West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown,
WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
The donor of this collection has transferred rights to the intellectual property they created to the Center, except that any
scripted or written material authored by Ann Magnuson can be used for research only. For more information regarding permission
to publish or reproduce, please contact the West Virginia and Regional History Center.
Conditions Governing Access
No special access restriction applies.
Researchers may access born digital materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by
contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Ann Magnuson, Performance Artist, Papers, A&M 4387, West Virginia and
Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Ann Magnuson, born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, is known for her surreal dreamscapes presented in both song and
spoken word, with an eclectic resume that traverses the entertainment landscape like few others. She is a multi-media interdisciplinary
performer, writer, and artist who has acted in film, theater, and television, written for various publications, and made visual
art.
She fronted the indie cult band Bongwater and has released many solo albums. A notable single, "Ghost Cat," about monsters
from her native West Virginia, was released in 2023 and features harmonica by Nashville legend Charlie McCoy.
She has presented her original performance art pieces at institutions worldwide including the Whitney Museum, The Museum of
Modern Art, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, BAM, LACMA, MOCA, The Hammer Museum, REDCAT, The Walker Art Center, The
Andy Warhol Museum, The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and in places as far flung as Tokyo's Sogetsu Hall and The
Ice Hotel inside Sweden's Arctic Circle.
After studying theatre and cinema in London, she worked in New York City with the Ensemble Studio Theater, managed the infamous
Club 57, and rubbed elbows with Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol.
Ann appeared with David Bowie in "The Hunger," starred in "Making Mr. Right" opposite John Malkovich and was a series regular
in the ABC sitcom "Anything but Love" with Jamie Lee Curtis. She held a recurring role in the Amazon series "The Man in the
High Castle." She famously dropped the F-Bomb on Sir Patrick Stewart in "Picard."
She received a BFA, Theater and Cinema from Denison University, an Honorary Doctorate from West Virginia University, is a
2018 Inductee of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, was Guest Curator of MOMA's exhibit "Club 57: Film, Performance, and
Art in the East Village, 1978–1983", and established The Club 57 Society while curating and performing in two wildly successful
events at Zebulon co-hosted by The Broad Museum in connection with their Keith Haring retrospective.
More detailed information and current projects can be found on Ann's official website, https://annmagnuson.com.
(Adapted from "Bio." Ann Magnuson Official Website. Accessed January, 2024. https://annmagnuson.com/bio/.)
Publications, sound recordings, and other material documenting the career of Ann Magnuson, an actress, performance artist,
and nightclub performer who grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. She worked at Club 57 in New York, a gathering place for
artists such as Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf.
Includes:
Series 1. Publications and Excerpts, boxes 1-5, 1983-2018
Series 2. Performance and Other Posters, box 6, 1991-2018
Series 3. Performance Programs and Related Material, box 7, 1981-2017
Series 4. Audiovisual Material, box 7, 1995-2016
Series 5. Ephemera and Other Material, box 7, ca. 1973-1987, 2018-2019
Series 6. Addenda of 2020-2021, box 8 and oversize, 1984-2020
The addendum of 2025 January 24 includes postcards and prints commemorating Magnuson's feature film Making Mr. Right and other projects, a flexi disc vinyl record of "The Revolutions per Movie Players Present Music from the Movie 'Wild in
the Streets,'" a 2025 Club 57 calendar, and other material (Box 8, Folder 8).
This series includes excerpts and whole publications containing articles on or written by Magnuson regarding her work as a
performance artist, actress, and musician, including those in "Vanity Fair," "Paper Magazine," and other professional and
erotica magazines. There are also two books regarding artist friends of Magnuson, Kenny Scharf and Tseng Kwong Chi.
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1
"Kenny Scharf: In Absence of Myth" by G. James Deichendt with foreword by Ann Magnuson
2016
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
"Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing for the Camera" by Amy Brandt (Chi was a friend and collaborator of Magnuson.)
2015
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 1
"The '80s: Art, Performance...and AIDS" by Ann Magnuson (pg. 14) in "Time Out New York" Issue Number 412
2003/08/21-2003/08/28
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 2
"Viva La Pussy: Love, Sex, and Being Female with Ann Magnuson" by Lisa Palac and "Men Are Dogs" by Ann Magnuson (pgs. 24-29;
Magnuson is also in the cover image) in "Future Sex" Issue 6
March-May 1994
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 3
"Ann Magnuson's Top 10 Tips on How to Get Rich and How to Stay Poor" (pgs. 36-37) in "Bust" Issue 12
Spring 1999
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 4
"Video: Artist Ann Magnuson Hides behind a Thousand Faces to Lay Bare the Tricks of the Tube" by Jane Hall (pgs. 78-79) in
"People Weekly" Volume 24, Number 5
1985/07/29
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 5
"Spy: The New York Monthly" (Magnuson is in the cover image)
March 1990
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 6
"April Fools: The New About-Face of American Comedy" with photographs by Annie Leibovitz (section on Magnuson is on pgs. 70-71)
in "Vanity Fair" Volume 47 Number 4
April 1984
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 7
"The Luv Hate Show: Ann Magnuson's Dream World" by Carlo McCormick (pgs. 52-55; Magnuson is also in the cover image) in "Paper"
November 1995
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 8
"The New: Making Mr. Right" by Lance Loud (pg. 106) in "Fame" Volume 2, Number 10
November 1989
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 1
"Future Perspectives: Ann Magnuson, Actor, Performer, Writer" (pg. 104; Magnuson is also in the cover image) in "The Book:
Los Angeles" Volume 1, Issue 2
Spring 1989
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 2
"Boy-dello" by Ann Magnuson in "Bust" Issue 5
Winter/Spring 1995
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 3
"Transgressing AIDS: From the NYC Downtown Scene of the Early Eighties to the West Virginia of Today, Actress & Singer Ann
Magnuson Lends Her Creative Voice to the Pandemic" by Lester Strong (pgs. 30-35) in "A&U" Issue 183
January 2010
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 4
"Out to Lunch with Ann Magnuson: The High Priestess of Polyester Tests Hal Rubenstein's Fiber" by Roxanne Lowit (pg. 150)
in "Vanity Fair" Volume 50, Number 4
April 1987
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 5
Editorials by Ann Magnuson from "MAGNET: Real Music Alternatives"
ca. 2016
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 6
"The Women Who Defied Convention to Ignite the '80s Underground" by Roisin McQueirns (section on Magnuson and band "Bongwater"
is on pgs. 6-7) from "The Vinyl Factory"
2017/03/08
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 7
"Dream, July, 2018" by Ann Magnuson from "Country Gone Missing: Nightmares in the Time of Trump"
ca. 2018
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 8
Excerpt from "Andy Warhol Ephemera: Warhol Printed Matter from the Collection of Trey Speegle" mentioning Magnuson
2018
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 1
Excerpts from "Performance: Live Art Since 1960" by RoseLee Goldberg mentioning Magnuson
1998
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 2
"Babe in the 'Wood" by Ann Magnuson (pgs. 64-67; Magnuson is also cover image) in "Buzz: The Talk of Los Angeles"
March 1993
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 3
"Mondo Cane a Go-Go" by Ann Magnuson (pg. 27) in "MAO MAG" Volume 1, Issue 2
"What Kind of Fool Am I?: Ann Magnuson Plays Four of Her Favorite Fools" by David Hershkovits (pgs. 20-25) in "Paper" Volume
3, Number 9
April 1987
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 6
"Hot Kross Over: Redd Kross Is Red Hot Even If They Are from L.A." by Ann Magnuson in "Paper" Secret Issue
May 1985
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 7
"'I Have a Sex Book, Too': Ann Magnuson Takes on Family Values in Words and Pictures" by David Hershkovits and Ann Magnuson
(pgs. 20-25; Magnuson is also cover image) in "Paper"
October 1992
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 8
"Editrix of the Year" and "Chief Editrix Catherine's Advice to Young Publishers: How to Make Your Cutting Edge Magazine a
Winner!" by Ann Magnuson (pgs. 25-27; Magnuson is also cover image) in "Paper Magazine"
June 1990
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 9
"Moon over Miami: Ann Magnuson on the Rise...and the Making of Susan Seidelman's Next Movie, 'Making Mr. Right'" by Katherine
Dieckmann (pgs. 42-47; Magnuson is also in the cover image) in "NY Talk" Volume 3, Number 28
July 1986
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 10
"Ann Magnuson: The Seduction of 'Jimmy Reardon'" by Kestutis Nakas (pgs. 102-104) in "Interview" Volume 17, Number 9
September 1987
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 11
"East Village Preservation Society: The 80s East Village Art Scene Is Finally Getting Its Dues from the Museum World" by Richard
Metzger (pgs. 112-117) in "Dazed & Confused" Volume 3
2012/03/07
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 12
"Ann Magnuson Verbatim" by James Call (unpaginated; Magnuson is also cover image) in "Kulture Deluxe Magazine" Number 1
1995
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 13
"Youth. Art. Hype.: A Different Bohemia" by Maureen Dowd (pgs. 26-33, 36-42, 87-89, 100) in "The New York Times Magazine"
1985/11/17
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 1
"The Village Voice" Volume 28, Number 18 with blurb and photo on a performance by Magnuson
1983/05/03
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 2
"Ann Magnuson: The High Priestess of Low Life" by Don Shewey (pgs. 38 and 40; Magnuson is also in one of the cover images)
in "The Village Voice" Volume 30, Number 34
1985/08/20
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 3
"An East Village Comic Moves Uptown" by Patricia Leigh Brown (pgs. 5 and 19) in "The New York Times"
1987/07/26
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 4
"It's an Upbeat Weekend for Offbeat Dance" by Jennifer Dunning (pgs. C1 and C21) in "The New York Times Weekend"
1984/11/16
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 5
"Going to a-Gogh-Gogh" by Hunder Drohojowska (pg. 3) in "Los Angeles Times Calendar"
1992/03/01
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 6
"LA Weekly" Volume 18, Number 5 (Magnuson is in the cover image)
1995/12/29-1996/01/04
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 7
"Home Thoughts from a Broad" by John Coulbourn (pg. S6) in "The Toronto Sun"
1993/07/06
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 8
"Live, You Vixen!: Ann Magnuson Brings Her Lunatic Perspective to the Big Questions" by Jason Anderson (pg. 29; Magnuson is
also in the cover image) in "Eye Weekly"
1993/07/08
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 9
"Home Alone I with Ann Magnuson" by Gillian G. Gaar (pgs. 26-27; Magnuson is also in the cover image) in "The Rocket"
August 1993
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 10
"Ann Magnuson" by Tony Heilberg (pgs. 8-9; Magnuson is also in one of the cover images) in "East Village Eye"
This series includes posters advertising various performances of Magnuson's and one commemorating Magnuson's induction into
the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Folder: 1
The Night Gallery Coca Cabana Performance Cabaret, Center on Contemporary Art performance poster (3 copies)
1991
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Object: 2
"The Luv Show: Six Nights of Luv" by Ann Magnuson at Luna Park performance poster
November 1996
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Object: 3
"Dueling Harps" performance poster
ca. 2007-2008
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Object: 4
"Ann Magnuson and Adam Dugas: Dueling Harps" at the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT) performance poster
2008/10/17-2008/10/18
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Object: 5
"Ann Magnuson Presents an Evening of SurRURALism" poster (2 copies)
undated
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Object: 6
"Ann Magnuson: 2018 Inductee, West Virginia Music Hall of Fame" poster
This series includes ephemera documenting Magnuson's life and career, including a biography focusing on Magnuson's West Virginia
ties and other such material.
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 21
Photographs, correspondence, and "West Virginia-centric" biography (includes digital copies of the photographs and correspondence)
ca. 1973-1987, 2019
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 22
"The Sun Don't Care" lyric sheets and other material from the "Sunshine Bag," including embroidered patches and "Dream Girl"
album cover stickers
undated
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 23
Club 57 monthly calendar
2018
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 24
"The 2 Stendig Statement" furniture catalog (with images of Magnuson)
This series consists of addenda donated in 2020-2021. It includes event posters, publicity items, published work by or about
Ann Magnuson, and other material.
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