Christina Sabat fonds

MG H173


Archives & Special Collections Dept.
Harriet Irving Library
University of New Brunswick
Box 7500, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 5H5

December 1998
Revised May 2000


Table of Contents

Series:
  1. Columns and articles, 1978-1998
  2. Artists' résumés, [197-?] - [199-?], Alphabetical listing
  3. Beaverbrook Art Gallery: Exhibits; speeches; curatorial appointments [197-] - 1997
  4. Inuit Art: Exhibition catalogues; artist information; photographs [197-?] - [199-?]
  5. Art Galleries: Promotional materials; exhibition catalogues 1962-1997; predominant 1978-1997
  6. New Brunswick Arts Boards & Organisations: Operational records [1961] - 1997; predominant 1992-1997
  7. Graphic materials [197-?] - [199-?]
  8. Collected materials 1976-1997; predominant 1991-1997
  9. Supplementary materials [197-?] - [199-?]


Christina Sabat fonds [textual records and other material]. - - [1961]-1998; predominant 1978-1998. - - 4.65 metres of textual materials, 16 diskettes, and 532 photographs.

Biographical sketch: Christina (Solonynka) Sabat was born 10 January 1942 in Lviv, Western Ukraine. Her family emigrated to Canada after the war, settling first in Montreal and then in Toronto, where her father became the editor of a weekly Ukrainian newspaper. Mrs. Sabat earned a degree in journalism in 1964 from the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, and later a BA in history from the University of Waterloo. After a brief stay in Peterborough, Ontario in the early 1970s, the Sabat family (Christina, her husband, Prof. Jerome Sabat, and their children Marc, Peter and Motria) arrived in Fredericton in 1974. Christina began her journalism career in the capital city by reporting on cultural matters via CBC Radio and on the community television network. She next turned her journalism skills to the print media, contributing articles to the local newspaper and to various arts magazines, becoming the art and dance critic for the Fredericton Daily Gleaner in 1978 and the visual arts columnist in 1979. Remaining neutral by staying off local arts boards and associations, Sabat wrote uncompromisingly about arts issues and funding for the arts, becoming well-known for her independent opinions on these and other arts-related subjects. During her career at the Daily Gleaner, Mrs. Sabat wrote three long-running weekly columns: "In the Arts", "Visual Arts in Review" and "Studio Watch", as well as contributing feature articles for the weekend "Leisure Guide" and "Today" supplements. At the time of her sudden death on 23 March 1998, she was credited with being the premier arts reporter in the Maritimes.

Scope and Content: The fonds consists of copies of Sabat's columns in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner, in the form of newspaper clippings and on disk, as well has notebooks containing background information for the columns. In addition, there are files of artists' résumés, and files devoted to various galleries, arts organisations and bodies in New Brunswick and the rest of Canada, which include catalogues, programmes, advertisements and other publicity materials. Files on aspects of Inuit art form another part of the fonds.

Photographs are concentrated in series 7 although some other series contain photographs. Biographical information on artists may be found throughout the fonds, in files related to gallery/exhibition openings or award ceremonies. Copies of speeches made at gallery/exhibition openings may also be found in several series.

The fonds comprises 8 series:
Series 1: Columns and articles
Series 2: Artists' résumés
Series 3: Beaverbrook Art Gallery: exhibits, speeches, curatorial appointments
Series 4: Inuit Art: exhibition catalogues, artist information, photographs
Series 5: Art Galleries: promotional materials; exhibition catalogues
Series 6: New Brunswick Arts Boards & Organisations: operational records
Series 7: Graphic materials
Series 8: Collected materials
Series 9: Supplementary materials

The arrangement and contents of Series 9: Supplementary materials parallel the categories of material in Series 1-3, 5-8 in the original donation.

Title based on the contents of the fonds.

Accompanying material: Approximately 280 monographs and exhibition catalogues were received, along with 75 art gallery monthly publications and 60cm. of arts and culture periodicals. Monographs from the Sabat collection added to the circulating collection of the Harriet Irving Library received a commemorative bookplate.

Immediate source of acquisition: The fonds was transferred from the family of the late Christina Sabat. by Prof. Jerome Sabat on 23 June and 15 July 1998. Supplementary materials were transferred by Motria Sabat and Peter Sabat on 28 June 1999, 13 July 1999 and 5 August 1999.

Arrangement: A box of miscellaneous materials was received, and where existing files permitted, material was added to these files. In a few cases, new files were created.

Restrictions: Normal copyright restrictions apply.

Related groups of records: A Case 7: Beaverbrook Art Gallery


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Last Update: 2000/06/27