Scope and arrangement
The collection consists of organizational records created and maintained by Photographers + Friends to develop the governing structure of the organization; to plan and orchestrate events and exhibitions; and to administer the funds raised. Reflected in the records are the members' efforts to unite diverse elements from the photography community including commercial photographers, fine-art photographers, fashion photographers, photojournalists, technicians, film manufacturers and publishers. The records also depict the organization's desire to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic to a broader audience in addition to raising funds. The materials in the collection date from 1988-1996 and contain correspondence, minutes, annual reports, memoranda, office files, financial records, grant applications, project proposals, exhibition catalogs, and photographs. With the exception of form letters signed by photographers involved in the organization, such as Annie Liebowitz and Robert Mapplethorpe, there is very little correspondence with photographers themselves.
The Photographers + Friends United Against AIDS is arranged in four series:
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1988-1993
This series is arranged alphabetically. The folder titles in the following container list reflect the original titles given by Photographers + Friends staff. The administrative files are composed of agendas, memoranda, and minutes of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. While the Board of Directors was the main governing structure of the organization, the Executive Committee consisted of a select group of individuals that guided Photographers + Friends and made decisions on behalf of the Board when it was unable to meet. Held within the files of the Board are the files of William Hunt that reflect his role as Chairman from 1991-1994. Included in Hunt's files are documentation of cocktail receptions held by galleries to benefit Photographers + Friends. The project files in this series contain records that document a variety of projects and events. Often these files are the sole representation of smaller projects, such as Hasselblad University, organized by the Victor Hasselblad Foundation, that was a limited run of classes given by well-known photographers where the tuition fees were donated to Photographers + Friends. For more detailed records regarding larger projects, researchers should consult Series II. Projects.
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1988-1996
This series is arranged alphabetically by project, succeeding a run of general project files. The folder titles in the following container list primarily reflect the original titles given by the Photographers + Friends staff. The general project files include files regarding photographic expositions Photographers + Friends participated in; press releases and material from public relation firms working pro bono; and the national tours of The Indomitable Spirit and In a Dream. Files specific to portfolio projects document every aspect of the process from solicitation of funders and artists to the physical printing and auctioning of the works. Exhibitions are documented through correspondence with venues, agents, and donors, and the development of publicity material and press prints of photographs. The Skoglund-Duran correspondence contains two letters between Sandy Skoglund and Timothy Duran regarding his ignorance that the print he purchased at Sotheby's was a H. C. (Hors Commerce) print and his subsequent reluctance to continue with the sale. Select files for Maximum Exposure were kept in project binders. The physical binders have been removed but the material within has maintained its original order.
Select files for Maximum Exposure were initially kept in project binders. The physical binders have been removed, but the material within has maintained its original order.
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1991-1993
This series is arranged in alphabetical order. The Distribution Committee was responsible for researching and advising on appropriate beneficiaries for funds raised by Photographers + Friends on the regional and national level. This includes legal agreements, subject files on beneficiary organizations, and press correspondence detailing what grantees received funds and what they did with those monies.
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This series includes a video recording of Brian Weil speaking to students at the International Center of Photography and of founder Joe Hartney on the Phil Donohue Show. There is one sound recording regarding a presentation of The Indomitable Spirit. Sound and video recordings are unavailable pending review and duplication.