AT KOLAJ FEST NEW ORLEANS
Curatorial Issues in Collage
Last year, at Kolaj Fest New Orleans, we began a conversation about how we put collage into the world. The topic was the subject of a panel presentation and the focus of the exhibition, “Revolutionary Paths: Critical Issues in Collage”, in which all of the work was a starting point of deeper curatorial inquiry. This year, we pick up that conversation.
Using the Kolaj Fest New Orleans exhibition, “Cultural Deconstructions”, as a launching point, this session will explore how we put collage into the world.
Part 1 will focus on The Exhibitions. How do we exhibit collage? What is needed from collage to function in a commercial gallery, art center, or museum? How do we build exhibitions that go beyond the “Cut and Paste” group show model that is prevalent today? What does it mean to be artist-centric, medium-centric, or viewer-centric in the presentation of collage in exhibition?
Part 2 will explore ideas around Curation. What is a curator and what is their role? How do we introduce collage to viewers? How do we build an audience for collage and generate enthusiasm and a sense of value for the work? How do we take collage where it needs to go to reach the viewers it is intended to reach?
Part 3 will focus on Publishing. Consider this: The book, not the gallery wall, is the better vehicle to expose collage to the public. While it is possible to work large and create immersive or experiential work that museums and art centers increasingly demand, most collage is small and intimate. The medium lends itself well to narrative. If we accept the artist book as being on par with the exhibition, how do we present and promote collage books?
The session will be facilitated by Ric Kasini Kadour and involve the exhibition artists and others with experience on these topics. The goal of this session is to use the expertise of the artists and other presenters as well as the participants in the room to rigorously investigate these issues with an eye towards how we do our work in the coming year and beyond.
About Kolaj Fest New Orleans
Kolaj Fest New Orleans is a multi-day festival and symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society, July 10-14, 2019. Visit the website to learn more, see an overview of the program, and register to attend. Kolaj Fest New Orleans would not be possible without the support of Press Street, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, LeMieux Galleries, Mystic Krewe of Scissors and Glue, Antenna Gallery, Kolaj Magazine and Kasini House. Kolaj Fest New Orleans is made possible through a generous gift from Laurie and Doug Kanyer. WEBSITE
Image:
“Revolutionary Paths: Critical Issues in Collage” (installation view)
at Antenna Gallery in New Orleans, 11 July-5 August 2018
Photo by Ric Kasini Kadour
Catalog available HERE.