Linda Lyke papers

May 4 Collection - Box 61

Finding Aid

Prepared by Scott L. Bills, 27 August 1980; Prepared for the Web by Erica Lilly, February 1997; Updated December 2018

Inclusive Dates: 1970
Extent: .16 cubic foot (1 slim document case and 4 oversized folders)
Physical Location: 11th and 12th floors

Biography: Linda Lyke was born in Canton, Ohio. She received a BFA and MFA from Kent State University. Lyke was a faculty member in the School of Art at the time of the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970. She is a visual artist and professor of art and art history at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California.

Scope and Content: This collection contains correspondence assembled by Linda Lyke for a display by Student Government in 1970, collagraph prints by Lyke, and a letter from Lyke students.

Arrangement: The Linda Lyke papers are organized into the following series.

• Series 1: Student Government Exhibit
• Series 2: Linda Lyke papers and artwork

Acquisitions Information: Through J. Gregory Payne, Linda Lyke donated these materials to the Kent State University Special Collections and Archives on May 5, 1980. Lyke donated three collagraph prints in 2015.

Related Material: The KSU Student Government May 4 records (May 4 Collection, Box 1) contain correspondence sent to the Kent State University Student Government by individuals and groups from Ohio, other states, and other countries in response to the events of May 4, 1970.

Restrictions on Use: Linda Lyke has kindly donated to the Kent State University Special Collections and Archives whatever property and literary rights she possesses in these materials.

Sponsor: Digitization of this collection was funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Series 1: Student Government Exhibit
Scope and Content: This series contains correspondence sent to the Kent State Student Government in the immediate aftermath of the Kent State Shootings on May 4, 1970. Linda Lyke assembled the correspondence in this collection as part of a display by Student Government for the Fall Quarter of 1970. The letters provide a sample of the wide range of reactions to the shootings, both nationally and internationally. The correspondence was originally mounted for display on seven poster boards, and is arranged in the collection accordingly. Charts documenting the layout of each board have been retained in a separate folder.

May 4 Collection - Box 61
Folder -- Contents

1. Correspondence: Sent to Kent State University Student Government: May 1970
2. Correspondence: Sent to Kent State University Student Government: May 1970
3. Correspondence: Sent to Kent State University Student Government: May 1970
4. Correspondence: Sent to Kent State University Student Government: May 1970
5. Correspondence: Sent to Kent State University Student Government: May 1970
   Scope and Content: Includes a press clipping from Pacific Stars and Stripes with marginal comments sent by a serviceman.
6. Correspondence: Sent to Kent State University Student Government: May 1970
7. Correspondence: Sent to Kent State University Student Government: May 1970
8. Layouts for Student Government exhibit: 1980

Series 2: Linda Lyke papers and artwork
Scope and Content: This series includes three collagraph prints that Lyke made in response to the Kent State shootings, shortly after May 4, 1970. The prints were exhibited in an arts festival she organized at the opening of the Fall Quarter in 1970. Lyke described these pieces as being made in the style of pop art, two of which are her own interpretations of famous photos taken at the time of the shootings. Also included is a letter from Lyke to students, and a drawing by Lyke.

May 4 Collection - Box 61
Folder -- Contents

9. Collagraph Print: "Kent State, 1970, May 4," 1/10, 1970
   Author: Lyke, Linda
   Physical Location: Shelved in map case.
   Physical Description: 14 1/2 x 18 1/8 in.
10. Collagraph Print: "Kent State, May 4, 1970," 2/10, 1970
    Author: Lyke, Linda
    Physical Location: Shelved in map case.
    Physical Description: 14 1/8 x 17 7/8 in.
11. Collagraph Print: "Lament: Four Dead at Kent," 1970
    Author: Lyke, Linda
    Physical Location: Shelved in oversized map case.
    Physical Description: 28 5/8 x 25 3/4 in.
12. Correspondence: Lyke to Students: May 1970
13. Drawing: Peace Sign: undated
    Author: Lyke, Linda
    Scope and Content: Ink drawing on tissue paper of a hand holding up a peace sign.
    Physical Location: Shelved in map case.
    Physical Description: 29 x 19.5 in.