Interviewee: Charlotte Schatz
Date of birth/age at interview: January 6, 1929/49
Interviewer: Lydia Quill and photographer Sharon Donarum
Interview date: summer 1978
Interview location: Schatz studio
Interview length: 46 minutes
Time span discussed: her artistic life up to 1978
Summary: Charlotte Schatz expresses strong opinions about the time pressures on a woman to produce art and the importance of interaction among artists and constructive criticism. She underlines her affinity for city living which became a reality in 1995 when she returned to live in Philadelphia.
Time markers:
00:00 – working with plastic, concerned about health hazards; became aware of chemical ingredients
02:15 – on sabbatical, plan for trip to England and Greece to paint
03:05 – in Bucks because they found a house there; the art mystique of Bucks County
03:56 – artists in Bucks County do not seem to interact
04:29 – artists not usually organized as musicians and actors are
05:52 – juried and gallery shows are costly to enter, pressure to participate heavy
07:55 – Arts Alliance of Bucks County, not a member; visual arts individual endeavor
08:58 – essential to visit NYC and Philadelphia
09:15 – conflicted about where to live, is a city person, no modern or avant-garde in the country
11:10 – teaching helps with interchange
11:42 – strong feminist stance and artists’ struggles around family duties; generally live where the husband goes; went back to study art when children went to school
14:00 – learned three dimensional work
15:10 – broad training brings richness
16:09 – the oral history project, how the artists for the oral history project selected, no crafts persons or photographers originally selected; really great artists probably did not participate
23:10 – living place has direct connection to your work; living among artists would bring energy
24:47 – living in isolated area compared to being in dynamic area and the resulting art
26:50 – strong feminist and women in art
29:20 – all artists need criticism of their work to improve
32:05 – normal activities effect on creative process
33:10 – importance of her studio; teaching to afford a studio space; dangers from materials used in art
35:28 – concept of communal studio that artists could book for their working time; working alone essential but deadly, communal studio’s advantages
39:43 – role of critic necessary and helpful, can be negative and positive; trust needed to give and receive good criticism
42:38 – (partially indistinct); more on importance of constructive criticism
