Even more than with previous books I’ve written, the number of people who assisted and encouraged me throughout a decade of research, writing, and editing was considerable.
None of this would have been possible without the gracious assistance of archivists and librarians at the Library of Congress, the Getty Research Institute, and the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. My special thanks to Henry Lowood, Jessica Gambling, Jeremy Grubman, and Lois White. In addition, I was helped by three student research assistants—Clare Kim, Naomi Kuromiya, and Viola Ardeni—who tracked down archival materials with considerable skill and persistence.
I am especially grateful to the archivists and librarians who helped me locate research materials and, when time was pressing, secure images and permissions. I want to especially acknowledge Jessica Gambling and Piper Severance at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Emily Park and Virginia Mokslaveskas at the Getty Research Library for easing my acquisition of images for the book. Mark Hanauer generously contributed a photograph for the dustjacket. Matthew Christensen did a superb job as copy editor. Especial thanks go to Katie Helke and her colleagues at the MIT Press who helped shepherd this book through acquisition, production, and completion.
Two fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution—one from the National Air and Space Museum (in 2015–2016) and another from the Lemelson Center at the National Museum of American History (2018–2019)—came at just the right times in the writing process.
Heather Krebs, the late Jack Masey, A. Michael Noll, Eugene Epstein, John Holloway, Ruth Waldhauer, Elsa Garmire, and Robert Kieronski all shared materials from their personal collections. In addition, Roger Malina and Julie Martin kindly provided unparalleled access to historical documents, family photographs, and artworks while also swiftly responding to many questions and requests for clarification. While they may not agree with all of my conclusions, the resources they shared helped build the foundation this book rests upon.
Friends and associates who offered ideas, shared research materials, read excerpts, and talked with me about this book project include Ann Johnson (1965–2016), Lee Vinsel, Meg Rotzel, Hyungsub Choi, David Brock, Jeanne C. Finley, Steven Duval, Jimena Canales, Anne Collins Goodyear, Amy Slaton, Peter Sachs Collopy, Dawna Schuld, Trevor Paglen, Fred Turner, Roger Malina, Eddie Shanken, Peter Westwick, John Blakinger, Julia Buntaine Hoel, Oliver Gaycken, Douglas Kahn, Asif Siddiqi, Stephen Nowlin, Amy Heibel, Peggy Weil, Andres Burbano, Michael Naimark, Fraser MacDonald, Fabrice Lapelletrie, Suman Seth, Evelyn Hankins, Johan Kärnfelt, Matthew Shindell, and David Kaiser. I’d also like to acknowledge colleagues in the University of California Santa Barbara’s Media Arts and Technology Graduate Program, whose work at the art and engineering interface has given me much to think about. My thanks to you all and anyone I may have forgotten.
Three wonderfully kind colleagues took time from their own projects to read a draft of the entire book. Michael Gordin suggested creative ways of thinking about connections between the terrain of art history and more-familiar narratives about technology and science. Bruce Robertson likewise expanded my understanding of the histories of the modern visual arts and dance. And Matthew Wisnioski graciously provided detailed comments on the manuscript and suggestions as to new archival sources.
And, finally, to Nicole—I know, I know . . .
W. Patrick McCray
April 2020
Santa Barbara, California
and Fort Collins, Colorado