PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT
World Collage Day 2023 Special Edition
In honour of World Collage Day, 13 May 2023, Kolaj Institute is releasing a special edition of Kolaj Magazine. The Special Edition is full of Cut-Out Pages and stories from inspiring collage artists. The printed magazine also includes an interview with World Collage Day 2023 Poster Artist Anthony D Kelly.
ORDER YOUR COPY | WORLD COLLAGE DAY WEBSITE
The World Collage Day 2023 Special Edition is sent automatically to members of the Silver Scissors & Golden Glue Societies. These special subscribers support the work of Kolaj Institute while receiving an item from Kolaj each month. Join before 15 May 2023 to receive your copy. LEARN MORE.
INSIDE THE ISSUE
Come, Do, & Discover
An Editorial by Ric Kasini Kadour about World Collage Day
“One of the great things about Art is that we are free to do with it what we choose. There is no god that is going to stick us in the belly of a fish if we have a different understanding of an artwork than the person sitting next to us.”
News & Notes
Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2023 | The Awakening by Kate Chopin | Send me a postcard, Darling! | Art for a Cause
The Inherent Joy of Pulling Together, Rather Than Pulling Apart
World Collage Day 2023 Poster Artist Anthony D Kelly
“I love collage as an artform, as a way of playing, of creating meaning, and of communicating. But while watching these people master the art of origami, and seeing how that changed their ways of seeing, exploring and investigating the world a question started to form. If origami can do that, then what does collage do?”
Folklore & Collage
Kolaj Institute’s Project Is in Full Swing.
“Folklore is the imagination of the past as it is understood in the present….In times of crisis and collective trauma, these stories can be key to a community’s sense of resilience and ultimate survival.”
CUT OUT PAGES
Ugly Food Collage
Cherie Savoie Tintary | Forest Grove, Oregon, USA
From the Jell-o molds to the block of Velveeta to a stack of pancakes styled with syrup and a perfect pad of better, the fragments in Cherie Savoie Tintary’s Cut-Out Page call forth a corner of humanity where middle-class aspirationalism meets consumerism, industrialized agriculture, and the sort of ultra-processed food that was marketed in the 20th century.
Everything Can Be Different
Andrea Lewicki | Carnation, Washington, USA
Andrea Lewicki wants her artwork to give the viewer “a feeling of surprise and divergence but in a good, soul-expanding way. That sounds pretty lofty, I know, but it’s the feeling I have often when making collage. If even just a small expression of that comes through in the finished artwork, then my job is done.”
Memory of Lives Past
Eve Lumai Bridges | Hayfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
Eve Lumai Bridges artwork makes physical the idea that memories are fragmented and fragile. “I work predominantly with found photography depicting precious memories from the past of people I’ve never met and places I’ve never been.”
Collage Can Be Like Poetry
Jennifer Wilkin Penick | Washington, DC, USA
“I think that collages can be like poetry in their ability to create a narrative or a mood by forming a composition from originally unrelated bits. I am fascinated by natural history, animals (real and imagined), sacred objects, ancient art, botanical illustrations, and patterns of all kinds.”
We Have the Meats!
Kathryn Kenworth | Oakland, California, USA
“It is easy to lose sight of what is meaningful in our consumer-driven culture when we are bombarded with product imagery, idealized environments, money saving offers and cool new things to buy. With collage I can take that alluring product imagery and use it in terms of color, shape and composition.”
A Never Ending Collage of Life & Death
Kat Evans | Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
Kat Evans’ collage is a call back to mid-20th century art presented in the style of a 21st century remix. “I wish for viewers to see something that they understand or remember, a kind of nostalgic experience. I want them to smile and remember the familiar and to also feel a slight awkwardness of that fearful unknown.”
A Window Into Soul & Psyche
Lauren Wilcox | Seattle, Washington, USA
“Most of my work focuses on themes of femininity throughout history, religion, and human autonomy. Ideally, I want viewers to question traditionalism and societal expectations specifically relating to women. I think the best part of collage is its true ability to be interpreted differently by each viewer and their personal experiences.”
To Make Visible The Inner Mind
Lo Super | Madrid, Spain
Lo Super will celebrate World Collage Day with the collective Fantasía Collage. “We will go out with La Romería de la Santa Tijera [The Pilgrimage of the Holy Scissors] armed with collages, buckets full of glue, to claim the right to use the public space for culture taking to the streets with joy and fun.”
The Analogy Between Past & Present
Marcia Rosenberger | Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
What happens when you bring an artifact of the past like 17th century French engraver Nicolas Larmessin’s Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci into dialogue with a fashion model wearing flared paints, a paisley top, and oversized Jackie-O sunglasses? Would the conversation meander to blue parrots and Pentelic marble theatre masks? Would they event speak the same language? Marcia Rosenberger wants us to find out.
Where No Human Has Gone Before
Mark Vargo | Colusa, California, USA
Our job as viewers is to bring our imagination (and knowledge) to the viewing of art and to let it poke our curiosity. Mark Vargo writes, “I want my artwork to draw viewers in and challenge them–both from a technical perspective, with unexpected materials and techniques–and also from a visual standpoint, creating images that make the viewer question and go deeper than the surface.”
Sharing the Joy of Making
Ottavia Marchiori | Parma, Italy
“Collage art has no rules and is playful, within everyone’s reach: if someone, viewing my creations, is stimulated to approach this kind of artistic expression and make collages, for me it’s a huge result achieved.
A Sacred Therapeutic Act of Expression
Paola Dcroz | Madrid, Spain
“Collage is my passion, it expresses myself in the most perfect way, it celebrates the randomness in me. It has changed my life; lighting a spark that fuels me with joy.”
Essential Daily Dose of Collage
Ria Bauwens | Ghent, Belgium
“Making collages is a part of my daily life. If there is no collage at the end of the day then something is very wrong.”
Community Coming Together
Rocky Mountain Collage Society | Grand Junction, Colorado, USA
Founded by two dedicated collage enthusiasts, Susan Stanton and Gayle Gerson in 2007, The goals of the Rocky Mountain Collage Society are to encourage appreciation, understanding and usage of collage as a fine art form by promoting educational and exhibition experiences for their members.
Divergent Visual Vernaculars
Sara Willadsen | Sheboygan, Wisconsin USA
“I want those who view my work to perceive a sense of space and recognize the energy and attention I put into my color choices and compositions.”
Stitches in Time
Shelby Pizzarro | Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
This material comes from intimate moments and while banal in their mundanity they are remarkable when thought of as stitches in time between the original user and you, dear reader.
Reinvent Everyday Life
Stéphanie Filion | Montreal, Quebec, Canada
“The work of assembly specific to collage joins her work of poetry, words and images being materials that she extracts from their context to tell stories and by doing so, reinvent everyday life.”
ORDER YOUR COPY | WORLD COLLAGE DAY WEBSITE
The World Collage Day 2023 Special Edition is sent automatically to members of the Silver Scissors & Golden Glue Societies. These special subscribers support the work of Kolaj Institute while receiving an item from Kolaj each month. Join before 15 May 2023 to receive your copy. LEARN MORE.