Assembled: Collage, Assemblage and Mixed Media

1. collage (noun) \ kə-ˈläzh \
An artistic composition made by affixing materials such as paper, fabric, or wood onto a surface.

2. assemblage (noun) \ ə-ˈsem-blij \
An artistic composition, often three-dimensional, created by combining found objects and disparate materials such as metal, paper, or stone.

3. mixed media (noun) \ ˈmikst ˈmē-dē-ə \

An approach to artmaking that combines two or more artistic methods, including painting, drawing, collage, printmaking, or photography, within a single work.

These three experimental techniques can challenge the boundaries of traditional or rigid categories of art by incorporating found objects or repurposed imagery alongside hand-applied materials, creating new compositions and new meanings and offering a reflective approach to questions of authorship. Now, enter Assembled: Collage, Assemblage and Mixed Media–an exhibition carefully curated to celebrate a selection of works of artists who have done just that. Drawing on a key strength of the collection, the exhibition highlights works built through accumulation, juxtaposition and transformation.

On view are compositions that bring together found objects and repurposed imagery with hand-rendered marks, creating layered works that engage questions of authorship, memory and meaning. These visual exchanges between the handmade and the sourced invite close looking and reflection on how artists construct new narratives from existing materials.

The installation includes works long used in teaching, including those by David Driskell and Sam Gilliam, alongside works not exhibited in recent years. It also introduces recent acquisitions, including collages by Phoebe Beasley, John Digby, and Theodore A. Harris, and an assemblage by Carol Cole.

Intended for students, faculty, staff, and the broader public, Assembled supports critical inquiry while emphasizing the continued relevance of experimental practices in modern and contemporary art.