Samuel Maitin papers, 1928, 1943-2019, undated.

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Maitin, Sam, creator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Artists.

Art.

Artists--United States.

Public art.

Philadelphia (Pa.).

Physical Description:

58 boxes (51.3 Linear Feet)

Arrangement:

Organized into 4 series: I. Art; II. Correspondence; III. General professional material; and IV. Personal material

Place of Publication:

1928, 1943-2019, undated.

Biography/History:

Samuel "Sam" Maitin was a painter, printmaker, sculptor, muralist, graphic designer, political activist, and teacher. He was known in Philadelphia for his public art and civic engagement and was referred to as Philadelphia's "Mayor of the Arts." (Woodmere) Thora Jacobson, former director of the Fleisher Art Memorial, was quoted saying that, "The first citizen artist in Philadelphia was Sam Maitin," in an article that goes on to state that, "if a charity or cause - especially a liberal one - came to Maitin for a poster he might do it for free...He was born a collaborator, a connector among artists, architects, arts leaders, and big thinkers." (Dobrin) Maitin was born in Philadelphia, PA on October 26, 1928. His parents, Isaac and Ruth Maitin, were Russian Jewish immigrants who owned a grocery store in North Philadelphia. He attended Simon Gratz High School where he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art (later known as the Philadelphia College of Art and the University of the Arts). He concurrently enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 16 in 1945 and graduated with a BFA in 1951. Early in his career, Maitin earned a living doing freelance graphic design work for magazines and advertising agencies. In addition to his public art and printmaking, Maitin designed books and completed cover art for numerous publications. He completed several major commissions, including Joyce for George Washington University and Celebration for the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School of Communication. Maitin also exhibited widely, with notable shows at the Fleisher Art Memorial, Main Line Art Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, University of Pennsylvania Arthur Ross Gallery, and Woodmere Art Museum. In 1968, Maitin was awarded a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, during which time he worked and exhibited in England. Maitin additionally held several teaching positions in addition to mentoring studio assistants. He headed the Visual Graphics Communication Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication from 1965 to 1972. He additionally taught at the Industrial School of Art, the Moore College of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He was involved in numerous organizations in Philadelphia, notably as a founding member of the Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which was founded in 1964 to encourage and enable the museum to collect works by contemporary artists, and as a board member for the Woodmere Art Museum from 1965 to 1972. He was an active member of SANE - an organization dealing with nuclear testing - and contributed original prints to be given as the organization's annual Peace Award prize. Maitin married Lilyan (Miller) Maitin and together they had two children, Ani and Izak. The Maitin family lived at 704 Pine Street in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. Samuel Maitin died in his home on December 23, 2004.

Summary:

The Samuel Maitin papers measure 51.3 linear feet, date from 1928-2019, and document Maitin's career and personal life. Material related to Maitin's artwork, specifically his commissions and exhibitions, and general professional career, specifically his network, organizational involvements, and studio operations, comprise the bulk of the collection. This collection is of value to researchers looking to learn about Maitin's professional career and both the Philadelphia and mid- to late-20th century art communities. Maitin's commissions and exhibitions are particularly well-documented. Maitin also collected and compiled a significant amount of material relating to individuals within his contemporary art community in addition to news and updates regarding the Philadelphia art scene and beyond. Series I. Art is comprised of the following subseries, A. Artworks; B. Commissions, jobs, and projects; C. Exhibitions; D. Gallery representation and sales; E. Graphics and designs; F. Photographs; G. Price and works lists; H. Provenance and owners; I. Sketches and sketchbooks; and J. Other material. Commissions, jobs, and projects and Exhibitions make up the bulk of the material in the art series. Of Maitin's commissions, jobs, and projects, the best represented are those from the American Poetry Review, Fairmount Park Art Association, George Washington University, Philagraph, Please Touch Museum, and University of Pennsylvania. It is not always clear from the material what the projects or resulting works from these commissions, jobs, and projects were. Exhibitions at Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP; the Main Line Art Center; the University of Pennsylvania; and the Woodmere Art Museum comprise the majority of the exhibitions subseries. Series II. Correspondence dates from the late 1950s through the early 2000s and contains both business and personal correspondence arranged in alphabetical, chronological, and miscellaneous order. Most of the correspondence is arranged alphabetically. The miscellaneous correspondence mostly includes letters from unidentified senders, but also includes some letters organized thematically, such as Maitin's letters to politicians. Much of this correspondence was loose and unsorted at the time of processing, but the chronological files and all files with a parenthetical number in the title were compiled by Maitin. Notable correspondents include Luther Brady, Don Madden, Kneeland (Ding) McNulty, Ralph Moore and Bridget Buck, Carolyn Pitts, Lessing Rosenwald, Sonya Sklaroff, Agathe Sorel, Benton Spruance, and Adam Titone. Series III. General Professional material is comprised of the following subseries: A. Biographical material and interviews; B. Consulting; C. Contractors and suppliers; D. Fellowships, grants, and awards; E. Lectures, talks, and teaching; F. Network; G. Organizations; H. Press; I. Studio; J. Travel; and K. Other material. Network, organizations, and studio-related material make up the bulk of the general professional series. More information on the material in the network subseries can be found in the inventory in the series-level scope and contents note. Series IV. Personal material is comprised of the following subseries: A. Education; B. Estate and legacy work and planning by Lilyan Maitin; C. Family; D. Finances; E. Legal matters; F. Personal files; G. Properties; H. Society Hill neighborhood; and I. Other material. Estate and legacy work by Lilyan Maitin is the largest subseries within the personal material. This subseries documents Lilyan Maitin's efforts to document, appraise, and promote Sam Maitin's artwork in addition to her work with the legal and financial aspects of the estate after Sam Maitin's death. Most of this material is comprised of comprehensive inventories of Maitin's artwork in addition to the planning and notes generated in the creation of those inventories. The properties subseries includes material related to the Maitins' three properties: their primary house at 704 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA; the abutting land at 703 Addison Street, Philadelphia, PA that they purchased to use as a garden and garage; and what appears to be a jointly owned investment property in Northumberland County, PA. Both the personal files and other material subseries contain a wide variety of mixed personal material. Personal files include miscellaneous material that was intentionally sorted and filed by Sam Maitin, whereas other material is a collection of loose documents and ephemera that have been sorted by the processor. Researchers should note that there is overlap between the series as Maitin often worked with the same people and organizations in different capacities. For example, he attended, taught at, completed commissions for, held exhibitions at, and participated in volunteer committees for the University of Pennsylvania. As such, researchers will find Penn-related material throughout the collection. Throughout the inventory researchers will find parenthetical numbers included in the folder titles. These numbers were taken from Maitin's original files. Their significance is currently unclear, but they have been preserved in case they correspond to a folder inventory or something of that nature that may someday materialize. This collection is being processed in phases. Currently, Series II. Correspondence is not yet available, but will be added to this finding aid upon its completion.

OCLC:

1557266599