8″x8″; found papers and acrylic on wood panel; 2024. Courtesy of the artist.
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Bird on a Wire
at LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
21 May-14 June 2026 (part of Kolaj Fest New Orleans)
The idiom, “Bird on a Wire,” speaks to the tension between freedom and vulnerability, a precarious state of existence where at any moment one could fly or fall. Leonard Cohen’s 1968 song is an apology, a prayer, and an anthem. He sings, “I have tried in my way to be free.” The idiom also speaks to what it feels like to be an artist; constantly on the verge of success or failure, balancing security with unpredictability. The idiom also speaks to this historical moment where society itself feels precarious or to quote Cohen’s song, we are all “like a worm on a hook.” With this in mind, we invited participants of Kolaj Fest New Orleans to submit for this exhibition, which was juried by Christy Wood, the director of LeMieux Galleries, and Kolaj Magazine Editor Ric Kasini Kadour. It is an official exhibition of Kolaj Fest New Orleans, an annual, multi-day festival & symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society, 10-14 June 2024.
Participating artists are:
Andrea Burgay (Brooklyn, New York) | Monica Church (Poughkeepsie, New York) | Valeri Clarke (Cheyenne, Wyoming) | Chad Colby (image above) (Durango, Colorado) | Trish Crapo (Leyden, Massachusetts) | Ben DiNino (Minneapolis, Minnesota) | Melanie Eubanks (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) | Julie Glass (Amite, Louisiana) | Cindy Green (Tuscon, Arizona) | Craig Howarth (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | Re Howse (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Ric Kasini Kadour (New Orleans, Louisiana & Montreal, Quebec) | Helen Kauder (New Haven, Connecticut) | Clive Knights (Portland, Oregon) | Samantha Lamph/Len (Riverside, California) | Carol M. Lynch (Metairie, Louisiana) | Bethanie Mangigian (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Jaclyn McCabe (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Beau McCall (New York, New York) | Robbie Morgan (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Carolyn E. Oliver (Carlsbad, California) | Kirk Read (Portland, Oregon) | Robin Roberts (San Diego, California) | Robert A. Schaefer. Jr (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Sandra Schilling (Lenox, Massachusetts) | Martina Sciolino (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) | Stephen Tomasko (Akron, Ohio) | William Tucker (New Orleans, Louisiana) | LaVonna Varnado-Brown (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Ashley Williams (Northport, Alabama).
Kolaj Fest New Orleans is a multi-day festival and symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society, 10-14 June 2026. Visit the website to learn more, see an overview of the program, and register to attend.
INFORMATION
LeMieux Galleries
332 Julia Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 USA
(504) 522-5988
Hours:
Monday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM