Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. Maryam Amirvaghefi writes, "The tumultuous landscapes of women’s essence in art and sports reverberates with their delicate existence in each realm. Certain essences of being an artist mirror those of an athlete. In both realms, women stand marginalized, their portions unequal. This inequity, however, is not unique to Iran but rather a global construct; this is a global symphony of injustice. The bias against women’s venture into the breakable domains of art, sports, and economy weaves an intimate tapestry between these two worlds. These two worlds possess the enchanting power to weave emotions, paint inner conflicts, and etch enduring memories. My creations revolve around this essence, the fragment we strive to seize, juxtaposed against what is bestowed."

Ian Tothill at the South Square Center in Bradford, England, United Kingdom 2-24 November 2024. Ian Tothill's "Curious" is a collection of collages made from all kinds of discarded materials--old books, packaging, envelopes, photos, magazines, flyers and more. They have been reassembled to form pictures which reflect his curiosity about color, ideas, memory, shape, stories. Some are abstract, others are populated by characters and images given new life with imagined narratives.

Seattle, Washington, USA . "There was a feeling of the image being stretched into a contemporary context that was exciting. It was a way of being present with an object from the past and relating to something unknown." Sunday June 8, ‘30. A wonderful day is on the front cover of Kolaj #40 and a portfolio of artwork appears in the issue.

Each issue of Kolaj Magazine features portfolios of contemporary artists alongside critical commentary as a means of developing a deeper understanding of collage as both a medium and a genre. To be considered, register with the Kolaj Magazine Artist Directory at www.kolajmagazine.com.

Tuesday, 5 November 2024, 6-8PM at Kolaj Institute Gallery | Cost: Free

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

Bria Sterling-Wilson at Julio Fine Arts Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland, USA through 22 November 2024. In “The Sterlings”, Bria Sterling-Wilson, the 2024-2025 Julio Fine Arts Gallery Artist-in-Residence, delves into the complexities of family, identity, and generational ties through her powerful collages and photography. Using family photographs as her foundation, Sterling-Wilson stitches together fragments of memory to craft a visual narrative that honors the significance of legacy and cultural heritage.

Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Jean Hess incorporates collaged ephemera in all her paintings and assemblages. She likes random “surprises,” especially the discarded, old and damaged, including fragments and scraps. These compel her to go in directions she might not otherwise follow. Her work does not teach or tell a story. There are recognizable inclusions, but overall it is more about the lapsed-time process and the little skews that occur when she resumes after a pause. She hopes to surprise the viewer.

Steve Tierney, whose artwork has been featured in previous issues of the magazine, has a new body of large-scale collages using photo prints and street posters. Breathless is 8-feet wide by 4-feet tall. In Kolaj #40's round-up of collage news, we report on the Australian collagist's new large scale collages that draw inspiration from photojournalism of the 1950s and 60s.

Saturday, November 9th, 2 to 5PM at Kolaj Institute Gallery

Participants will explore using glass as a substrate for mixed media collage with collagist Julie A Bell. Similar to reverse painting, the collages are made on the back of a clear glass plate to be viewed from the front. Participants will learn the technique of working from foreground to background and in mirror image (materials placed on the left of composition will appear on right when the glass is turned over). The result is a striking collage composition with a clear glass finish. In addition, participants will explore repetitive patterns through stenciling, visual texture, and building layers through transparencies. All necessary materials are included. This workshop is for ages 18 and up. Details and registration on website.

Early Deadline to Apply: Monday, 4 November 2024. As part of a year-long investigation of castles as buildings, metaphors, and systems of power, Kolaj Institute will host a month-long virtual artist residency focused on castles and the space they occupy in our contemporary imagination. The residency will build on the work done by artists in Collage Artist Residency: Scotland and New Orleans where artists explored feudal castle systems, manor houses, and plantations as buildings, metaphors, and systems of power. After the Residency, artists will be invited to propose artwork for inclusion in Kolaj Institute’s Castle Project, an exhibition, book, and related programs in 2025-2026 that invite viewers to consider how the history of castles, colonies, plantations, and corporations relate to one another and shape the world we live in today.

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, 13 November 2024. Kolaj Institute has been exploring the intersection of collage and poetry since the first residency in March 2022. It says something that in the Poetry Foundation’s Glossary of Poetic Terms, “collage” is one of the few visual art terms they define. Perhaps this is because so many poets have also been collage artists. In four virtual meetings over the course of a month and through ongoing, online discussion, artists will leave the residency with a deeper understanding of the intersection of collage and poetry. At the end of the residency, artists will be invited to submit page spreads to be considered for the PoetryXCollage Journal.

DEADLINE: Thursday, 14 November 2024. Curating is a vital part of art’s function: a curator creates a bridge between artwork and audience. For artists, this process can be confusing and mysterious. The goal of the Curating Collage Workshop is to equip artists with the tools to curate their own work, to work with curators, and build exhibitions that connect with diverse audiences. We do this by curating artwork from Kolaj Institute’s Collection and curating the artwork of other workshop participants. Artists complete the workshop with an exhibition proposal or prospectus.

Curating Collage is part of Kolaj Institute's Artist Development Program, 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.