Printed: 2013-05-21
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Fonds F0285 - Centre for Experimental Art and Communication fonds
Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Centre for Experimental Art and Communication fonds
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Fonds
Reference code
CA ON00370 F0285
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1973-1980 (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
10.18 m of textual records ca. 50 cm of photographs : b&w ; 21 x 25 cm or smaller ca. 1.5 m of slides : col and b&w ; 35 mm
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Centre for Experimental Art and Communication
Administrative history
The Centre for Experimental Art and Communication (CAEC) was created in Toronto in 1975 by the Kensington Arts Association, an avant-garde artists collective. The Centre acted as a studio, resource centre, museum, gallery and performance space for the collective. It also acted as the host for visiting acts and artists in the areas of performance art, behaviour workshops, contextualism, visual arts (especially video art) and other post-modern art forms. The CEAC collective also produced events which were showcased in Europe, the United States, South America and, to a lesser extent, Canada. The Centre was the site of 'Crash and burn,' a punk-rock musical venue in the mid-1970s. The Centre alienated funding bodies in the late 1970s when a copy of 'Strike', a journal associated with CEAC, was charged with promoting violent overthrow of authority, and CEAC was forced to close in 1980.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The fonds consists of printed material, correspondence, photographs, slides, and related material of the Centre for Experimental Art and Design. The correspondence includes: correspondence with artists, galleries and other arts groups in Canada and overseas, dealing with CEAC exhibitions, CEAC-sponsored travelling shows, and communications concerning gallery events. There is also material dealing with granting agencies, including the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council. Also included is correspondence relating to the OCA and CC decisions to suspend funding to CEAC, letters of reaction from CEAC members and supporters. The fonds also has grant proposals and covering documentation, and other material. The fonds also contains various documents written by members of the collective defining the 'new ideology' which would usurp the cultural and political elites, define a post-modern aesthetic. There is also material on related artistic and intellectual ideas. There are newspaper clippings of CEAC events and exhibitions both from Canadian and foreign newspapers, invitations to events, flyers and other announcements of forthcoming events, and clippings about other performance and avant-garde arts in other cities and countries. The photographs and slides concern performances at CEAC, including material related to 'Crash and Burn'.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
No restrictions on access.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000285.htm
Associated / related material
Accruals
The fonds comprises the following accessions: 1981-010, 1994-027. Further accruals are expected.