Cutting Edge: American Collage 1935-Present at Ringling College

"A Land Beyond the River" by Romare Bearden (1957)

Ringling College has hit the ball out of the park this year with its exhibits. (Yes, baseball season is upon us.)  With one gallery hosting the gorgeous Richard Mayhew exhibit and another boasting an American collage overview, I was in art heaven when I visited last week. 

I immediately gravitated to this wonderful collage by Romare Bearden. I loved its simplicity and folk art feel. And there's something about the lettering that just drew me in. 

"All the Things You Are" 
by Romare Bearden (collage and 
watercolor) 

It wasn't until I was back home that I learned the story behind the collage. Bearden was friends with playwright Loften Mitchell and made this collage for a play by Mitchell of the same name. (Bearden also designed the set.)  Mitchell's play was about a South Carolina minister who fought for desegregation. Hence the wonderful church in the background. 

If you're a reader of this blog, the name Romare Bearden might be ringing some bells. Bearden was one of the founding members of SPIRAL, a collective of African-American artists that also included Richard Mayhew. Like Mayhew, Bearden was multi-talented. In addition to being an artist, he played semi-pro baseball and composed music. (His "Sea Breeze" was recorded by Billy Eckstein and Dizzy Gillespie.) As to why he was interested in collage, he believed the assembling of different components of a collage "symbolizes the coming together of tradition and communities." For more about Rearden, click here. And to see more of his incredible work, here.  

"March 15, 1984" by John Evans

John Evans' collages are said to be a diary of everyday life -- not his life, necessarily, but that of his East Village neighborhood.  Beginning in 1964, Evans created a collage every day (!!!) from found objects that included ticket stubs and receipts and newspaper clippings. He continued this practice until the year 2000. Another serious of exclamation points is in order. 

This collage -- marked with its title of "Mar 15 1984" in a print that must have been made by a stamp used on library cards in the good old days -- was one of six on display. I just love the mad scientist feel to it with the exposed brain. The "body" is made of a box that has an "average content" of 40 matches. Was there no quality control at that time at Maguire & Patterson Ltd.? The duck-like creatures at the bottom of the collage were known as "Ursuline Ducks" and can be found in a number of his works. They were named in honor of his friend and artist, novelist and playwright Ursuline Molinaro. And then there's the quote on a fortune cookie size piece of paper that reads: "The only things which we commonly see are those which we preperceive, and the only things which we preperceive are those which have been labelled for us, and the labels stamped into our minds. -- William James"  Huh. Give that a think for a minute or two.  For more of Evans' collages, click here. 

"Secrets Grow Behind the Eyes"
by India Evans (2010) 

Across the room I discovered the art of India Evans, who happens to be one of John's twin daughters. Evans has said, "Erotic energy is the ultimate creative force." You certainly see this philosophy in her work, which made me think of the movie "Eyes Wide Shut."  

Speaking of eyes, the title of this work -- "Secrets Grow Behind the Eyes" -- is embroidered into the fabric. (You can faintly see the writing, which starts from the midsection of the woman on the left.) What does it mean? Why are these naked women wearing bird masks and why do they have feathery tails? What's the significance of the fabric, with its textures that look like they could be land masses in the midst of a red sea?  Your guess is as good as mine. 

What I do know is that Evans' upbringing was quite different from my own. Her parents were -- in her words -- "hard core hippies" without societal hang-ups about nudity and sex.  "Love was their religion," she said. From a young age, she embraced the female figure in all its power and energy. Again, her life view is in her work for all to see and consider. To read a fascinating interview with Evans and to see more of her collages, click here. 

"Vortex of Doom" by Philomena Marano (2019)

Then there were the collages of Philomena Marano. "Vortex of Doom" is from her Circus Thrills Shows series. John Ringling would have loved it.  

Marano's style of collage is known as paper colle', which, quite simply, means it's all made from paper. "My cut paper process straddles painting and graphic design," she says. "The paper is my palette; my x-acto knife is my rendering instrument." 

Marano first learned this technique as a studio assistant to Robert Indiana for a Santa Fe Opera production of "The Mother of Us All." The avant garde opera about Susan B. Anthony, with music by Virgil Thomson and libretto by Gertrude Stein, was the perfect choice for the Bicentennial. The designs Indiana and Marano created were then transformed into sets and costumes for the production. To read about Marano's work with Robert Indiana, click here. (Warning: It's a link to another blog post from an interview with Marano that I listened in on.)

Marano's work is bold and colorful and demands attention. The themes she explores in her art -- thrills, wonder, memory, fascination and escapism -- seem tailor-made for her style. It was no surprise to learn that Marano grew up near Coney Island and became involved in its cultural renaissance in the late 1970s. To see more of Marano's work, click here. I particularly like the Baseball series. Go, Rays! 

Kudos to Ringling College for putting together an exhibit that's both historical and of the now. (I didn't even show you the collages done on skate boards!) To view the exhibit, click here. I am already eagerly anticipating their exhibits next academic year, which will include a show of Therman Statom's glass work. See you in the galleries!