Calling All Artists! It’s Time To Create Mischief at Art From Scrap
In 1953, an artist acquired a pencil drawing by a colleague with the express intent of erasing it. The resulting work, Erased de Kooning by Robert Rauschenberg, is now in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Art From Scrap invites artists 18 years and older to participate in this year’s assemblage event, entitled Mischief! The challenge is to create an assemblage using a piece of discarded or unfinished art.
What will you create?
It can be made using a work you or someone else decided not to finish; something you were given but never quite liked; art you found in the trash or that caught your eye at a thrift store. Or you can come to Art From Scrap and choose from a large selection of discarded and unfinished art that has been donated to our Reuse Store.
There are an infinite variety of ways to use abandoned art to create a completely new and unique work. This challenge will mean different things to different people. And, as with all good challenges, there is no one right approach. It is intended to evoke the kind of creativity that makes this event exciting!
In addition, the Hollister Awards, $500 dollars cash in total, will be awarded to the First, Second and Third place winners.
If you are an artist and want to submit your work, here’s what to do next:
Stop by the Art From Scrap Retail Store with your $15 entry fee during Reuse Store hours: Tuesday through Friday 11:00 am until 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am until 4:00 pm (closed Sunday and Monday) Complete an entry form. Choose one item from a selection of discarded art if you like. Then go make mischief!
About the event:
What Will They Create? Mischief! is a fundraising event to benefit Art From Scrap’s art programing. The exhibit will open to the public on March 11th. All artwork will be sold by silent auction during the closing night party, which will take place on the evening of April 5, 2014, from 5:30 pm- 9:00 pm. Admission costs $10.00 per person. The evening’s festivities include music, a silent auction and refreshments. Opening bids will be set by Art From Scrap staff. 75% of sales proceeds will benefit Art From Scrap and 25% will go to the artists. Artists who choose to contribute their share of the proceeds to benefit Art From Scrap will be entered in a drawing to win fabulous prizes!
The 2014 Assemblage Muse is Santa Barbara artist Dan Levin. In this work, entitled Whistler’s Other Mother, he incorporated an unfinished sculpture that he found at a garage sale. Dan is currently creating an assemblage that will be the centerpiece for the exhibit.
Whistler’s Other Mother, Dan Levin
Why it matters:
When Rauschenberg was not erasing Willem de Kooning’s drawings, scavenging the streets of New York or creating his iconic Combine assemblage works, he was thinking deeply about bigger issues. In 1990, he created the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RFF) to promote awareness of the causes he cared about, such as world peace, the environment and humanitarian issues. He believed art can be currency to make the world a better place. This is your chance to create that currency and support Art From Scrap’s environmental art programming.
Other things you should know:
Art must be delivered to the Art From Scrap Gallery on Monday, March 3, 2014 between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. Those whose art is not selected for the exhibit will be asked to pick up their work no later than 5:00 pm, Friday, March 7. This is a juried exhibit. We usually receive more entries than we can properly display and therefore we reserve the right to reject work for any reason. Artwork should be no larger than 24” X 28” X 8” deep. If you want to create something larger, or in an unusual format, please discuss your idea with the curator in advance by emailing Mary@ExploreEcology.org.
Not a clue what to do?
Assemblage artist extraordinaire Michael deMeng will be presenting a three-day intensive workshop at Art From Scrap on February 26, 27 and 28. The Toronto-based artist travels the world teaching, creating and exhibiting highly original mixed media artworks. His renown as an instructor stems from his empathy and powers of observation, which enables him to help students realize their own artistic visions. He is a master of innovative assemblage techniques and has published two books, “Secrets of Rusty Things”, North Light Books, 2007 and Dusty Diablos: Folklore, Iconography, Assemblage, Olé!, (with Tonia Davenport) North Light Books, 2010.
The fee for the DeMeng workshop is $350, materials not included. Space is limited to fifteen students. The Hollister family will award a scholarship for this workshop to one emerging assemblage artist.
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson