Dawn Marie Clements was born on April 14, 1958, in Woburn Massachusetts, to Bruce and Carlene (Johnson) Clements. She grew up in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, with her three brothers, Philip, Stephen, and Carl. She graduated from Brown University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts in semiotics and went on to graduate school at State University of New York at Albany where she earned her Master of Fine Arts.
Clements became known for her work with Sumi ink and ballpoint pen on small to large-scale paper panels which explored interior spaces. Her inspiration typically came from her surroundings, television shows, and old movies, and she was especially interested in the spaces that women occupy. She often cut and pasted paper together to edit and compose a completed drawing, adding paper as necessary to create the desired scale. Through her active process the paper became distressed with folds, wrinkles, and seams. She described her work as "a kind of visual diary of what I see, touch, and desire. As I move between the mundane empirical spaces of my apartment and studio, and the glamorous fictions of movies, apparently seamless environments are disturbed through ever-shifting points of view."
By 1993 Clements was represented in the Venice Biennale. Later in the 1990s she was in group exhibitions at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, the University Art Museum in Albany and numerous other places. Her work was also exhibited in the Whitney Biennial 2010 and is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC), The Tang Museum (Saratoga Springs, NY), The Deutsche Bank Collection, The Saatchi Collection (London), The Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington (Seattle, WA), and Colecccao Madeira Corporate Services (Portugal). Clements, who lived and worked in Brooklyn, had numerous solo exhibitions as well, including several at Pierogi Gallery in New York, which represented her. Those included a 2012 collaboration with the sculptor Marc Leuthold.
During her time at Brown University, Clements met and dated fellow classmate James Barron though the two would later split while still in college. In 1994, Clements married the Italian photographer and installation artist Roberto Bocci, but their marriage ended four years later in divorce. Approximately 15 years after her graduation from Brown, Clements ran into Barron on a city street and the two would reconnect, becoming lifelong friends. Barron helped cared for Clements when she became ill with breast cancer in 2016 and became her co-executor, along with Ann Dufresne. Clements passed away in a hospice in Bronx, New York, on December 4, 2018. She was 60 years old.
[This biography was partially taken from Clements' biography on the Pierogi art gallery website and her New York Times obituary.]
This collection consists of the personal and professional papers of Dawn Clements (1958-2018), a 1986 graduate of the Brown University and a contemporary artist who was known for her work with Sumi ink and ballpoint pen on small to large-scale paper panels. The collection includes personal correspondence, diaries, photos, research notes, paintings and sketches with the bulk dating from 1970-2018. This collection is arranged into 9 series.
Series 1, PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, 1933-2018, includes artist statements, biographies, calendars, food diaries, and educational files that include diplomas and student papers. Of particular interest are Clements' personal diaries dating from 1968 through 1988 in which she discusses her mental health and body image challenges, personal relationships, and more general daily life. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type and then chronologically.
Series 2, CORRESPONDENCE, 1973-2018, contains personal and professional correspondence. The personal correspondence addresses her 1974 hospitalization after getting hit by a car and suffering bodily injuries and a concussion; her personal relationships with Kevin Murphy, James Barron, and her mother; as well as final words to her while she was in hospice for breast cancer in 2018. The professional correspondence addresses fellowships, participation in exhibitions, and her teaching career. Some correspondence includes photographs. Additional photographs can be found in Series 6, Photographs, and Series 8, Oversize Material. This series is arranged alphabetically then chronologically.
Series 3, FINE ART AND RELATED, 1908-2017, is arranged into 3 subseries. Subseries 1, Artworks, 1976-2015; Subseries 2, Exhibits, 1989-2017; Subseries 3, Research, 1908-2016.
Series 3, subseries 1, ARTWORKS, 1976-2015, contains calligraphy, needle arts, paintings, pen and ink drawings, sketchbooks, and sketches. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 3, subseries 2, EXHIBITS, 1989-2017, contains agreements, artwork labels and prices, booklets, notes, postcards, and posters relating to Clements' exhibits. Four folders contain postcards from other artists' exhibits. Larger exhibit files regard the Aperto (1993), Bump (1996), and Conditions of Desire (2007) shows. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 3, subseries 3, RESEARCH, 1908-2016, primarily includes loose notes, notebooks, printouts, and receipts for movies. Most notes regard unidentified topics, but several are related to movies or art theory. Most notebooks have been unbound for preservation purposes. Other items in this subseries include cultural iconography in the form of Christmas decorations and church fans, as well as an "herbarium and plant descriptions" scrapbook from 1908. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by record type and then chronologically.
Series 4, TEACHING, 1990-2014, includes syllabi, lecture notes, and readings. Courses include Advanced Drawing Techniques, Drawing, Drawing from Life, Still Life and Meaning, and Two-Dimensional Design. This series is arranged alphabetically by institution.
Series 5, PRINT MATERIAL, 1888-2004, contains books, magazines, and zines. Books include, "A Tune a Day" sheet music, "Figure Quarterly" figure drawing book, and several annotated Girl Scout handbooks. Zines include "Bethea Comics," "Robert Melee's Home Movies," and "Taffy Hips number 5." This series is arranged alphabetically by record type and then by title.
Series 6, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1900-2016, contains black and white and color photos of Clements as well as her exhibits, holidays, travel, and wedding. Photographs of television and actors as well as many of the portraits and vintage photos were used as research for her artwork. Additional photographs can be found in Series 2, Correspondence, and Series 8, Oversize Material. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Series 7, MEMORABILIA, 1900-1975, contains several of Clements' personal objects. Items include an apron used for painting, class and political pins, hair pins, a clutch, and high heels. This series is arranged alphabetically by item.
Series 8, OVERSIZE MATERIAL, 1960-2018, contains artwork by Clements such as sketches and paintings, artwork gifted to Clements, elevations of exhibit areas, handwritten notes, photos, and posters. Posters relate to Clements' exhibits as well as film societies she participated in as an undergraduate at Brown University. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.
Series 9, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, 1970-2013, contains a 3.5-inch floppy disk, audio cassette tapes, CDs, a DVD, film, a record, and a VHS tape. Files primarily relate to Clements' exhibits, lectures, and presentations. The film is a home movie from approximately 1970. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by title on the carrier.
All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Dawn Clements papers, Ms.2019.010, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
This collection is arranged into 9 series.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested. Advance notice is required to view any audiovisual media or born-digital records that may exist in this collection. Audiovisual media and born-digital records in this collection may not have been reformatted yet. Researchers may request access to copies by contacting the John Hay Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. Access to original physical audiovisual or born-digital media is restricted.
Gift of James Barron and Angela Dufresne in 2019.
This collection was part of the Pembroke Center's Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive until 2024 when collections were recataloged. All collections previously grouped under that title are now searchable under the subject headings "Women and Gender at Brown University" or "Feminist Activism in Rhode Island."