Title: Dick Blau Collection
Inclusive Dates: 1973-2010

Creator:

• Blau, Dick, 1943-

Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 384

Quantity:

• 13.4 cubic ft. (6 boxes)
• 91 film reels
• 6 digital files (334 GB)

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

The collection contains records related to Dick Blau's books, films, and photography work including correspondence, photographs, raw footage, edited drafts, and other background information.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0384

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Dick Blau (b. 1943 in New York City) is a self-taught photographer, and filmmaker. His work focuses on experimental narrative, ethnography, and psychological portraiture, especially related to his own family. He holds a BA in English from Harvard and a PhD in American Studies from Yale. He started his career at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he met frequent collaborators Charles and Angeliki Keil. He came to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) in 1975 and co-founded the Film Department in 1979, which he chaired until 1999. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres at UWM.

He started photography work around polka music and culture in the 1970's, in Buffalo, which then continued in Milwaukee and Chicago. This work became an important part of the book Polka Happiness, published in 1992 with Charles and Angeliki Keil. In 1993, he travelled to Greece to take photographs of musicians in a Romani community, which became a major part of another collaboration with the Keils, the book Bright Balkan Morning, published in 2002. Other photography projects include Living with His Camera and Scenes from a Wisconsin Summer, both of which focus on family dynamics. Important film works include Up the Block One Sunday, an experimental documentary of Bethelehem Temple Church in Milwaukee, and Jidyll, an experimental narrative related to Judaism in collaboration with Yehuda Yannay.

The collection includes correspondence, photographs, raw footage,drafts, and other background information related to the films, photography work, and books of Dick Blau, with a focus on ethnographic and experimental works. The collection includes information related to Blau's professional collaborations with other local Milwaukee area artists such as Yehuda Yannay, Charles Keil and Angeliki Keil, Jack Jaffe, and Cecelia Condit.

The files are organized chronologically by project.

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

• UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts, Office of the Dean Records. UWM Archival Collection 81.

Access Restrictions

The original film, audio and video elements are restricted. Users must access digital versions on the network drive. There are no other access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

Dick Blau donated the collection to the Archives in December 2021 and March 2022 (accession 2021-038). Prior to donation, items were stored in his storage unit.

Processing Information

Caroline Drought processed this collection during spring semester 2022.

	Film and Video Works
	Up the Block One Sunday, 1980
	Production Elements
Films   51-75	Film Elements
Box   4 Video   1, 7	Video Elements
Box   5 Audio   27-36	Audio Elements
	Bishop William Rogers, 1980
	Production Elements
Electronic Folder     \Bishop William Rogers, 1980\	Digital Physical Description: 1 digital file (7 min., 22 sec.)
Box   4 Video   1	Physical
	Hamlet Act, 1982
Box   4 Video   7	Final Edit
Box   1 Folder   1	Production Notes
	Tintinnabula, 1982
Box   4 Video   7	Final Edit
	Fuller Footage, 1986
	Raw Footage
Electronic Folder     \Fuller Footage, 1986\	Digital Physical Description: 4 digital files (1 hr., 1 min.; 1 hr., 2 min.; 57 min., 57 sec.; 28 min., 8 sec.)
Box   4 Video   3-6	Physical
	Jidyll, 1986-1992
	Production Elements
Films   1-50	Visual Elements
	Audio Elements
Box   5 Audio   37-44	Audio Cassettes
Box   6 Audio   Reels 1-4	Audio Reels
Box   1 Folder   2	Photographs
Box   1 Folder   3-4	Production Notes
Box   1 Folder   5-7	Promotional materials
	Correspondence, 1987-2000
Box   1 Folder   8	Correspondence, 1987-2000
Box   1 Folder   9	National Center for Jewish Film
Box   1 Folder   10	Film Festivals
Box   1 Folder   11	Grants
Box   3 Folder   1	Oversized Correspondence, 1989
	Oh, Rapunzel, 1996
Box   1 Folder   67	Production Notes
	Angry Boys Club, 2010
Box   4 Video   8-25	Production Elements
	Friday Weather Diary #4 Scope and Content Note: This is a copy of the video Weather Diary 4 by George Kuchar. Dick Blau is a performer in this work.
Box   4 Video   31	Final Edit
	Good Day Begins, A Scope and Content Note: Dick Blau was the artistic director of this collection of student works.
Box   4 Video   30	Final Edit
	Polka Footage, undated
Box   4 Video   22-25	Raw Footage
	Polka Time, undated
	Final Edit
Box   4 Video   2	Physical
Electronic Folder     \Polka Time, undated\	Digital Physical Description: 1 digital file (1 hr., 2 min.)
	Books
	Polka Happiness, 1992
Box   5 Audio   2-22, 45	Audio Elements
Box   1 Folder   12-38	Photographs
Box   3	Photographs
Box   1 Folder   39	Promotional Materials
Box   1 Folder   40-43	Notes
Box   1 Folder   44-49	Photograph and Page Layout
Box   3	Photograph and Page Layout
Box   1 Folder   50	Critiques
Box   3	Critiques
Box   1 Folder   51-56	Drafts
	Correspondence, 1974-2000
Box   1 Folder   57	1974-1989
Box   1 Folder   58	1990-1994
Box   1 Folder   59	2000-2003
Box   1 Folder   60	undated
Box   1 Folder   61-62	Charles and Angeliki Keil
Box   1 Folder   63-64	Temple University Press, 1991-2003
Box   1 Folder   65	Li'l Wally, 1975-2000
Box   1 Folder   66	Grants
Box   3 Folder   1	Oversized Correspondence
	Bright Balkan Morning, 2002
Box   5 Audio   1	Audio Elements
Box   1 Folder   68	Photographs
Box   1 Folder   69	Promotional Materials
Box   1 Folder   70-71	Notes
Box   1 Folder   72-74	Photograph and Page Layout
Box   3	Photograph and Page Layout
Box   1 Folder   75	Critiques
Box   1 Folder   76-79	Drafts
Box   2 Folder   1-7	Drafts
	Correspondence
Box   2 Folder   8	1993-1999
Box   2 Folder   9	2000-2006
Box   2 Folder   10	Karakostas
Box   2 Folder   11	Grants
Box   2 Folder   12	Skyros Carnival, 2009
	Other Works
Box   5 Audio   23-26	Other Audio
Box   2 Folder   13	Cinema Histories Cinema Practices II Conference
Box   2 Folder   14	Scenes from a Wisconsin Summer, 1978-1984
Box   3	Scenes from a Wisconsin Summer, 1978-1984
Box   2 Folder   15	SPE Panel, Houston, 1988
Box   2 Folder   16-17	Changing Chicago, 1989
Box   2 Folder   18	S.K. Neumann Culture Centre Exhibition, 1990
Box   2 Folder   19	Familial Gaze Talk, Hood Museum, 1996
Box   2 Folder   20	Time Slips Exhibition, Wisconsin Arts Board, 1999
Box   2 Folder   21	Born to Groove
	INOVA Exhibition, 2004
Box   4 Video   26-29	Exhibition Footage
Box   2 Folder   22	Corresponcence, 1985-2003
Box   3	Acord lecture