This project has taken me so long because so many things have been at play concerning the ownership of Richard Amsel’s original work. And every time I manage to cross over one hurdle, another one rears its ugly head.
This morning I had sent a letter via certified mail to Kerry Walk, the president of the University of the Arts. I won’t disclose the details of my letter at this time, suffice to say it concerns the extensive collection the university has of Amsel’s original work, which I had been requesting access to for nine years. (Amsel attended there from 1965-1969, when it was known as The Philadelphia College of Art.)
Well, I don’t know if it’s fate, karma, destiny, or just another round of rotten luck…but some shattering news just broke over an hour ago: The University of the Arts will be permanently closing its doors on Friday, June 7th.
What this means for the Richard Amsel archive, I don’t know. Where will it go? Who will own it? Your guess is as good as mine.
Looks like Howard Feinberg and I have another big fight ahead of us, but we're not going to give up.
(NOTE: As of 6/14/24, there is a critical update to this story. UoA's Amsel collection was transferred to Margaret Herrick Library at end of 2023. More info can be found here.)
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