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Creator
Clark, Nathan M.
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 464
Physical description
8.01 linear feet (21 boxes, 1 volume)
Preferred Citation

Nathan Clark papers, (S) *MGZMD 464. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Access to materials
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Nathan Middleton Clark (1916 – 2011), was a British shoe manufacturer for C. & J. Clark International, Ltd., his family's company. During the 1960s, Clark decided to move to New York City where he became a friend and financial supporter for the performing arts. The Nathan Clark papers, dated 1957 to 2011, reflects his interest in promoting the performing arts and befriending the artistic community through correspondence, photographs, programs, posters, and ephemera.

Biographical/historical information

Nathan Middleton Clark (1916-2011) was a British shoe manufacturer for C. & J. Clark International, Ltd. While visiting the United States, Clark developed an interest in the American modern dance development. He emigrated to New York City in the 1960s. Clark was an avid attendee and financial supporter of the performing arts. The foundation of the collection reflects his interests through brochures, flyers and other related performing arts material. Clark died in New York City in 2011.

Scope and arrangement

The Nathan Clark papers, dated 1957 to 2011, reflect his interest in modern and experimental dance groups, and performing artists; attending performances; and as a financial donor to the arts.

The material in the collection supports the fact that Clark attended productions held in performance spaces located mostly in lower Manhattan (Greenwich Village and SoHo). Notable spaces or groups include the American Theatre Laboratory, the Dance Theater Workshop, and the Dance Umbrella (funded by the Theatre Action Group). Featured individual performances include new, visiting, and established artists such as Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Pearl Lang and Dance Company; Kenneth Rinker, Sharon Kinney and Dancers; and Edith Stephen Dance Connection.

Clark's broader arts interest is identified by material from the American Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, Performance Space 122, and the Riverside Dance Festival (affiliated with Riverside Church). There is some material that indicates he went abroad to Europe to attend performance arts festivals.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by the Nathan M. Clark Foundation, and Executors and Administrators of the Estate of Nathan M. Clark, 2013.

Processing information

Compiled by Valerie Wingfield, 2016.

For ease of access most of the printed material was alphabetized.

Using the collection

Location

Jerome Robbins Dance Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Dance Division at dance@nypl.org.