Arthur Russell Archives to Be Displayed in Brooklyn Exhibit

Arthur Russell’s archives will be displayed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for an exhibition called Do What I Want: The Experimental World of Arthur Russell. Presented by BAM Visual Art, Russell’s estate, and Russell’s partner Tom Lee, the exhibition will be open from March 1 to May 14 and is free to the public. The exhibition features more than 150 items, including a selection of Russell’s own notes, scores, photos, test pressings, show fliers, and album covers. There are also never-before-heard recordings from his personal working tapes. 

Do What I Want will include listening stations featuring playlists spanning Russell’s discography. The playlists were compiled by Steve Knutson of Audika Records, who released much of Russell’s music. The exhibit was organized by curators Nicole Will and Jonathan Hiam.

Last year, Russell’s archives were obtained by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The full archive contains letters, photographs, unreleased recorded material contained on cassette tapes, VHS, reel, DATs, Beta, and more. The library has digitally archived the unreleased material with the intention to make those materials available to the public.

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