Round Hill, Virginia, USA. Alexandra N. Sherman's collage tableaus explore the mysteries inherent in life through ambiguous narratives. It is her hope that the viewer will experience a sense of mystery, a simultaneous connection to the past and the present, and perhaps even a hint of magic or whimsy. Sherman's visual language juxtaposes elements of the natural world and humanity in order to explore relationships with ourselves, others, and the environment. The images she employs come from various sources, ranging from vintage prayer cards to scientific illustrations. On the backdrop of antique documents, signatures become expressive marks rather than letters, stamps act as horizon lines, and printed designs become a stage for action.

Deadline: Tuesday, 1 October 2024. Local and international artists are invited to propose collage-based artworks (digital, analog or moving image) for inclusion in the fifth edition of Todo Loco. The exhibition is produced and curated by 2020 World Collage Day poster artist Emma Anna and Fernando García Vásquez. Given the vibe of the times, it seems appropriate that the theme for Todo Loco V is PEACE PIECE. The curators are open to both literal and abstract interpretations of this theme.

Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom. Adam King recycles and transforms references from history and contemporary culture to explore and reflect on themes including masculine identity and consumerism. The work often utilizes a Sci-fi inspired lens to invest imagery with a retro-futuristic quality. Combining wrestlers, models, and Greek sculpture with outmoded technology, hybrids pose in subtly subversive scenarios. In these vistas of fantasy worlds, fragments of upturned glassware may suggest towers or fortresses whilst a male model with a computer screen for a head returns our gaze with a film star eye.

Tuesday, 1 October 2024, 6-8PM at Kolaj Institute Gallery

At Kolaj Institute, we reject the myth of the solitary artist and believe that artists are better in community with one another. In that spirit we invite working artists to join us for a monthly meet-up to get feedback on work, and network with one another. Find out who’s looking for folks to exhibit, meet other working artists, and get the low-down on the skinny of what’s up and up. The event is hosted by LaVonna Varnado Brown at Kolaj Institute Gallery. RSVP is helpful but not necessary. Artists are encouraged to bring artwork to share with the group. Questions? Send an email to info@kolajinstitute.org.

Saturday, 5 October 2024, 2-4PM at Kolaj Institute Gallery

During his Solo Residency, North Carolina-based artist Nate Hester will create two large-scale (64×44″) works on paper for the Tokyo International Art Fair. He will use New Orleans as his inspiration for the work, writing that the city is the “confluence of many natural, political, historic, cultural and ethnic influences.” He will also use his time at Kolaj Institute to investigate the technique of bas-relief paper pulp sculpting. On Saturday, October 5, 2024, 2-4PM, the public is invited to visit Kolaj Institute Gallery to meet the artist and see how the artwork is progressing. Learn more about Nate Hester’s Solo Residency https://kolajinstitute.org/solo-residencies/

Paul Loughney at Jane's Room in New York, New York, USA through 20 October 2024. Paul Loughney's collages inhabit a space between abstraction and figuration, anthropology and storytelling, cultural and personal myths: where belief mingles with magical thinking. Utilizing landscape and portrait as a point of departure, he considers it a type of visual anchor allowing him to pursue themes pervasive throughout his images: psychological, psychedelic, erotic undertones; trafficking in esoteric and occult symbols; the illusion of impossible situations. Simultaneous narratives are a desired result. He approaches collage from an intuitive process, attempting to create images like visual hallucinations, a kind of delirium, all the while pursuing that intimate space between viewer and image, and creating an experience that rewards slow looking. It is important that the viewer knows the work is by hand.

at Niagara Artists Centre in Saint Catharines, Ontario, Canada through 5 October 2024. In “Timelines”, ten talented collage artists were tasked to capture the spirit of each decade from the 1930s to the 2020s. Using exclusively collage materials from their assigned era, “Timelines” offers a unique visual journey through 100 years of culture, style, and history. The exhibition features Ontario-based collage artists Albany Sutherland, Brooke Tutty, Codey Thompson, Courtney Michaud, Drew Taylor, Emily Andrews, Jenn Judson (curator), Katie Mazi, Lou Losier and Marinko Jareb.

Final deadline to apply: Sunday, October 6, 2024. Intended as a clinic for working artists at any level, participants in this workshop will explore how they go about making art and putting it out into the world. Participants will explore critical concepts and collage taxonomies as a way to develop and refine the language they use to talk about their own practice and to develop a broad view of the creative landscape in which they operate. Participants will finish the workshop with a deeper understanding of their practice; a strong statement of practice that can be used to communicate with curators, editors, and art professionals; a portfolio of consistent artwork (or a plan to make one); and tools for growing or developing their practice.

Early deadline to apply: Sunday, 20 October 2024. In this four-week workshop, artists will turn a body of work or a project into a zine, art catalog, monograph, or book. We will explore different models of publishing and types of book projects. We will walk through the steps and support one another as we create publishing projects and prepare to put them out into the world. Participants will present and receive feedback on page spreads. Presentations will speak to issues around copyright and appropriation, getting the book printed, and launching and marketing the book. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of the role publishing can play in their own art practice. They will finish the workshop with a publishing project or create a detailed plan for one.

Early Deadline to Apply: Thursday, 26 September 2024. Queer Women’s Artist Lab: New Orleans will take as its premise that 21st century queer women’s identity is the culmination of decades of construction and ask: What does it mean to be a queer woman in the 21st century? The goal of the Queer Women’s Artist Lab: New Orleans is to equip artists with tools and strategies for picking up the unfinished work of history and speak to contemporary civic discourse around social, economic, and environmental issues. Through interactive sessions in the Lab and panel discussions, artists will explore their process and practice; present a slideshow of their work; receive supportive, critical, curatorial feedback about their ideas; and discuss contemporary issues.

At Kolaj Institute, our philosophy is that if we bring artists together, explore ideas and concepts, share knowledge, we can stretch and develop as artists. When we bring that knowledge and skill into our communities, we raise the standing of collage and contribute to the civic discourse. Kolaj Institute's Artist Development Program is a collection of three core workshops for self-motivated artists, at any stage in their career, who want to develop and expand their collage-based artist practice and work towards professional goals, particularly in the areas of exhibitions and publishing.

NEXT SESSION: Collage in Practice

starts Saturdays, 19 October 

DEADLINE TO APPLY

Saturday, 28 September 2024

Next Deadline: 29 September 2024 (for Spring 2025 dates). Residents stay in Kolaj Institute’s space in the New Orleans Healing Center, where they will have their own bedroom, and access to a shared kitchen and bathroom with shower. Residents work in Kolaj Institute’s Gallery that includes access to collage making supplies and a printer. The Gallery and Resident space is located on the second floor of a building in the Marigny neighborhood. The wrap-around balcony overlooks St. Roch Market. Residents work independently to complete their plan. At the end of the residency, we meet with the artist to review their progress with them and discuss next steps. Submissions are reviewed on an ongoing basis.