Nelson Sullivan Video Collection
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Abstract
Nelson Sullivan (1948-1989) was a video artist who documented downtown New York City in the 1980s. The Nelson Sullivan Video Collection contains videorecordings, film, photographic material, and objects relating to the city's art world and LGBT community as well as performances in clubs, house parties, and interactions with Sullivan's friends from 1976-1989.
Biographical Note
Nelson Sullivan (1948-1989) was a video artist who documented downtown New York City in the 1980s. Originally from South Carolina, Sullivan moved to Manhattan in the 1970s and began filming the city's art world and gay scene. He captured John Sex, Sylvia Miles, RuPaul, and other performers at downtown bars and nightclubs including Danceteria, the Limelight, Palladium, and the Pyramid Club. Sullivan also chronicled house parties at his apartment at 5 Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District, gallery openings, park and street festivals, conversations with taxi drivers, and the ruminations of his friends including fashion designer Alexis Del Lago and journalist Michael Musto on film. He recorded almost 2,000 hours of tape, at first using a VHS-loading camera and later an 8mm video camera. Sullivan's filmmaking is recognizable for its point of view transitions and its stream-of-consciousness narration. He also often pointed a wide-angle lens at his own face while filming to record his commentary on the people, performances, or events that he captured. Sullivan made films up until his death from a heart attack on July 4, 1989.
Sources:
A Very Short Introduction to Nelson Sullivan (http://merepseudbloged.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/a-very-short-introduction-to-nelson-sullivan/)
The 5 Ninth Avenue Project (http://www.youtube.com/user/5ninthavenueproject/about)
John Sanchez Interview with Dick Richards about Nelson Sullivan (http://www.bettyjack.com/funtone/nelson/johnwithdick/)
Arrangement
The archivist preserved the original order of the video collection as donated by the estate of Nelson Sullivan. The series of videorecordings have not been chronologically or thematically rearranged.
Scope and Content
The Nelson Sullivan Video Collection is a collection of videorecordings made by video artist Nelson Sullivan (1948-1989). The collection consists of videotapes, film, photographic material and objects related to the city's art world and LGBT community as well as performances in clubs, house parties, and interactions with Sullivan's friends. The videos cover the period 1976-1989.
The collection is comprised of four series:
Series I: Videorecordings contains 8 boxes of videorecordings made by Nelson Sullivan.
Series II: Film (currently unavailable)
Series III: Photographic Material contains 1 binder of slides covering the period between 1975 and 1977.
Series IV: Objects (currently unavailable)
Subjects
People
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Nelson Sullivan Video Collection; MSS 357; unique identification number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.
Provenance
The Nelson Sullivan Video Collection was donated to Fales Library by the estate of Nelson Sullivan, overseen by Dick Richards, David Goldman, and Robert Coddington operating collectively as the 5 Ninth Avenue Project, in September 2012.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Access to some audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact special.collections@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Other Finding Aids
Content notes are available in an external document. Created by New York University's Media Preservation Unit, the notes describe the content of the recordings as observed by a technician during digitization. These notes include: description of the action, recognizable names and locations, and screen captures. For access to this document, please contact the audiovisual archivist at Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu.
