Skip to main content

Martin Stupich Photographs

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.VIS115

Scope and Contents of the Records

The photographs in this collection were created during two survey grants sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The images in the first grant documented the development of Atlanta’s rapid transit system (MARTA) from 1977- 1978, and photographs from the second grant (1979-1981) illustrate Atlanta’s role as a center of transportation. The photographs from the first NEA project depict downtown Atlanta prior to the construction of MARTA, employees involved in the creation of MARTA, and the construction of the railway from its initial stages. Included are images documenting the demolition of buildings, construction of tunnels, overpasses and MARTA stations. There are also portraits of construction workers, geologists and engineers involved in building physical structures throughout the city. Images of the second NEA project include railroad shops and roundhouses, parking garages, parking lots, highway widening projects, demolition of buildings, airplanes, MARTA stations, viaducts and bridges, aerial photographs, drive-in theaters, and billboards advertising transportation modes.

Dates

  • 1955 – 1981, bulk 1977-1981

Creator

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Administrative History

Born in 1949 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Martin Stupich is a professional photographer whose primary subjects include cultural and industrial landscapes across the United States and Asia, often focusing on the desert western frontier. He received a Master in Visual Arts from Georgia State University in 1978. In 1977 he began the first of two survey grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to document transportation in the city of Atlanta. He currently lives in New Mexico.

Extent

162 image(s)

Language

English

Arrangement of the Papers

This collection is arranged in two series; (1) Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), 1977-1978; and (2) Transportation, 1979-1981. The order within series one is not a chronology of construction but, rather, is the photographer’s attempt to imply a sequence of events through an integrated visual presentation. According to the photographer, the images in series two are arranged chronologically, although no specific dates are given for any of the photographs.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Martin Stupich; 1979, 1981, (1979.298), (1981.138)

General Physical Description note

Extent: 162 black and white photographic prints (1 document case, 2 oversized boxes)

Processing Information

Collection processed in 2006

Title
Martin Stupich Photographs ahc.VIS 115
Subtitle
An Inventory of His Photographs at the Kenan Research Center of the Atlanta History Center
Author
Inventory prepared by Paul Crater
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040