Art Guys Jack Massing (left) and Michael Galbreth (right) look over their records.
Special Collections is delighted to announce that it has recently acquired the records of The Art Guys, a Houston-based art duo. The Art Guys (Jack Massing and Michael Galbreth) work in a variety of media, including performance art, drawing, installation, and video. The records accessioned by Special Collections date from the 1980s to present and include the Art Guys’ business records, publicity material, and exhibition invitations.
Archivists pack boxes for The Art Guys Records transfer.
The Art Guys met at the University of Houston in 1983 and have been collaborating ever since. Their work has been featured in more than 150 exhibitions throughout the United States and the world. On their biography, the Art Guys state that they “use humor and everyday materials as a way to demystify art in an attempt to welcome a broad range of audiences into the discourse of contemporary art.”
In 2013, The Art Guys have a year of celebration planned for their 30th year working together, so check out the events they have listed for their monthly 12 Events series! Meanwhile, archivists will be hard at work on making the Art Guys Records available for research, so keep an eye out for further news from Special Collections.
A working drawing of the pneumatic system components of a B52-A Stratofortress bomber from early in Dr. Lienhard’s career
2013 marks the 25th anniversary of The Engines of Our Ingenuity, a nationally-syndicated radio program that started at UH. Professor John Lienhard created, wrote, and hosted 1856 episodes of the show, including episode 1, which was broadcast by KUHF-FM Houston on January 4, 1988.
The show was soon airing nationally and resulted in Dr. Lienhard giving talks around the country as well as publishing a book. The Professor John Lienhard Papers in Special Collections document both the history of Engines through audio recordings and transcripts, as well as Dr. Lienhard’s professional career through correspondence, personal papers, and drafts of published works.
Anyone interested in The Engines of Our Ingenuity or Dr. Lienhard should take a look at Special Collections’ slideshow or stop by the Reading Room in M. D. Anderson Library.