Image right: Escalera al cielo by Jimena Castiñeyras, a member of Sociedad Argentina de Collage. paper and matchstick boxes; 2020. Courtesy of the artist.
FROM KOLAJ 29
Collage Communities in the time of COVID
The COVID-19 Pandemic has disrupted collage communities and their plans, forcing groups to delay or cancel projects and exhibitions. Despite the loss, collage artists continue to push forward with the things they can do; making art where they can and lifting each other up as they go. “It is important to keep creating,” writes Virginie Maltais, the founder of Quebec Collage. This is a common sentiment among collage communities as they attempt to adapt to the current pandemic. In Kolaj 29, Christopher Kurts reports on how some collage communities are adjusting.
This article appears in Kolaj 29. To see the entire article, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
11”x8.5”; collage; 2017. Courtesy of the artist.
Kurts reports on Quebec Collage, The Twin Cities Collage Collective, Philadelphia CollageWorks, The Mystic Krewe of Scissors & Glue, Oltre Collage in Milan, Italy, The Collage Crew in London, United Kingdom, and the Sociedad Argentina de Collage.
This pandemic has been tough on all of us. It has taken away more than can be measured, but it has also given us an opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate what is most important to us. Support your local collage communities so they can support you.
This article appears in Kolaj 29. To see the entire article, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
Collage communities are collectives, meet-ups, ongoing collaborative projects, and groups whose focus and mission involves collage as a medium or genre in some way. A project of Kolaj Institute, the International Directory of Collage Communities is a survey of artist groups who are coming together around collage. The directory exists online as a searchable website. Kolaj Institute publishes a printed directory that features and highlights communities every two years. By documenting and mapping these communities, Kolaj Institute works to develop a picture of the collage movement: how collage artists are working together, how they are diffusing collage, and what challenges they face mobilizing an art community. The Directory also informs coverage of collage communities in Kolaj Magazine.
Learn more at www.kolajmagazine.com/collage-communities.