Merrill-Cazier Library to exhibit 'Arrangements, A Survey of Utah Collage'

Arrangements, A Survey of Utah Collage will be displayed at Utah State University’s Merrill-Cazier Library atrium beginning Monday, April 22 and running until Friday, May 24.

At its first formal beginnings, collage began as a startling intermingling of “high” culture – still life oil paintings – and “low” culture – mass produced paper prints and patterns. The practice of collage – sticking or pasting materials to a flat surface – has been around for centuries and was a favorite medium of folk and outsider artists. However, the flexibility of collage was perfect for Cubists and Dadaists to explore themes of chaos, imagination, absurdity and reality during the period of time following World War I. Later, collage and photomontage became the perfect vessels for Pop and Modern artists to depict themes of consumerism, technology, militarism and excess.

“The beauty of collage is that it is so flexible,” said Emily Johnson, museum services specialist with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. “It is accessible and democratic in the sense that the creation of collage is available to anyone, from schoolchild to seasoned artist. However, collage as an art form is still largely governed by the same principles as other formal art making – form, structure, color, composition and movement all weigh heavily in the creation of artistic collage.”

The exhibition combines collage works from the State of Utah’s Fine Art Collection, as well as artwork from some of Utah’s finest collage and mixed media artists. Collage, assemblage, photomontage and mixed media artists in Utah have a long and rich history of practice in Utah. 

“We wanted to bring together the work of modern-day professionals and earlier practitioners of various forms of collage together in an exhibition we could share with people across the state,” Johnson said. “We hope that this assortment of works will inspire viewers to consider creating collage of their own, to explore their worlds and to think about the everyday materials around them that could be in corporated into their art-making.”

The exhibit includes artworks by: Gary Barton, Ed Bateman, Namon Bills, Liberty Blake, Noel Carmack, Jane Christensen, Wayne Chubin, Deborah Durban, Maury Haseltine, Jim Jacobs, Jason Lanegan, Bill Lee, Dennis Martinez, Dottie Miles, Bruce Robertson, Chauncey Secrist, Sam Wilson

This special exhibit is presented by the Merrill-Cazier Library through the Utah Division of Arts & Museums Traveling Exhibition Program. 

About Utah Arts & Museums and the Traveling Exhibit Program

Utah Arts & Museums’ Traveling Exhibit Program is a statewide outreach program that provides schools, museums, libraries and community galleries with the opportunity to bring curated exhibitions to their community. This program is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on participating in the program, please contact Fletcher Booth at fbooth@utah.gov or call 801.532.2617. For media inquiries, please contact Josh Loftin at jloftin@utah.gov or 801.245.7205.

Utah Arts & Museums is a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts (DHA). To enrich the quality of life for the people of Utah, DHA creates, preserves and promotes heritage and arts. The division provides funding, education and technical services to individuals and organizations statewide so that all Utahns, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or economic status, can access, understand and receive the benefits of arts and culture. Additional information on the programs and services can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov.