Curitorial Insights and Student Voices
Notes From the Vault…CLICKBAIT!
By Adam Kimball, BU class of 2025, Museum Studies
Graduate Student Intern, Martin Museum of Art
Q: Being assigned to curate for this exhibition project, what were your goals/tasks for working on the exhibition; including some revelations you landed upon through your reading, research, and findings?
Kimball: My goal initially was to find out what these pieces were all about, where they came from, and what they were created for. Early on, there wasn’t much to go on since we had little information on them, and how they were acquired. Utilizing reverse image search on the web quickly revealed that these pieces were paintings used as book cover art, and the writing (notes) on the reverse side of the works were the names of the books/magazines (most of the time). Although I was unsure why they were made, my assumption was that these were the original paintings that artists were sending to publishers, but I didn’t feel that was valid to assume. Eventually, I confirmed this by identifying the stamped shipping dates that matched the time periods found during my image searching. Additionally, the name of the publisher for many of the pulps, Pyramid, was on the backs of many of the pieces.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find out details on how these pieces ended up at the Martin Museum. An unusual resource that was crucial in identifying the pieces was collectors and sellers of pulps. Despite their age, ranging from the 1950’s, up through the early 1970’s, along with the fact that they’re no longer being made, there are available resources— websites where people discuss pulps and have inventoried images of the books, and sometimes, the cover artwork. There are sellers on every common third-party website. These resources confirmed the accuracy of most of the markings on the pieces. Artists were found through signatures on the pieces, but some were unsigned.
Q: Being so deeply involved in the research for these pulp cover art paintings, what was the overall impact of the artworks upon you, and the strengths you see/find in the works. As a graduate student in museum studies, I am sure you have some thoughts you could share?
Kimball: For me, going through the process of discovery, and finding ways to figure out what these works were, and why they were made, was fascinating. It was abnormal, in my experience, where the research involved playing detective, and attempting to determine what these things were, and having to follow unorthodox avenues to gain insight and information. The most interesting part about the works themselves is how personal they feel, but in a way that’s different from how I am used to thinking about artists and their artworks. Instead of getting to know or empathize with an artist through the content and purpose of the work, you find a connection through the little details that are really outside the piece, such as the writing on the back and, especially, the pieces that have paint on the margins where the artist was maybe testing what color they wanted to use. These insights, combined with the fact that they were producing these to make a living, it’s a peek behind the curtain you don’t often get to experience. It reminds me of how much we like to see things like TV bloopers or the notes of authors and scientists. It’s very human, because these artists are almost lost to time. It’s getting a glimpse into something ephemeral that I doubt these artists ever considered would be seen, especially when thinking about the historical context and what part of American history they are emblematic of. The mid-20th century was one of the most defining moments in history, and getting a glimpse into it, outside the speeches of politicians and generals, to see how regular people were dealing with social norms, fantasy, violence, taboo— it’s unique. On a more personal note, my father would’ve been part of the target demographic for these, as he was born in 1954. It is interesting, and nostalgic to make this kind of comparison.
Q: What is your favorite piece in the show, and why?
Kimball: My favorite might be the cover of Through Many Waters because of how over-the-top it is. Trying to use the sort of typical dramatic pose of lovers you see in the context of a racetrack is just an insanely brave move.
Q: In summarization, what did you gain from working on this exhibition/project, and what does it mean to you?
Kimball: This was my first opportunity to do research and design in this context. It was really fun, and it has provided me with good experience, especially as I am working on my degree in museum studies, and plan to continue in the museum profession. It’s especially nice to work on something and see something come out of it that’s not just a grade on my Canvas page. It’s satisfying.
Q: Would you care to share some of your sources/readings for reading/research?
Kimball: Most of my sources were listings and forum posts, but this book was an interesting read:
American Pulp: How Paperbacks Brought Modernism to Main Street
For something interesting involving the research, I have a ton of pictures of notes on the backs and sides of pieces like these:
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Adam Kimball is the 2023- 2024 graduate assistant at the Martin Museum of Art, and currently working towards an MA degree in the Museum Studies program at Baylor University. Previously, he earned a BA in Anthropology from LSU and has plans to pursue work in a similar capacity of research/design in art museums.