Stephen Mass Papers
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Abstract
Stephen Mass is an entrepreneur who co-founded the Mudd Club located at 77 White Street in downtown New York City in 1978 along with art curator Diego Cortez and Anya Phillips. The venue became a focal point of the downtown music, art, and cultural scene in the late 20th century, showcasing the intersections of popular and avant-garde performance culture, gender and sexuality, celebrity culture, music, visual art, fashion, film, and nightlife. The Stephen Mass Papers (inclusive dates 1940-2019, bulk dates 1978-2009) documents the founding and operation of the Mudd Club in New York City, Mass's other entrepreneurial ventures in New York, and his nightclubs and restaurants in Berlin, as well as his personal life and family history. Consisting of both paper and electronic formats, the collection includes extensive notebooks and notes containing the planning and working notes for Mass's various endeavors, financial and legal documents, promotional materials for events (such as posters, flyers, and newsletters), ephemera (differentiated from promotional material, as promotional material Mass collected from other clubs or organizations), press coverage, and photographic materials such as prints, negatives, and slides.
Biographical Note
Stephen Mass is an entrepreneur who co-founded the Mudd Club located at 77 White Street in downtown New York City in 1978 along with art curator Diego Cortez and Anya Phillips. The venue became a focal point of the downtown music, art, and cultural scene in the late 20th century, showcasing the intersections of popular and avant-garde performance culture, gender and sexuality, celebrity culture, music, visual art, fashion, film, and nightlife. The Mudd Club closed in 1983, after which Mass embarked on other endeavors in New York and Berlin, such as founding Mudd Club Berlin in 2001, restaurant ownership, nonprofit work, teaching, and writing.
Arrangement
The Stephen Mass Papers is arranged into four series:
Series I. Mudd Club
Series II. Mudd Club Berlin
Series III. Other Enterprises
Series IV. Personal
Scope and Contents
The Stephen Mass Papers (inclusive dates 1940-2019, bulk dates 1978-2009) documents the founding and operation of the Mudd Club in New York City, Mass's other entrepreneurial ventures in New York, and his nightclubs and restaurants in Berlin, as well as his personal life and family history. The bulk of the materials are dated 1978-2009, which is when the majority of these entrepreneurial ventures took place. The more inclusive dates of 1940 to 2019 include materials from his youth, retrospective articles, press, and ephemera regarding the Mudd Club, and manuscript drafts of his unpublished memoir.
Consisting of both paper and electronic formats, the collection includes extensive notebooks and notes containing the planning and working notes for Mass's various endeavors, financial and legal documents, promotional materials for events (such as posters, flyers, and newsletters), ephemera (differentiated from promotional material, as promo material Mass collected from other clubs or organizations), press coverage, and photographic materials such as prints, negatives, and slides. The majority of the collection pertains to the management and operation of the Mudd Club in New York City and the various nightclubs and restaurants that Mass owned and operated in Berlin, Germany, including the Mudd Club Berlin. The large number of photographic prints, negatives, and slides in the collection document Mass's work as a nightclub entrepreneur and photographer, with images documenting the condition of venue spaces (particularly in Berlin), parties and events (particularly at the Mudd Club), and images of his own personal travel and photographic subjects. The collection also includes handwritten notes, diary entries, and typescript manuscript drafts for Mass's unpublished memoir, and interview transcripts and correspondence with Tim Lawrence regarding the Mudd Club.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Stephen Mass Papers; MSS 592; box number; folder number or item identifier; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Stephen Mass in November 2019; the accession number associated with this gift is 2019.066.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Fales Library and Special Collections, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596, with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Appraisal
During processing in 2021, out-of-scope materials were deaccessioned. These materials include roadmaps of Berlin and London, 1950s German ephemera, personal materials (passport, stamp book, and certificates) from other people, copies and originals of Mass's identification documents, payslips, empty CD and EP cases, and a phonodisc.
About this Guide
Processing Information
During processing in 2021, original folders were retained whenever possible. Where appropriate, materials were rehoused in new acid-free archival folders. Loose photographic prints and negatives were rehoused in sleeves. Photographic slides were rehoused in sleeves and folders. If original descriptions or titles were available, they were transcribed onto the new folder or sleeve. Otherwise, titles were designated by the archivist. Loose paper materials were placed in archival folders with descriptive titles by the archivist.
Ten audiocassette tapes and one ¼-inch sound tape reel were assigned archivist-designated identifiers. These identifiers were also physically attached to the cases, and housed in new containers or shared housing. Six film reels, one ¼-inch open sound reel, and one u-matic tape were sent to the preservation lab for examination and rehousing.
Fourteen 3.5" floppy disks, one zip disk, and one optical disc were identified and inventoried. They have also been forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged in Forensic Toolkit.
New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity of the content.
Revisions to this Guide
Repository
Series I. Mudd Club, 1970-2019, inclusive; 1979-1983, bulk
Extent
Scope and Contents
The Mudd Club series includes a large number of notebooks which contain planning and working notes. In particular are the annotated calendars spanning the years 1979 to 1983 which document the booking process for the nightclub and span the club's lifetime. Other notebooks created during the Mudd Club's operation include business notes, such as floor plans, diagrams, phone numbers, business cards, and other vendor information and coordination notes. This series contains a large number of photographic prints, negatives, and slides of parties and events at the Mudd Club, as well as slides and slide shows that were projected during events. Additional materials such as business plans and proposals, legal correspondence, check ledgers, and other financial records document the administrative side of the club's operation. There are also magazines, newspapers, and a limited run of the East Village Eye, which highlight the press coverage and publicity around the Mudd Club at the time. Promotional materials includes photographic and Xeroxed images, newspaper and magazine clippings, transparencies, and mockups and layouts of posters, newsletters, postcards, brochures, programs, invitations, or flyers. Membership cards, a guest book, a photo album, mailing lists and labels, and Rolodex contents document club attendees, vendors, and performers.
This series also includes handwritten notes, outlines, diary entries, and typescript manuscript drafts for Mass's unpublished memoir, as well as competitive analysis and manuscript submission packets to publishers; interview transcripts and correspondence with Tim Lawrence; and a copy of The Riddle of Dr. Mudd. There are also audiovisual materials, such as audiocassettes and film and sound reels.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
366 B'way, 2008, inclusive
Annotated Calendars, Planning and Working Notes, 1979-1983, inclusive
Art Gallery, Keith Haring Drawing Show, 1981, 1997, 2014, inclusive
Business Cards, Art Exhibition Programs, 1986, inclusive
Cale, John, 1988, inclusive
Cassette Labeled "1", circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Cassette Labeled "Disney Tape, BAI", circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Earth's Edge / Earth's End, 1982-1983, inclusive
Ephemera, Clit Club, circa 1990s, inclusive
Financial Records, 1981-1984, inclusive
Financial Records, Check Ledgers, 1981-1983, inclusive
Guest Book, 1990, inclusive
Legal Documents, 1983-1984, inclusive
Mailing Lists, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Alligator Girls, 1980, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Ball Gown Fashion, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Bowling, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Celebrities, 1978-1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Chao, 1982, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Clonetones, 1982, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Comedy, 1982-1983, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Full Hand List, 1982 June 25, inclusive
Mailing Lists, General, 1979-1980, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Robbe-Grillet, 1980 May 28, inclusive
Mailing Lists, GWIP, 1980-1981, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Harry Abrams Alex Kayser List, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Howie Animal, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Live, 1982-1983, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Local Soho Artists and Non-Profit Curators, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Malanga, 1982-1983, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Musuems, Galleries, Curators, Established Artists, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Music Industry, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Outdated Music Industry, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Sur Rodney, 1980, inclusive
Mailing Lists, Talking Heads, Axel Comp, 1980s, inclusive
Mailing Lists and Address Lists, 1980s, 1991, inclusive
Mailing List to Mudd Club, 1980s, inclusive
Membership Lists, 1980s, inclusive
Memoir Chapter Summaries, circa 1980s-1990s, inclusive
Memoir Drafts, circa 1980s-1990s, 2016, inclusive
Memoir Drafts and Notes, circa 1980s-2010s, inclusive
Digital materials
Memoir Mockup, circa 1980s-2010s, inclusive
Memoir Notes, circa 1980s-2010s, inclusive
Memoir Notes and Diary Entries, 1988-1989, 1993, inclusive
Memoir Notes and Outline, circa 1980s-1990s, inclusive
Memoir Marketing, 1994, inclusive
Memoir, Simon and Schuster, 2016, inclusive
Memoir, St. Martin's Press, 1994, inclusive
Memoir, Wylie Agency, 1996, inclusive
Notebooks, Planning and Working Notes, 1977-1980s, inclusive
Notebooks, Planning and Working Notes for Arizona Nightclub, 1988, inclusive
Notebooks, Sabarsky Art Business Course, circa 1970s-1980s, inclusive
Notebooks, Writing Notes on Mudd Club, 1985-1986, inclusive
Notebooks, Writing Notes on Mudd Club and Haiti, 1986, inclusive
New York Publicity Outlets, 1980, inclusive
Photo Album, 1982 December 25, inclusive
Photographic Print of Stephen Mass as Dr. Mudd, 1979
Photographic Print, 1979-1983, inclusive
Photographic Prints, 1980-1985, inclusive
Photographic Prints, Anna Sui Pirate Fashion Show, 1979-1980, inclusive
Photographic Prints, Inaugural Ball, 1981, inclusive
Photographic Prints, Mudd Anniversary, Berlin Move, King's Court Benefit, circa 1990s, inclusive
Photographic Prints, Mudd Reunion and King's Court Foundation, 1999, inclusive
Photographic Prints, R+Roll Funeral Ball, 1978-1983, inclusive
Photographic Prints, Sur Rodney Sur Film Screening, 1982, inclusive
Photographic Prints and Negatives, 1980-1981, inclusive
Photographic Slides, 1978-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides (for Projection above Dance Floor), 1979-1982, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Catholic School Girls Party, 1980, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Cocaine Cowboys, 1979, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Dance Floor Images, 1978-1982, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Designered to Death, 1979, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Fashion, 1978-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Helmut Newton, 1978, 1981-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, IBM Anti-Trust Victory Celebration, 1982, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Mod London Miguel Osuna, 1979-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Mudd Annex 254 E. 2nd St., 1984, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Milliners Fashion Show, 1979, inclusive
Photographic Slides, New Museum Party/Fundraiser, 1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Nigel Finch, "The Caravaggio Conspiracy," Mudd Club Scene, 1984, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Notables (Film, Literary, Music, Journalism), 1979-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Slide Show, 1978-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Slide Show S+M, 1978-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, SM Photos, Cale/Johnson Wedding, 1978-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Terri Toy, 1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Victor Hugo, Various Persons, 1978-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides, Woody Allen Wrap Party, 1981, inclusive
Photographic Slides, X-mas Office Party Parody, 1979-1981, inclusive
Photographic Slides and Prints, Ball Gown Fashion Show, 1980, inclusive
Photographic Slides and Prints, Musicians (Carter, Perkins, Bertei), 1979-1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides and Prints, Soul Party, 1983, inclusive
Photographic Slides and Negatives, 1979-1983, inclusive
Press Coverage, 1979-2017, inclusive
Press Coverage and Research Files, 2013-2015, inclusive
Press Coverage, East Village Eye, 1981-1986, inclusive
Promotional Materials, 1978-1983, inclusive
Promotional Materials, Bowlmor, 1982, inclusive
The Riddle of Dr. Mudd, 1974, inclusive
Rolodex, 1970s-1980s, inclusive
Tatyana Zareldyanskaya 3/7, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Tim Lawrence Interviews, Correspondence, Notes, 1999, 2013-2015, inclusive
Unlabeled Audiocassette, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Unlabeled Audiocassette, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Unlabeled Audiocassette, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Unlabeled Audiocassette, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Unlabeled Audiocassette, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Victor Bockris Master, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Zinouy, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Zoya Gurevitch 3/7, circa 1970s-1990s, inclusive
Series II. Mudd Club Berlin, 1998-2016, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
The majority of materials in this series are in German. Materials documenting the operations of the Mudd Club Berlin in 1999 and the 2000s include financial and legal documents; floor plans; correspondence; business proposals; planning and working notes in notebooks, notepads, and calendars; business cards; mailing lists; press coverage; two company stamps; and promotional materials. There are also photographic negatives and prints documenting the condition of venue spaces, with a smaller extent of material documenting parties and events. Much of the financial and legal documents pertain to loans, contracts, building applications, zoning, and noise complaints, among other issues. Some of these subjects also come up in the planning and working notes of the series, which also include research materials, inventories, diagrams, and payment notes.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged alphabetically.
Administrative, Financial Documents, 2004-2009, inclusive
Administrative, Legal Documents, 2010-2011, inclusive
Administrative, Legal and Financial Documents, 2001-2015, inclusive
Annotated Calendars, Planning and Working Notes, 2001, inclusive
Business Cards, 1999-2016, inclusive
Floor Plans and Planning Notes, 2004-2009, inclusive
Mailing List, 1999-2016, inclusive
Mailing List, Art Forum Party, circa 1999, inclusive
Notebooks, Planning and Working Notes, 1999-2016, inclusive
Notebooks, Planning and Working Notes and Promotional Material, 2000-2005, inclusive
Notes and Ephemera, 2003, inclusive
Notes and Promotional Material, 2000, inclusive
Notes, Planning and Working Documents, 1998-2016, inclusive
Notes, Promotional Material and Press Coverage, 2000-2002, inclusive
Notes, Techno Party, 2009, inclusive
Photographic Negatives, 1999-2016, inclusive
Photographic Prints, 1999-2007, inclusive
Photographic Prints and Negatives, 1999-2007, inclusive
Press Coverage, 2001, 2010, inclusive
Promotional Materials, 2000-2006, inclusive
Digital materials
Promotional Materials and Notes, 2002-2004, inclusive
Promotional Materials and Press Coverage, 2000-2005, inclusive
Stamps, 1999-2016, inclusive
Strauss Social Planners Proposal, 2000
Digital materials
Series III. Other Enterprises, 1987-2009, inclusive; 1987-1993, bulk
Extent
Scope and Contents
This series consists of notebooks, research files, correspondence, grant proposals and business plans which document Mass's restaurant planning, his work with Innovative Community Enterprises, and other nightclubs and businesses. The bulk of materials in Series III regard the planning of the restaurant at 77 Church Street that chef Bernard LeRoy and Mass began together, and notes include but are not limited to: diagrams, floor plans, photographic prints and negatives, catering schedules, calculations, budgets, equipment and supply notes, meeting notes, schedules, and recipes. Materials from Mass's time with Innovative Community Enterprises are primarily in electronic format, and include correspondence, reports, and meeting minutes.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.
Art Consulting, 1993, inclusive
Innovative Community Enterprises, 1993-1999, inclusive
Digital materials
National Arts Club, 2008-2009, inclusive
Restaurant, Bernard and Steve Church St, Stellan Holm Investor, 1987, inclusive
Restaurant Planning and Working Notes, 1989-1993, inclusive
Steve Mass Fine Photography Business Plan, 1998, inclusive
Technical Assistance Program Grant Proposal, 1998
Digital materials
UM Club, 1988, inclusive
UM Club Poster, 1988, inclusive
Series IV. Personal, 1940-2013, inclusive; 1980-1989, bulk
Extent
Scope and Contents
This series consists of personal correspondence, research files and manuscript drafts on Haiti after the overthrow of President Jean-Claude Duvalier, a Boy Scouts merit badge sash, a 1956 senior high yearbook, and photographic prints, negatives, and slides. The photographic prints, negatives, and slides document Mass's own personal trips to places like Lourdes, France; Barcelona, Spain; Miami Beach, Florida; and Newton Falls, Ohio, as well as photographic subjects of street scenes and people.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically.