Assemblage Collage Collective

Oakland, California, USA

HISTORY

Kelly Donohue and Leah Zani founded Assemblage Collage Collective in 2023 after meeting at a local somatic arts studio and discovering their shared interest in collage. Their practice draws on collage’s roots in surrealism, psychology, spiritualism, poetry, and anthropology. The group has met quarterly since it began.

MISSION

Assemblage Collage Collective uses collage to explore imagery, words, feelings, and ideas through recombination. Its approach combines collage with guided meditations, somatics, dream imagery, tarot, and automatic art. The collective also supports members’ artistic practices through skill training, shared resources, and peer support.

KEY ACTIVITIES

The collective hosts online and in-person events focused on making art, supporting members’ professional art practices, and curating a shared archive of paper ephemera. Members participate in an art mail exchange, and the group announces open calls for work to feature on its Instagram page.

Co-founders Kelly Donohue and Leah Zani have separately led collage and collage-poetry workshops at Moonlanding Meditative Arts, Princeton University, Oxford University, and the University of Copenhagen.

MEETINGS

The group meets quarterly in person in the Grandlake neighborhood of Oakland, California. It currently has seven members and is actively recruiting. Members come from backgrounds including finance, technology, psychology, and academia, and each has an established art practice.

JOIN

Practicing artists at any level are invited to join. Membership is free. To apply, email Leah Zani and Kelly Donohue at makeacollage@gmail.com with a letter of interest that includes your preferred name and pronouns, an example of your art, and whether the collective may post it on Instagram. Include your mailing address if you would like to receive art mail, and your Instagram handle if your work may be posted.

INSTAGRAM