Skip to main content

Cleveland, Buster, 1943-1998

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1943 - 1998 May 6

Biography

Buster Cleveland (1943-1998), born James Trenholm in Chicago in 1943, had studied at the Chicago Art Institute and the San Francisco Art Institute after serving in the Coast Guard. He'd become Buster Cleveland by the time he'd arrived in Northern California in the 1970's, where he settled during the first half of that decade, and became involved with the Mendocino Area Dadaists (M.A.D) and the Bay Area Dadaists (B.A.D.), California organizations of artists whose intent was to recreate the ephemeral works of early European Dadaist like Marcel Duchamp and Kurt Schwitters. It was also at this time he began his activities with mail art, a medium pioneered by his friend Ray Johnson.   The 1970's proved to be a very fertile period for Cleveland having him develop many of his friendships with artists who were recognized as important within the margins of the art world--John Evans, May Wilson, Ray Johnson, and Al Hansen amongst them. Although the artists who made up this milieu were not in the mainstream, they were very much talked about in the New York art world, as is still the case today. In the latter part of the 1970's, Cleveland moved to New York City and lived bi-coastally through the early 80's.   Buster Cleveland's most widely seen artworks were those using covers of Artforum magazine that he produced beginning in the late 1980's. Photographic self portraits, portraits of friends, logos from cigarette packs, and an assor tment of other kitsch and popular imagery were collaged onto the magazine covers, many of which were preserved in poured plastic after he made laser prints of the collages, reducing them to postcard size and distributing them through the mail by subscription.   -excerpts from "Buster Cleveland (1943-1998)" by Sur Rodney (Sur), Independent curator and archivist, available online here as a PDF file.

Found in 23 Collections and/or Records:

ATCA Artists' Works and Correspondence Files Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MsC0764
Abstract

This ATCA collection brings together mail art, correspondence, photographs, slides, compact discs, show announcements/posters, writings, and other ephemera related to or by various artists.

Dates: 1968-2010

Buster Cleveland Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MsC0785
Abstract

Correspondence and art work by mail artist Buster Cleveland.

Dates: 1967-2005

Des Construcao Verbal: 1967 - 1997 Poema-Processo Hoje / Silva, Falves, editor ; Brown B ; Bezerra M ; DeSa A ; deAraujo A ; Cleveland B ; Silva F ; Branco J ; Medeiros J ; Ray M ; Bloch M ; Nannucci M ; Fierens L ; Cirne M ; Durland S ; Rehfeldt R ; Wolf-Rehfeldt R., 2002

 Item
Identifier: CC-41117-43098
Scope and Contents

This work is a collection of Silves' publications. It comprises the following: 1) introductory card, 2) Mail- Art Copy-Book Two 1990, 3) Testos Visualis exhibition announcement pamphlet, 4) folded broadside not dated, 5) performance announcement card "A Violencia Nossa de Cada Dia" 1999, 6) 50 Anos - portfolio of photocopied prints 1993, 7) newspaper article on Silves (2003); 8) a newspaper supplement pamphlet about Silves (2000), 9) 16 photocopied prints not dated, 12) 3 page photocopied critical text on poema processo 1967 - 2002, and 13) photocopied page of exhibition review of Silves works dated 2002INternet: Falves Silva (1943-) is one of the artists featured in OEI #66 Process/poem. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 2002

Edition Ubu: Eroticism in Surrealist Photography & Collage. No.12 / Jindrich Styrsky ; Boxer E., 1997

 Item
Identifier: CC-42444-44454
Scope and Contents

The invitation to the opening is printed on the outside of the black plastic bag. The glued red label states "Discretion Advised! Sexually Explicit Material Enclosed." The enclosed card is a reproduction of the collage entitled "Emilie Comes to Me in a Dream" (1933). This exhibition announcement was designed by Eileen Boxer. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1997

Fine Art / Fine, Albert M.; Andersen E; Andre M; Cage J; Cleveland B; Johnson R; Pittore-Eurofico C., 1991

 Item
Identifier: CC-12273-12497
Scope and Contents

Designed and edited by Christian Xatrec. Includes 72 facsimile postcards mailed by Albert Fine. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1991

ICA Bulletin. No.135/May / Houedard DS ; Roth D ; Chopin H ; Reinhardt A., 1964

 Item
Identifier: CC-41820-43815
Scope and Contents

This issue depicts two typewriter art pieces by Dom Sylvester Houedard. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1964

I.D.'s Mr. ReeeeSearch Continued / Hambleton, Richard, editor ; Cleveland B ; Frangione N ; Rehfeldt R ; Banana A ; Carrion U ; Duch LF ; Tot E ; Perfetti M ; Gaglione B ; Bruscky P ; Gibbs M ; Groh K ; Crozier R ; Larter P ; Schmidt A., 1979

 Item
Identifier: CC-08764-8939
Scope and Contents

This is a collection of artists' works compiled by Richard Hambleton. Each contributor decorates a blank portrait of Mr. Reeee, who is presented as a murderer in keeping with the project's "investigation/police report' theme. JMB is one of the artists included in the book, as are Robert Rehfeldt, Angelika Schmidt, Andre Stitt, Pat Larter, Robin Crozier, G. A. Cavellini, Anna Banana, Ulises Carrion, L. F. Duch, Ken Friedman, and many others. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1979

Inter Dada 84 / Ginny Lloyd, editor; B Gaglione; R Rocola; B Cleveland; A Banana; A Spiegelman; M Bell; CE Loeffler; D Domel; P Fish; JO Olbrich; C Stake; GA Cavellini; P Tavenner; J Hoffberg; A Schmidt; R Johnson., 1984

 Item
Identifier: CC-51673-72773
Scope and Contents

Although the edition called for 25 copies, according to Ginny Lloyd during a personal visit to the Archive in 2010, only four copies were actually assembled. Since the Sackner copy is numbered '5', perhaps she meant five copies. The box is addressed to the Sackner Archive. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1984

Inter Dada 84 / Ginny Lloyd, editor; B Gaglione; R Rocola; B Cleveland; A Banana; A Spiegelman; M Bell; CE Loeffler; D Domel; P Fish; JO Olbrich; C Stake; GA Cavellini; P Tavenner; J Hoffberg; A Schmidt; R Johnson., 1984

 Item
Identifier: CC-51673-72773
Scope and Contents

Although the edition called for 25 copies, according to Ginny Lloyd during a personal visit to the Archive in 2010, only four copies were actually assembled. Since the Sackner copy is numbered '5', perhaps she meant five copies. The box is addressed to the Sackner Archive. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1984

Smegma. No.2/Apr / Alex Hirka, editor ; Cleveland B., 1979

 Item
Identifier: CC-49045-70083
Scope and Contents

Scarletina Lust man be a nonde plume for Alex Hirka, the editor. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1979

The Starving Artists' Cookbook / Eidia, Paul ; Eidia, Melissa ; Wilson M ; Cage J ; Tot E ; Lipski D ; Colo P ; Cleveland B., 1991

 Item
Identifier: CC-13491-13794
Scope and Contents

This book is a collection of recipes, biographies and illustrations from artists in New York and Europe. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1991

[Untitled] / Cleveland, Buster; Rocola, Robert., 1997

 Item
Identifier: CC-41211-43194
Scope and Contents

The rubberstamps, Crop Circle Stamps, are by Robert Rocola and the painting is most likely by Buster Cleveland. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Dates: 1997