Ernest Silva Papers, 1948-2015 (MSS 771)

Restrictions: Original audiovisual and digital media are restricted; listening/viewing copies may be available to researchers.

Extent: 8.2 Linear feet (8 archives boxes, 2 card file boxes, 3 record cartons, 1 flat box, 1 map case folder)

Digital Content

The Silva collection contains over 200 unprocessed optical disks and some digital files. This material will require advance notice for viewing.

Papers of Ernest Robert Silva (1948-2014), artist and professor of visual arts at UC San Diego. The collection includes photographs, sketch books, ephemera, reviews, video recordings, biographical information and digital files documenting his artwork and exhibitions.

In Memoriam: Ernest R Silva. UC San Diego Visual Arts

UC San Diego Artist Ernest Silva Dies at 65. UC San Diego Today, 2014 March 6

Papers of Ernest Robert Silva (1948-2014), artist and professor of visual arts at UC San Diego. The collection includes photographs, sketch books, ephemera, reviews, video recordings, biographical information and digital files documenting his artwork and exhibitions.

Digital files on CD and DVD, and Silva's large slide and transparency collection, are unprocessed and require advance notice for consultation. The materials are not restricted, but may be time-consuming to examine.

2014 Accession

Arranged in four series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE, 2) ARTWORK AND EXHIBITIONS, 3) SKETCH BOOKS, 4) VIDEO RECORDINGS.

Unprocessed Addition

Arranged in two series: 5) DIGITAL MEDIA, and 6) TRANSPARANCIES & SLIDES.

Container List

2014 Accession

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE

Scope and Content of Series

Series 1) BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE: Silva's biographical information, including CVs, artist's statements, references, and an interview transcript. The series includes a small amount of correspondence and photographs of Ernest Silva.

Box 1 Folder 1
Scanga, Italo - Correspondence, 1971-1975
Box 1 Folder 2
Correspondence - Miscellaneous, 1977-2011
Box 1 Folder 3
References for Ernest Silva, 1977-1985
Box 1 Folder 4
Artist's statements and biographies, 1970-2008
Box 1 Folder 5
Biographical information, 1995-2004
Box 1 Folder 6
Curricula vitae, 2007
Box 1 Folder 7
Silva interview transcripts - With Dawn Murphy and Thomas Whayne, 2001, 2003
Box 1 Folder 8
Photographs of Ernest Silva
Digital file 2
Portrait of Silva (digital) and b&w early family photograph scans

ARTWORK AND EXHIBITIONS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 2) ARTWORK AND EXHIBITIONS: Photographs, ephemera, reviews, press releases and correspondence for Silva's artwork and exhibitions in the United States, Mexico, and Denmark.

Box 1 Folder 9
Deer/Raft, 1992
Box 1 Folder 10
inSITE, 1992-1997
Box 1 Folder 11
Tales from the High Seas - Porter Randall Gallery, 1994 April 29 - June 5
Box 1 Folder 12
Lighthouse/Rain House - Proposal for Museet for Samtidskunst, Roskilde, Denmark, 1994
Box 1 Folder 13
Cora's Rain House/Casa de la Lluvia de Cora - San Diego Children's Museum/Casa de la Cultura, 1994-2007
Box 1 Folder 14
New Paradigm, Center for Excellence (Phil Nader project), 1995
Box 1 Folder 15
minde, længse, begær (memory, longing, desire) - Museet for Samtidskunst, Roskilde, Denmark, 1995 August 26 - October 29
Box 1 Folder 16
Sky Bridge, San Diego International Airport - Proposal, 1995
Box 1 Folder 17
Volcanoes and Reading Lamps - Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, 1997 May 3 - June 14
Box 1 Folder 18
vortices/vessels/voyages - Simayspace Gallery, 1997 March 7 - April 25
Box 1 Folder 19
Family Tree - Children's Museum, San Diego and Centro Cultural, Tijuana, 1997
Box 1 Folder 20
River of night, Music of day - Glendale College Gallery, 1998 September 15 - October 15
Box 1 Folder 21
Lanterns - Arts College International, San Diego, 1999 November 5 - December 30
Box 1 Folder 22
Find the Rhino - Calendar, 2000
Box 1 Folder 23
Voyages Twice Told - Institute of the Americas, 2000 July 24 - September 30
Box 1 Folder 24
Lighthouse: Recent Works by Ernest Silva - University of Rhode Island, 2001 June 2 - September 30
Box 1 Folder 25
Windows of War/Fire on Tranquil Seas - Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, 2004 April 3 - May 8
Box 1 Folder 26
Domestic Deviation: New Works by Ernest Silva and May-Ling Martinez - L Street Fine Art (San Diego Art Prize 2008), 2007 March 3 - May 21
Box 2 Folder 1
Children's Cultural Center - Proposal
Box 2 Folder 2
Functional Art Creative Team (FACT) - Proposal
Box 2 Folder 3-5
Solo exhibitions - Ephemera, 1972-2015
Box 2 Folder 6-10
Group exhibitions - Ephemera, 1975-2004
Box 3 Folder 1
Group exhibitions - Ephemera, 2005-2012, undated
Box 3 Folder 2-7
Reviews and press releases, 1974-2011
Box 3 Folder 8-9
Photographs of artwork and exhibits, 1973-2008
Box 4 Folder 1-5
Photographs of artwork and exhibits, 1986-2008
Oversize FB-057 Folder 6
Posters for exhibits and lectures, 1972-2011
Oversize MC-025-18
Posters for exhibits, 1974-2003

SKETCH BOOKS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 3) SKETCH BOOKS: A selection of Ernest Silva's sketch books with notes and drawings for planned art projects.

Oversize FB-057 Folder 2
Studio Work, 2004
Oversize FB-057 Folder 4
Children's Museum, Fact Museum + Design, 2005-2006
Oversize FB-057 Folder 3
Studio Work + Athenaeum Workshop, 2006-2007
Oversize FB-057 Folder 5
Studio Work - Back Yard + Vigilance + Domestic Deviation, 2006-2007
Box 4 Folder 6
Studio + Pasquale's Poetry/Image Project, 2006-2008
Box 4 Folder 7
Studio + Children's Museum, 2007-2008
Box 5 Folder 1
Children's Museum, 2008-2011
Box 5 Folder 2
Studio Work/Carlsbad Exhibition, 2009
Box 5 Folder 3
C. G. Hanzlicek Poems, 2009
Box 5 Folder 4-5
Studio Work, 2010, undated
Box 5 Folder 6
Notes and sketches
Box 5 Folder 7
Sketch books
Box 6 Folder 1-3
Sketch books
Box 6 Folder 4
Oceanside Museum of Art
Oversize FB-057 Folder 1
OMA
Oversize FB-057 Folder 6
Portrait - Pencil drawing

VIDEO RECORDINGS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 4) VIDEO RECORDINGS: Video recordings of interviews and lectures by Silva about his artwork, and a documentary about his colleague, artist Italo Scanga.

Box 6 Folder 5
Cora's Rain House. UCSD Conversations, UCSD-TV (VHS, 26:21 minutes), 1995

Ernest Silva discusses the Rain House and his late wife, poet Cora Boyd, who was the inspiration for the project.

Box 7 Folder 1
Cora's Rain House (VHS, 13:35 minutes)

Directed by Marc Phillips.

Box 7 Folder 2
Reflections on Art with Ernest Silva. UCSD-TV (VHS, 28 minutes), 1997
Box 7 Folder 3
Volcanoes and Reading Lamps: Ernest Silva at the Athenaeum. UCSD-TV (VHS, 29:15 minutes), 1997
Box 7 Folder 4
Lanterns: New Works by Ernest Silva. UCSD-TV (VHS, 26:23 minutes), 2000
Box 7 Folder 5
Il Miglior Fabbro: In Remembrance of Italo Scanga. UCSD-TV (VHS, 20 minutes), ca. 2001

Video includes poetry reading by Quincy Troupe and a quote from Ernest Silva.

Unprocessed Addition

DIGITAL MEDIA

Scope and Content of Series

Series 5) DIGITAL MEDIA: Unprocessed discs containing images of Silva's artwork, exhibitions, and lectures, plus biographical information, his website, and a small amount of correspondence.

Box 8
Biographies, CVs, narratives (18 discs), 2007-2008
Box 8
Ernest Silva slideshow (1 disc), 1948-2014
Box 8
Letters (6 discs), 2007-2008
Box 8
File documents (8 discs), ca. 2001-2008
Box 8
Website (8 discs), 2004-2008
Box 8
Lecture images (4 discs), 2006-2009
Box 8
Overviews of creative work - Images (38 discs), 1972-2012
Box 8
Images, artwork and exhibits (discs)
Box 9
Images, artwork and exhibits (discs)
Box 9
Back up discs (3 discs), 2007
Digital file 1
Artwork images (primarily pastels) - 33 JPGs

Copied from a flash drive.

TRANSPARENCIES & SLIDES

Box 10
4x5" color transparencies, many unidentified
Box 11
Slides - In plastic sleeves, many identified but in no order
Box 12
Slides - Boxed
Box 13
Slides - Boxed