Alvin Balkind fonds

Fonds consists of material reflecting Alvin Balkind’s career as an art gallery curator, art critic, and active participant in the art community of Vancouver.

Fonds is arranged into four series:

1. Writings series (29.1)
2. Personal files series (29.2)
3. Travel series (29.3)
4. Photographs series (29.4)

Records relating to Balkind’s professional career include: research notes, notebooks, clippings, drafts, and typescripts for his unpublished biography, short stories, articles, and critical art reviews; promotional posters; and materials relating to his founding of the New Design Gallery. The fonds also includes materials and correspondence relating to his work with the Vancouver Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Ontario, University of British Columbia Fine Arts Gallery, and a proposed museum curation course at UBC entitled "Museum Philosophy and Practice."

Personal records include: correspondence and memorabilia accumulated during trips to Europe (which always included the Venice Biennale) and Balkind and Rogatnick's three-month journey in China (1987/1988); medical records; notes documenting his fight against lymphoma; photographs; and small pieces of art created by Balkind.