. Hershman Leeson's work in film, video, and new media has been equally focused toward exploring the ways that bodies interact and define themselves. Lorna (1983-84), described by the artist as "the first interactive video art disc," allowed the viewer to experience the emotions of the title character while also, at key points, making important decisions for her. The viewer was both entwined with and removed from Lorna's life. In the 1980s and 90s, Hershman continued to focus on new media, expanding her work in video and creating online environments that incorporated artificial intelligence. Concurrently, she began to direct feature films; her first film, Conceiving Ada (1997), situated the nineteenth-century computer science innovator Ada Lovelace in juxtaposition with the twentieth-century computer reality that she helped to create. A winner of numerous awards and honors for her contributions to art practice, Hershman Leeson was Chair of the Film Department at the San Francisco Art Institute, Professor Emerita at the University of California, Davis, and an A.D. White Professor at large at Cornell University. !Women Art Revolution reflects years of interviews that Hershman Leeson has compiled in order to tell the story of the feminist art movement in the artists' own words.

Acquisition information:
Purchased; 2004-2021. Accessions 2004-316, 2011-154, 2012-209, 2021-026, 2021-052. Gift of Lynn Hershman-Leeson; 2016 and 2022. Accessions 2016-107, 2016-190 and 2022-358.
Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36 hours in advance.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Accessions 2004-316, 2011-154, and 2012-209 are open for research; material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Accessions 2016-107, 2016-190, and 2022-358 are closed until processed.

Accessions 2021-026 and 2021-052 contain streaming digital content, accessible at the catalog record:

https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/5742522

Selected audiovisual material in this collection has also been digitized and can be browsed at the collection's catalog record as well. Availibility is restricted to users with a Stanford login or onsite researchers. In order to access this content, please contact specialcollections@stanford.edu.

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], Lynn Hershman Leeson Papers (M1452). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
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