Transformation, an exhibition of mixed media sculptures by Carol Cole, is on display through Feb. 17 in the Longyear Museum of Anthropology on the second floor of Alumni Hall.
Made of polystyrene, handmade paper, paint, and found objects, the work is inspired by the artifacts of ancient and tribal artists and architects.
鈥淢y art is about transformation,鈥 Cole said. 鈥淭hough I鈥檓 an educated Western person doing this consciously, I try to forget I know the use of items and see them as purely decorative.鈥
Cole said this approach is in the tradition of African art, which incorporated items introduced by traders and other non-indigenous people.
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| Carol Cole stands with some of her artwork in the Longyear Museum. |
Like her artistic forbearers 鈥 and with a group of fellow artists in Philadelphia called the Dumpster Divers 鈥 Cole scavenges and trades for the objects she uses: bagfuls of rusty nails or upholstery tacks, dozens of sprinkler heads she found at the back of a hardware store that was going out of business, hundreds of bread bag closures.
鈥淕ive me 100 of anything,鈥 she said, 鈥渁nd I can make something interesting out of it.鈥
But one item also can spawn a host of new ideas. A broken cymbal found in a trash bin, for example, was the inspiration for not just one but a series of shields she has made.
鈥淧art of transformation is making things the opposite. My art looks heavy, but it鈥檚 light. It looks valuable, but it鈥檚 not. It looks old, but it鈥檚 made from materials that are not.鈥
Mary Moran, chair of the sociology and anthropology department, described Cole鈥檚 art this way:
鈥淐arol is using discarded items from our culture to produce iconic forms that resemble, without strictly re-creating, the aesthetic of other places and peoples. Museums of anthropology, like the Longyear, are typically more interested in this kind of context and process than in the objects for their own sake.鈥
The exhibition is open through Feb. 17 when school is in session. Longyear hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30-4:30 and by appointment (315 228-7184 or clorenz@mail.colgate.com).