Ferdinand Hampson, founder of Habatat Gallery, discusses networking with artists from Eastern Europe at the Corning ‘79 show. Oral history interview with Ferdinand Hampson by Catherine Whalen and Barb Elam, conducted via telephone, January 31, 2020, Bard Graduate Center. Clip length: 01:20.

Ferdinand Hampson: However, in Europe—well, I’ll tell you a funny story. We used to do postcards for our exhibitions and we would send them out all over the world. And it was mainly my partner’s idea to do this. I had a partner at the time, and I pictured people getting them—just like throwing them on the streets of Paris and then watching people walk on them. I mean, because we never get any response back from anybody and never—you know? So I thought, ‘That’s probably a real waste of time.’ Well, 1979, I came to the opening of that Corning New Glass show. And, I mean, I’m a kid, you know? Waiting for us are all these people from communist governments, artists that are renowned translators that are telling to—representing their countries. And we had, like, a lineup. I mean, I went to go to the party and all of a sudden I was just like working all the way to like two in the morning with appointments with people. And so there’s kind of—was kind of the start of it all.