COLLAGE SCENE
20th Anniversary of National Collage Society’s Small Format Exhibit
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the National Collage Society Small Format Exhibit. The National Collage Society (NCS)’s founder, Gretchen Bierbaum, explained that in 1997, the NCS Board of Directors discussed the need to offer all NCS members an opportunity to exhibit their collages without a jury. (The NCS has hosted a juried show since its founding in 1982.) The result of these discussions was the Small Format Exhibit, a non-juried members’ show of small work that is easy to ship (4”x6” on an 8”x10” frameless mat board). Originally called the “Wish You Were Here” exhibit, the first of these “postcard shows” was held in NCS’ home state of Ohio, followed by four years at the Cork Gallery in New York City’s Lincoln Center.
During one of the New York exhibits, Bierbaum said, a patron entered the gallery and explained that the collages on display created “a room full of jewels.” Now the show travels the U.S., with each exhibit given its own title. As Bierbaum proudly states, “Expansive art can be found in a small format.”
The 20th anniversary show, “Size Does Matter”, takes place in the Main Gallery of the Chaffey Community Museum of Art in Ontario, California, 30 March-21 May 2017. The Chaffey’s exhibition page describes the show: “The National Collage Society Postcard Exhibit is an invitational exhibition comprised of small format 4″ x 6″ postcard-sized collages. A collage is any artwork created with another layer glued onto the surface.”
Find out more at www.nationalcollage.com.
This article first appeared as a News & Notes item in Kolaj #18. To read more News & Notes from the world of collage, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
INFORMATION
Chaffey Community Museum of Art
217 South Lemon Avenue
Ontario, California 91761 USA
(909) 463-3733
Hours:
Thursday-Sunday, Noon-4PM
Image:
Tanks
by Gretchen Bierbaum