- unitid
-
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 423", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"23347", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"b21310332", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1961-2015", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1961/2015"}
{"value"=>"1979-2015", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1979/2015"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Michael Holman collection"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"8.37 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"21 boxes, 1 oversized folder", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"2.62 tb (4,510 computer files)"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"id"=>"DAN", "value"=>"Jerome Robbins Dance Division"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Michael Holman is an American filmmaker, musician, visual artist, writer, and hip-hop impresario. The collection dates from 1961 to 2015 and documents Holman's life and career through photographs, writings, appointment books, contracts, correspondence, articles, fliers, posters, and audio and moving image recordings."}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Holman, Michael", "type"=>"persname", "role"=>"creator"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Michael Holman is an American filmmaker, musician, visual artist, writer, and hip-hop impresario residing in New York City. Holman is best-known as a pioneering figure in the promotion of early American hip-hop, the screenwriter of the film <span class=\"title\">Basquiat</span>, and as the founding manager of the breakdancing crew the New York City Breakers. Michael Thomas Holman was born in San Francisco, California. His father was in the United States Army, and the family traveled domestically and internationally throughout Holman’s childhood. In 1973, Holman enrolled in the University of San Francisco (USF) to study business administration. The following year he took time off to tour as a performer with the punk band The Tubes. Holman moved to New York City in 1978. During this time, he worked as a junior banker and began immersing himself in the downtown club scene. He met and began collaborating with artists and musicians rather quickly, including Stan Peskett, Fab 5 Freddy, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 1979, Holman, Basquiat, and musicians Nick Taylor, Vincent Gallo, Shannon Dawson, and Justin Thyme formed the band Gray. They performed at popular downtown nightclubs including the Mudd Club, CBGB, and Hurrah’s, but after the success of Basquiat’s first art show in 1981, he quit the band, which disintegrated soon after. Members of the band reunited to perform at Basquiat’s memorial service following his death in 1988, and came together once more in 1996 to record music for the film <span class=\"title\">Basquiat</span> (written by Holman and directed by Julian Schnabel). In 2011, Holman and Taylor released the band’s first ever album, <span class=\"title\">Shades Of…</span>, and have since performed at the New Museum and the Parrish Art Museum.</p> <p>In 1981, Holman met British pop impresario Malcolm McLaren, who was looking for an opening act for an upcoming concert. Holman brought him to an outdoor show in the South Bronx featuring DJ Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation. McLaren and Holman brought Bambaataa and the Zulus downtown to open for Bow Wow Wow at the Ritz later that year. This marked a pivotal moment in the collective punk, new wave, and hip-hop subculture that flooded downtown New York City throughout the 1980s. The success of the show brought Holman work as a promoter and booking manager at Negril nightclub. His shows featured DJs, emcees, breakdancers, and graffiti artists, including the Floor Masters, a breaking crew from the Bronx. After seeing them perform, he signed on as their manager, recruited some additional dancers, and created the New York City Breakers (NYCB). Along with rival b-boys the Rock Steady Crew, NYCB was integral in the popularization of breakdancing, and were among the first to perform on television. They were featured on <span class=\"title\">The Merv Griffin Show</span>, and later on <span class=\"title\">Good Morning America</span>, <span class=\"title\">Soul Train</span>, <span class=\"title\">NBC’s Salute to the Olympics</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Ripley’s Believe it or Not</span>. They also performed at the 50th presidential inaugural gala for President Ronald Reagan in 1985.</p> <p>Holman’s own artistic endeavors include filmmaking, screenwriting, television production and multi-media visual arts. He studied film at New York University’s Graduate School of Film. He has produced, directed, and shot several small experimental films and wrote the screenplay for <span class=\"title\">Basquiat</span>. His short films include <span class=\"title\">Pesceador</span> (featuring Jean-Michel Basquiat), <span class=\"title\">Dream Crush</span>, <span class=\"title\">Catch a Beat</span>, <span class=\"title\">Money Dog</span>, <span class=\"title\">Just Say No</span>, <span class=\"title\">Vincent Gallo as Flying Christ</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Stilwend</span>. In 1984, he created the first ever syndicated hip-hop television show, <span class=\"title\">Graffiti Rock</span>, starring Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee, and members of NYCB. The show only lasted a single episode, but has been cited as exposing hip-hop to a global audience. He also produced for the Nickelodeon shows <span class=\"title\">Blue’s Clues</span> and <span class=\"title\">Eureka’s Castle</span>, and directed the music video for Run DMC's \"Christmas in Hollis\" in 1987.</p> <p>Holman has taught screenwriting at Howard University and the School of Visual Arts, as well as classes on writing, directing, and producing children’s television at the International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine and the New School for Social Research. His visual works have been shown at Art Basel (Miami), and at galleries in New York, Paris, and Switzerland. Holman has written articles for <span class=\"title\">The East Village Eye</span>, <span class=\"title\">Artforum</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Art Monthly</span>. His book, <span class=\"title\">Breaking and the New York City Breakers</span>, was published in 1984.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Michael Holman collection dates from 1961 to 2015 (bulk 1979-2015) and documents Holman’s career as a filmmaker, musician, artist, writer, and hip-hop impresario. The collection holds a substantial amount of electronic records, consisting of digital audiovisual works, photographs, scripts, and other writings. Particularly well-represented aspects of Holman’s career are his work as a filmmaker and writer, and as a musician in the band Gray. Holman frequently repurposed his films, adding animation and sound, and creating different combinations of video clips for live performances. Interviews with Holman, <span class=\"title\">Confessions of a Subculturalist</span>, and <span class=\"title\">A Story About No One</span> (also referred to as <span class=\"title\">A Film About No One</span> and <span class=\"title\">A Book About No One</span>) are autobiographical. Materials that document Holman’s involvement in hip-hop include the photographs, fliers, programs, <span class=\"title\">Graffiti Rock</span> files, posters, articles, appointment books, contracts, letters, and audio and moving images. Filmmaking files document the writing and filming of his short films; and the writing files contain video and film treatments, commercial scripts, a few notebooks, and other writings by Holman. Researchers interested in his scripts and screenplays should consult both the filmmaking and the writing files. Among the writings held on electronic media are “Third World,” “I Get Minez,” “Solid Ground” (Larry Carlton, MCA Records), “Forbidden Love,” and “N.E. Heartbreak.” Commercial scripts are for the promotion of Club Salem, AIDS awareness, and Adidas. Hard copy scripts include those for <span class=\"title\">Brothers</span>, <span class=\"title\">Dream Boy</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Love for a Brutal God</span>. Also present in the writing files is a copy of Holman’s <span class=\"title\">Breaking and the New York City Breakers</span> and storyboards for his short film <span class=\"title\">Do the Right Thing</span>. Filmmaking files contain scripts, research notes, sound reports, and dailies for <span class=\"title\">Money Dog</span>; and scripts and other materials for <span class=\"title\">Old Tin</span> and <span class=\"title\">The Suicide Machine</span>. Video clips, stills, music and other electronic records documenting <span class=\"title\">Money Dog</span>, <span class=\"title\">Pesceador</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Old Tin</span> are currently unavailable. Holman’s research notes for the film <span class=\"title\">Basquiat</span> are among the paper records, and include notes from interviews he conducted for the film with Esther Balint, Kelly Inman, Suzanne Mallouk, Nick Taylor, Michael Chow, and John Lurie. Scripts, shot lists, content descriptions, photographs, and production schedules make up other materials in the filmmaking files. Materials pertaining to Gray consist of lyrics, notes, flyers, programs, and a screenplay for a musical. Electronic records comprise press releases, song lists, audio tracks, and video of Holman and Taylor at the New Museum in 2011. “Moments of Gray” is video footage of Holman and Taylor discussing the band in a casual setting. Correspondence, letters, and proposals are somewhat limited in quantity, but provide a comprehensive overview of Holman’s wide-ranging endeavors. Several incoming letters reflect the success of performances by the New York City Breakers, including a letter from Ronald Reagan. Many of the outgoing letters concern television and film projects and royalties for the Run DMC “Christmas in Hollis” music video (directed by Holman) and <span class=\"title\">Graffiti Rock</span>. Of interest are a small number of postcards and writings by Vince Gallo; and a letter from David Byrne requesting the use of <span class=\"title\">Graffiti Rock</span> footage. The majority of the correspondence dates from the 1980s to the early 1990s. Letters from the 1960s and 1970s are generally personal in nature. Agreements, project descriptions, press releases, and articles comprise the paper portion of the <span class=\"title\">Graffiti Rock</span> files. Also included are interviews (currently unavailable) conducted by Holman in 2014 with individuals affiliated with or influenced by first generation hip-hop culture. The interviews chronicle the lives and careers of several hip-hop pioneers, artists, and writers, and document their opinions on the the sources, evolution, and culture of hip-hop. Among the individuals interviewed are DJ Spinna and MC Kriminul (Jigmastas); Junko (a Japanese b-girl); LA Sunshine; Lisa C.; Sha Rock; Kool Mo Dee; Lee Quiñones; Mr. Wave; Mr. Freeze; Powerful Plex; Bill Adler; Martha Cooper; Lyor Cohen; Raquel Cepeda; and Touré.</p> <p>Appointment books date from 1979 to 2014 and contain detailed entries of Holman’s plans and appointments. Holman has inserted notes in the appointment books with additional information about what he was working on at the time.</p> <p>Photographs consist of prints and negatives of the New York City Breakers, breakdancing battles, and press photographs for Gray. Posters document events such as an exhibit of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings, and Doug E. Fresh’s \"All the Way to Heaven.” Original posters for <span class=\"title\">Downtown 81</span> and <span class=\"title\">Graffiti Rock</span> are also present. Audio and moving image recordings, though currently unavailable, traverse nearly all of Holman's interests and endeavors. The film and video recordings include footage captured by Holman of various events at clubs in New York City from 1979 through the 1980s including Club 57, Max’s Kansas City, Negril, and Danceteria. Film titles include <span class=\"title\">Dream Crush</span>, <span class=\"title\">Catch a Beat</span>, <span class=\"title\">Money Dog</span>, <span class=\"title\">Just Say No</span>, <span class=\"title\">Vincent Gallo as Flying Christ</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Stilwend</span>. Other films consist of various b-roll clips and shots of the downtown hip-hop and art scenes, including footage of Jean-Michel Basquiat. There are several videos of the New York City Breakers including compilations, the 1985 presidential inaugural gala performance, and televised segments. Audio recordings consist of interviews, music recordings, and lectures, including recordings of “Creating Children’s TV,” taught by Holman at the International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine. Interviews that Holman conducted for the film <span class=\"title\">Basquiat</span> include those with Kenny Scharf, Dan Asher, Diego Cortez, Steven Torton, Annina Nosei, Julian Schnabel, and Suzanne Mallouk. Several recordings of Holman speaking about his life and experiences comprise the “Confessions of a Subculturalist” recordings.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject or format.</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Acquired from Michael Holman, 2015.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Compiled by <span class=\"name\">Robyn Hjermstad</span>, <span class=\"date\">2017</span>.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Audiovisual recordings are unavailable pending digitization.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Dance Division at dance@nypl.org.</p>"}
- dsc_type
-
combined
- date_start
-
1961
- keydate
-
1961
- date_end
-
2015
- date_inclusive_start
-
1961
- date_inclusive_end
-
2015
- date_bulk_start
-
1979
- date_bulk_end
-
2015
- extent_statement
-
8.37 linear feet (21 boxes, 1 oversized folder); 2.62 tb (4,510 computer files)
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Michael Holman collection, *MGZMD 423. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}