Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Cha, Theresa Hak Kyung, 1951-1982
- Extent:
- 23 boxes
- Language:
- The collection also contains some materials in Korean and in French.
Background
- Scope and content:
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This collection contains art, notes, drawings, creative writings, personal papers, correspondence, catalogs, photographs, slides, audio and video cassettes, and other materials related to the life and work of the artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951-1982). Oversized and 3 dimensional art pieces, as well as audiovisual materials, are stored separately from the manuscript portion of the collection. These locations are detailed in the inventory.
Much of the context for the items in the collection has been lost. It is unclear at which point or for what reason the contextual information such as envelopes, and the original file folders were discarded. This makes it difficult to determine facts such as dates and sources. After accessioning to the BAMPFA art collection in the 1990s, the materials were rehoused and arranged alphabetically by folder title. Original arrangement and file folder titles are not known. Much of her creative work was not titled or dated. Every attempt has been made to precisely identify dates and time periods.
Early Life (1969)
This series is housed in one box and contains certificates of achievement. There are several restricted items in this series, which are housed separately and are not accessible for research.
Education (1975-1979)
The education series consists of records from Cha's pursuit of her degrees. The materials are separated into two subseries, University of California Berkeley and the Centre d'Etudes Américaine du Cinéma.
The materials in the University of California, Berkeley subseries are contained in one box. The materials are arranged chronologically and include course work, such as published articles, class syllabus, photographs, negatives and slides, notes, documentation from her MFA Thesis performance. This sub-series also contains materials from a photography class and a video production class she took at Laney Community College. Art pieces and plans from this period that could not be specifically linked to her education are contained in the Art Practice series. The materials in the Centre d'Etudes Américaine du Cinéma subseries span the year 1976 and are contained in one box. They are arranged in two general categories - materials related to her studies and creative works and art. The artistic materials are grouped together under the category of "Art Practice." The materials include course materials, notes, syllabus, published articles, correspondence, creative writing, sketches, art books.
Art Practice (1972-1982, undated)
Cha created work across boundaries and in multiple mediums. The materials in the collection served in multiple capacities both during her lifetime and after her death. Many themes and ideas went through multiple iterations across her projects and would appear in various presentations across different media - poems, video, sound recording. As much as possible, the arrangement attempts to capture the complexity and fluidity of her process. The Art Practice series contains work from Cha's creative process. It is contained in 7 boxes and includes poems, notes, sketches, creative writing, collages, photographic material - photographs, slides and negatives, mail art, drafts, mock-ups, sketchbook, performance descriptions, journals and sketchbooks. When possible, the materials are grouped together by project name, and are arranged chronologically. There is a large segment of this series that is not dated and they are at the end of the series. Materials that are oversize, delicate, framed, or otherwise need special storage are stored separately. The specific location is noted in the inventory.
Exhibition (1977-2002)
This series contains materials from exhibitions and performances that took place while Cha was alive, as well as those that happened after her death. Some materials related to exhibits are also found in the Art Practice series. The exhibition materials are contained in 2 boxes and are arranged chronologically by project. The series includes slides, notes, contact sheets, correspondence, exhibit announcements, posters, catalog, articles, newspaper and magazine clippings.
Tanam Press (1980-1982)
Cha worked at Tanam press as an editor and contributor. Notably, there are no drafts or manuscripts in this series. The series is contained in one box. The materials are arranged chronologically and include book announcements, publishers catalogs, author contracts, royalty statements, cover notes, and cover mock-ups.
Apparatus (1980-1981)
This series is contained in one box and is predominantly composed of the articles published in the project. The materials are loosely grouped by type and include correspondence, original source materials used in the published book, articles and photographs.
Dictee (1915, 1921, 1981-1982, 1983, 1987, 1993)
Dictee is an innovative work that defies single categorisation. This series is contained in 1 box, and the materials are loosely grouped by type. They include correspondence, book release announcements, press releases, cover and illustration images, poems and photographs. Notably, drafts or versions of the manuscript for this work are not in this series,but exist in a related collection (Reese Williams).
White Dust from Mongolia (1979-1982, 1993)
This series documents one of Cha's unfinished works. It is unknown how this project would have developed or what the end products would have been but Cha recorded that she planned to create both a book and a film. The materials include journals, photographic materials - photographs, slides and negatives, sketches, newspaper clippings, narrative and shooting scripts, notes, statement of plans, film synopsis, notes, resources, sketches, a fellowship application, and correspondence. Some materials are restricted and not available for research.
Instruction (1981-1982)
In 1981, Cha began teaching a video arts course at Elizabeth Seton College in Yonkers, New York. She was invited by the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design to be an Artist in Residence for one week in October 1982. As part of this residency, she gave several lectures and talks to that community. The series is contained in one box. The materials are grouped based on the location. The materials in this series include correspondence, news clippings, course materials, course proposals and descriptions, and articles. There are lecture notes and slides from her artist's residency. Materials that relate directly to students have been restricted; they are stored separately and are not accessible.
Correspondence (1976, 1980-1982)
Correspondence was intermixed within several other series and a determination was made not to remove it from the original folder location in order to keep it in context with the materials. This series doesn't contain very much personal correspondence. The correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Administrative (1976-1982, 1984, 1987)
This series is contained in one box and is composed of materials related to practical aspects of Cha's life such as job seeking, grant and fellowship applications, Curriculum Vitaes and artist's statements and brochures from professional organizations. Materials related to the LINE grant project she administered are included in this series. The series includes resumes, grant applications, Curriculum Vitae, correspondence, essays, job pitches, letters of recommendation, brochures, and notes and addresses compiled by Cha's family. (Memorial Foundation)
Articles (1987, 1988, 1991, 1996, 1997)
This series contains published articles responding to Cha's work written after her death. It comprises one box and is arranged chronologically.
Audio Visual (1973-1979, 1987)
The Audio Visual materials are stored separately in 2 banker boxes and include both materials that were created or owned by Cha and copies of Audio and Visual material made after her death. The materials include copies of recordings of various quality that Cha used in performances. Also included, are audio cassettes containing interviews and music by other creators that Cha owned. Of note are the interviews conducted by Moira Roth with some of Cha's friends and associates. The original recordings Cha used in exhibits and performances are separated to the Pacific Film Archive. Much of the material has been digitized. Berkeley Art Museum / Pacific Film Archive (1992-1993, 2001, 2003, 2015) This series is housed in one box and is composed of material related to exhibitions and administration of Cha's work. This series contains only materials that were included within the original accession number. Many more materials exist in the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive institutional collections. This series consists of correspondence, collection worksheet, memos and thumbnails for image selection.
- Biographical / historical:
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Theresa Hak Kyung Cha was born in the midst of the Korean War on March 4th 1951 in Busan South Korea. She was the middle child of 5 children with 2 older and 2 younger siblings. In 1962, her family emigrated to the United States, first arriving in Hawaii. They moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1964.
She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco. While there, she began her study of the French language. After graduation, she attended the University of San Francisco for a short period. She transferred to UC Berkeley, where she earned four degrees over ten years.
As an art student, she began studying ceramics with Professor James Melchert who also introduced her to the then new mediums of performance and conceptual art. Her study of film and French film theory began while working with Professor Bertrand Augst in the French and Comparative Literature Departments. She developed life-long friendships with both men and earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature, in 1973.
From 1974 to 1977 Cha worked as an usher and cashier at, as it was known then, Pacific Film Archive at the University Art Museum in Berkeley. This work gave her the opportunity to view many experimental and classic films and to attend lectures by visiting filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Goddard and Chris Maker. She earned her B.A. Art in 1975.
In 1976 she moved to Paris to pursue a degree in film theory at Centre d'Etudes du Americaine du Cinéma through the UC Education Study Abroad Program. During this period, she studied with such luminaries as Jean-Louis Baudry, Raymond Bellour, Monique Wittig, and Christian Metz.
While abroad, she traveled to several places in Europe including Amsterdam, where she met artists such as Ulises Carrión and Hreinn Frithfinsson. Mr Carrion founded Other Books and So in Amsterdam, and during her lifetime this archive collected several of Cha's art books. These connections enabled exhibitions of her work, including her art books in both Amsterdam and Reykjavík.
Returning to Berkeley in 1977, she continued her art practice and her studies, earning M.A. Art in 1977 and her M.F.A. Fine Art in 1978. Throughout this period, she performed and exhibited her pieces with some regularity. In 1979, Ms. Cha returned to Korea for the first time in 17 years since her emigration. She and her brother James traveled to Korea and Japan in early 1980 to film and work on her unfinished project White Dust From Mongolia. This project would have included a film and a historical novel.
Cha moved to New York City with her partner Richard Barnes. In New York she worked as an editor and writer at Tanam Press, an independent publisher of art and cultural works founded by her friend and UC Berkeley contemporary Reese Williams. Through Tanam Press she produced two important works: Dictee , a poetic work of fiction, found text and images; and APPARATUS, an anthology with many decades of writings on the film apparatus. In 1981 she was appointed Instructor in Video Art at Elizabeth Seton College in Queens and also worked in various capacities at the Metropolitan Museum. In 1982, Ms. Cha was awarded an artist's residence at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
In May 1982 she married the photographer Richard Barnes. The two had met in 1975 while students in a drawing class at UC Berkeley. They were close friends and lovers throughout their time together. On the evening of November 5th 1982, Cha went to the Puck Building to meet her Barnes, who had an office there and he was also in the process of documenting the building renovation with a photo project. That evening, Cha was abducted and brutally murdered.
Although she lived only 31 years, Theresa Cha left a substantial and diverse body of work. The primary mediums in which she worked were: ceramic, performance, artist's books, concrete poetry, film, video, sound art, sculpture, mail art, audio and slide projections.
- Physical location:
- UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Steven Leiber Conceptual Art Study Center. Cabinet 27, Drawers 06, 07, 08; Cabinet 18, Drawers 01, 02, 03, 04, 05; and Cabinet 17, Bins 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07.
- Physical description:
- 23 letter and legal size record cartons. Audiovisual materials are stored in two bankers boxes. Many larger items are stored in flat files or are framed. Collection comprises textual materials, color slides, color and black and white negatives, color and black and white photos, art books, sketchbooks, cassette tapes, VHS cassettes.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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Excluding donor imposed restrictions and materials restricted due to condition, the collection is open for research.
- Location of this collection:
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2120 Oxford Street#2250Berkeley, CA 94720-2250, US
- Contact:
- (510) 642-1437