by Kenneth Manning
“(Collages)… become poetic theater or settings wherein are metamorphosed the elements of a childhood pastime. The fragile, shimmering globules become the shimmering but more enduring planet—a connotation of moon and tides—the association of water less subtle, as when driftwood pieces make up a proscenium to set off the dazzling white of sea foam billowy cloud crystallized in a pipe of fancy.”
—Joseph Cornell
Compared to other mediums of art, collage seems to be left unappreciated a lot of the time. Perhaps because it has such deep roots in the surreal, or perhaps because it seems to be cheaper or easier than other artforms, collage always seems to be in the background of the art scene. Joseph Cornell, a pioneer of this more modern style and the man who could write such beautiful descriptions of the majesty of his work, often hesitated to call himself an artist. He preferred the term “maker,” because to his eyes he was simply taking the scrapbooks out of scrapbooking. Even when Cornell’s art was accepted into their own exhibitions they were called “toys for adults” because the museums were not sure they could officially label them art.
Collage gets it name from the French root, colla, which means “to glue.” From its roots, as a different way for Pablo Picasso to express Cubism through actual squares of textured fabrics in some of his lesser known works, to the modern-day conception of collage, they have been inseparable from other kinds of art. In fact, collages have all the same amount of creativity, time, and effort go into them as any other medium of art. They force you to tell a story, to take things which alone had their own meanings and combine them into a single image. Even from a therapeutic point of view, collages serve all the perks which come with using your hands and creating things from any other artform, while being a comfortable way to communicate and an effective way to express yourself. Putting anything to paper and putting heart and soul into any work has great psychological benefits from lessening the weight of depression to simply making you feel more fulfilled.
Aside from bringing images together, collages bring people together, and even communities together. On the evening of Thursday 9/19 The Art Room will prove just this by crafting a collaborative community collage from 5:00 to 8:00, and we would love to see you there!
Like any great work of art, collages take trial and error, adding and taking away, time, effort, and a will to bring beauty into the world. So, my fellow makers, grab your glue and a magazine and keep on making.