EZTV was, from its inception, a wildly eclectic community space supporting experimental art and performance, narrative video productions and documentaries, emergent digital art, and LGBTQ video productions. In 1983, EZTV moved into a storefront on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood where the organization produced and edited videos, made their facilities assessable to other aspiring video-makers, and hosted screenings, exhibitions, and performances. EZTV’s roots date back to 1979 when filmmaker John Dorr began using video technology to produce feature length productions. Kate first came to EZTV in the early 1990s during a period of turmoil as the organization grappled with the AIDS epidemic. Her soft-spoken wisdom was insightful and encouraging. Kate understood the legacy of EZTV and could always get to the heart of why art, community, and the continued preservation of EZTV’s archives was important.

As a professor at Otis College of Art and Design, Kate wasn’t always there, but, when she was, her presence and knowledge was vital. Michael is a gregarious and gifted storyteller, and most of these visits were spent going tape-by-tape with Michael recalling both important histories and hilarious tidbits that Stefano and I hurriedly notated. More visits followed, and, over the course of a year, Michael, Stefano di Paola (ONE Archives’ curatorial assistant at the time), and I catalogued the bulk of the videotapes in EZTV’s collection.

Plans were set in motion to donate their collection to the ONE Archives and with it, organize a celebratory exhibition, EZTV: Video Transfer. Kate and Michael were affable, trusting, and eager to share EZTV’s legacy, which was stuffed into every corner of their delightfully packed studio. Masucci, who invited me to EZTV’s studio at 18th Street (where they have been in residence since 2000). Alex generously introduced me to Kate-whom he referred to as a “digital diva”-and collaborator and partner Michael J. EZTV’s legacy intrigued me, and, as the ONE Archives’ novice curator, I was eager to learn more about the organization’s history and potential archival holdings. I first met Kate through artist and curator Alex Donis, who organized the exhibition Collaboration Labs: Southern California Artists & The Artist Space Movement at the 18th Street Art Center in 2011, which included EZTV. Among her numerous accomplishments and endeavors, Kate was instrumental in donating the archives of EZTV, a pioneering video art space founded in West Hollywood in the early 1980s, to the collections at ONE Archives at the USC Libraries. Kate was a talented artist and generous individual with a bright smile and infectious warmth. It is with deep sadness that I share the news that LA-based artist, filmmaker, and educator Kate Johnson passed away last month. Dear Friends of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries,

I, Spy? by Kate Johnson