Fur Hat (Chinese)

The Rex Amos papers are a collection of artwork, journals and diaries, biographical material, correspondence, photographs, and writings compiled by Amos. The collection also contains an oral history interview conducted with Amos in 2014. A wealth of information about Amos's life can be found in his correspondence and writings gathered largely from the mid-1950s to the 2010s. He documents his challenging childhood, his feelings about contemporary events, and the trials of friends and family's diseases, deaths, and suicides. Amos's oral history provides context to his papers and to his artwork. His correspondence reveals information about his own life as well as of the lives of those with whom he is writing, giving a unique look at life in Oregon and California through the second half of the twentieth century. There is video, newspaper, and Amos's written documentation of his care for his mother, Jean, while she had Alzheimer's disease. The Rex Amos papers represent Amos's lifetime as an artist: as an extra in Paint Your Wagon; as a jazz drummer in Portland; as an assemblage artist of materials near his home in Big Sur, California; as a collage artist creating 'gutterscapes' from scraps of used paper; to a collage artist creating chine collé for art galleries and museums in Oregon and California.

These papers also represent Amos's life as a philosopher. Amos conceived and named the philosophy of Preliminism, the theory and practice of practice. Preliminism is represented throughout Amos's papers, mentioned in correspondence, in his writing and referenced in news articles related to his work. His papers also reflect his life as a fly fisherman, clammer, and overall outdoorsman.

Along with Amos's own materials are those that he has gathered about friends and other Pacific Northwest artists. These include artwork, books, photographs, video, and writings of Amos's family and many area artists. Amos's wife, Diane, assisted in the organization and appraisal of the materials, adding context to much of the materials and many of the people featured in the papers. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University has a collection of Amos's artwork.

The Rex Amos papers are still undergoing processing and materials are being integrated and added to the collection with the finding aid updated periodically. Please contact the repository for more information or with questions.