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.
“My art is about transformation,” Cole said. “Though I’m an educated Western person doing this consciously, I try to forget I know the use of items and see them as purely decorative.”
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 — and with a group of fellow artists in Philadelphia called the Dumpster Divers — 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.
“Give me 100 of anything,” she said, “and I can make something interesting out of it.”
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.
“Part of transformation is making things the opposite. My art looks heavy, but it’s light. It looks valuable, but it’s not. It looks old, but it’s made from materials that are not.”
Mary Moran, chair of the sociology and anthropology department, described Cole’s art this way:
“Carol 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.”
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).