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Guide to the Irene Pasinski Sailer Papers 1850-2000 [Bulk 1955-1992

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Irene Pasinski Sailer Papers
Creator
Sailer, Irene Pasinski
Collection Number
MSS 886
Extent
3 linear feet (3 boxes)
Date
1850-2000, [bulk 1955-1992]
Abstract
Irene Pasinski Sailer was an artist, the founder of Irene Pasinski Associates, and a founder of the Carnival of Three Rivers which later became the Three Rivers Regatta. The Irene Pasinski Papers consists of exhibition catalogs, correspondence, Irene Pasinski Associates promotional materials, newspaper clippings, and photographs. The materials document Pasinski's career as an artist, her company's products, and her role in the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, the Three Rivers Regatta, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Kelly J. Smith.
Sponsor
This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

Irene Pasinski Sailer was an artist, the founder of Irene Pasinski Associates, and a founder of the Carnival of Three Rivers which later became the Three Rivers Regatta. She was born on October 14, 1923 to Anthony and Mary Waichler. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1945 from Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University, she attended Ecole du Louvre, and Institut d'Art Applique a l'Industrie in Paris, France on a Fulbright Fellowship. Pasinski returned to Pittsburgh and founded Irene Pasinski Associates, a product design firm, in 1956 where she remained the director until 1995. Her firm designed products for Lenox China and The Franklin Mint, among others, and designed signage for the Pittsburgh International Airport.

While building her business, Pasinski concentrated on her career as an artist exhibiting in Pittsburgh and New York and serving as a board member and as a president of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. She began in the 1940s by creating abstract impressionistic paintings. Later, she worked in mixed media sculptural and relief forms. Pasinski's influence in Pittsburgh went beyond the art world. She initiated the Carnival of Three Rivers in 1976 which became the Three Rivers Regatta, an annual event since 1977. Pasinski also served on the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts where she was also president.

Pasinski died on June 19, 2002 in Turtle Creek, Pa. She was preceded in death by two husbands; Edmund Pasinski and Paul G. Sailer.

Scope and Content Notes

The Irene Pasinski Sailer Papers and Photographs consists of exhibit catalogs, promotional materials for her company and for exhibits, correspondence, newspaper clippings, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre event programs and marketing materials, and Three Rivers Regatta trophy sketches and correspondence. The materials document Pasinski's career as an artist, and to a lesser extent as a business owner. Her role in the Three Rivers Regatta from 1978 to 1989 is documented, as well. Three series have been designated for the collections: Personal, Professional, and Photographs.

Series I, Personal, 1955-1999, Box 1

Series three documents performances and events that Pasinski attended, a trip to Russia, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's fundraising efforts and long-range plans, and her role in the Three Rivers Regatta. Materials include performance programs, newspaper clippings, a written account of a trip to Russia, and correspondence regarding the Three Rivers Regatta.

Series II, Professional 1915, 1944, 1961-2000, Boxes 1 and 2, and oversized box

This series consists primarily of catalogs of exhibits in which Pasinski participated. Additional materials include newspaper clippings and correspondence. The materials document Pasinski's role in planning Associated Artists of Pittsburgh exhibits, her career as an exhibiting artist, and the products that she designed for her company. The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts is documented by a typewritten history, brochures, course catalogs, and two calendars.

Series III, Photographs 1850, 1953-1992, Box 2

This series is primarily photographs of commercial items designed by Irene Pasinski Associates. There are some photographs and slides of exhibits, and one set of photographs that could be of the Steel Symphony, a Pittsburgh Theatre Ballet for which Pasinski designed the sets. There are two glass plate negatives; one of Water Street in Pittsburgh, dated 1850, and another of a railroad depot.

Arrangement

The Irene Pasinski Papers are housed in three boxes and in one oversized box. The materials are arranged into three series and alphabetically by topic within each series. Pasinski's filing system was retained when possible. The designated series are: Personal, Professional, and Photographs.

Series I, Personal, Box 1

Series II, Professional, Boxes 1 and 2, and oversized box

Series III, Photographs, Box 2

Conditions Governing Access

None

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Richard A. Waichler on behalf of the Irene Pasinski Sailer estate in 2003.

2003.0144

Preferred Citation

Irene Pasinski Sailer Papers, 1850-2000, [Bulk 1955-1992], MSS 886, Fine Art Collection, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

Preliminary processing by Kelly J. Smith on 12/18/2012.

Conditions Governing Use

The Senator John Heinz History Center does not own reproduction rights to all of the material in this collection. All responsibility for questions of copyright is assumed by the user.

Related Materials

Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Records, 1910-2003, (Bulk 1984-2000), MSS 399, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Photographs, 1916, 1985-1988, MSP 399, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Separated Materials

Associated Artists of Pittsburgh exhibition catalogs were transferred to the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Records, MSS 399.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
    • Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
    • Three Rivers Arts Festival (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Associated Artists of Pittsburgh
    • Three Rivers Regatta (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Irene Pasinski Associates (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Personal Names

    • Pasinski, Irene

    Other Subjects

    • Product design.
    • Exhibitions -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
    • Artists -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Art -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Women -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List