Jan Butterfield was an art writer and critic of contemporary art who spent most of her career in California. She is best known for her writings on late twentieth century installation and craft artists, particularly those who worked in California and the American West. In Jan Butterfield’s papers at the Archives of American Art, there are 107 sound tape reels, 97 cassettes, and 1 video reel of her interviews. Jan Butterfield conducted this interview with Michael Asher in March 1981.
Jan Butterfield was an art writer and critic of contemporary art who spent most of her career in California. She is best known for her writings on late twentieth century installation and craft artists, particularly those who worked in California and the American West. In Jan Butterfield’s papers at the Archives of American Art, there are 107 sound tape reels, 97 cassettes, and 1 video reel of her interviews. Jan Butterfield conducted this interview with Michael Asher in March 1981.
Michael Max Asher (July 15, 1943 - October 15, 2012) was a conceptual artist and professor of art at the California Institute of the Arts from 1973. Asher's style is described as Installation and Conceptual Art and is described by The New York Times as "among the patron saints of the Conceptual Art phylum known as Institutional Critique". His preference is to alter existing environment and spaces by repositioning or removing artworks, walls, facades, etc. as opposed to designing new art objects.
Explore the Jan Butterfield Papers on the Archives of American Art website.