Monday, May 27, 2013

Bigfork Gallery Looking for Upcycle Art, Trash Art, Junk Art, Trash Mash Up, or... ?





Whatever it’s called, it can be beautiful and interesting, help clean things up, reduce landfills, and just make us happy looking at it. Upcycling: using recycled materials in art design is the theme of September’s exhibit in The Edge Center art gallery. And the call for entries is going out.  If you have some or would like to try it, or know someone who creates this kind of art, please consider a showing in Bigfork during September.  All entries must be in by Wednesday July 10. This exhibit is open to all media as long as the majority of the materials are recycled. Examples include sculptures, collages, mosaics, glass pieces, or quilts from previously used fabric.  There are no entry fees and no awards, but this is a chance to share exciting artwork with an appreciative audience. Entry forms are on www.the-edge-center.org or in the gallery in Bigfork.



Each artist can enter five items that must be original art using submitted images.  Experienced artists will select the ones displayed and notification will be made of the selections the week of July 22.  If your entry is to be shown, submit it by Tuesday to The Edge Center Gallery on September 3, 10 AM- 2 PM.  There is an opening reception on Friday September 6 from 5 to 7 PM.  After the exhibit is finished, you can pick up your art on Monday, October 7, 10 AM – 2 PM.  The entry form provides all details including Edge Gallery Policies.


A little background


 
According to Wikipedia, “the first recorded use of the term upcycling was by Reiner Pilz ... in 1994”.  Recycling in general can refer to either upcycling or downcycling.  Upcycling uses old products in new ways and downcycling converts old materials into new materials or products. Tuning recycled materials into art certainly is upcycling.





And, as we know, making art from used or discarded materials goes a long way back. It has been called many things over the years with “junk art” being one of the earlier and probably the most used names. There is even sort of an “official” date for the start of junk art. At least this is according to Shelley Esaak’s essay on the subject, “Junk Art became an ‘official’ movement when the critic Lawrence Alloway assigned those two words to one of Robert Rauschenberg's combines in the mid-1950s. This is shortly before other movements away from abstraction -- Pop Art, and Junk's kissing cousin Funk Art -- were born. Of the three, Junk Art has proved itself the most durable movement: it continues to be made. In fact, there is no end in sight, seeing that we keep manufacturing items that end up in the trash.”  Read more at http://arthistory.about.com/od/arthistory101/a/Junk-Art-Art-History-101-Basics.htm .

Edge Center Policies



1. Artists are responsible for their own insurance.
2. Edge Gallery reserves the right to reproduce works for publicity purposes.
3. Any work submitted for judging must be available for showing during the
    entire exhibit.
4. Edge Gallery charges a 30% commission fee on all sales.




As said earlier, this is purely a fun project with no judging, and no awards.  So, if you’d like to submit a work for exhibit consideration, we invite you to do so. The month will be a fun and different exhibit in The Edge Gallery and our whole staff is eager to see it happen.

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