Precarious Writing and Delicate Perception in the Visual Field, 1960-1980

Prior to my Tinker Summer Field Research Travel Grant, I had never had the opportunity to visit Brazil.  The objective of my visit to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro had four parts: (1) to conduct preliminary work of seeing original works of art by Mira Schendel and Anna Maria Maiolino that require careful in-person viewing, (2) to gain an understanding of archives for future research; (3) to gain access to important bibliographic materials on key artists to my project unavailable in the United States; and (4) to meet curators and scholars working in my (relatively small) field.  My trip happily exceeded my expectations and goals: I not only gained preliminary access to many archives, I was able to conduct substantial primary research, so that I feel capable of beginning the process of writing my dissertation chapters earlier than anticipated. And through my visits to museums and other archives, I was able to see not only many works of Schendel and Maiolino, but also many important works by their contemporaries. At the same time, I gained an excellent sense of precisely which archives and institutions would merit further study, so that I am in a good position to apply for longer ( 4-12 month) grants for dissertation study to return for a longer visit.  One of the most unexpected and gratifying aspects of my visit came from my interaction with scholars, intellectuals and curators working on the artists in my project---they all were tremendously helpful in organizing my visit and giving me access to often difficult-to-see works in private collections or institutions replete with bureaucracy.  But more importantly, these thinkers provided rich conversational opportunities and useful critiques of my project and its framing questions.