Talk: Collage, Assemblage, Ecology, photos || La Biblioteca Publica

Collage, Assemblage, Ecology, photos – talk
Friday, February 22, 2019
La Biblioteca, Sala Quetzal, Reloj 50-A

Lecture / Photo Presentation

Part 1 COLLAGE & ASSEMBLAGE: PAST & PRESENT
Part 2 THE ART OF JOAN HALL

Collage, Assemblage, and Ecology
By Joan Hall

I will be presenting a lecture and slide show on collage and assemblage from 12th century Japan to contemporary American photo illustration.

Part 1 consists of works by Picasso, Matisse, Rauschenberg, and numerous other artists including local artists of San Miguel. You will see how everyday materials are recycled into art, including spare tires, money, and even blood. The use of collage in illustration has become a familiar sight. You will learn how artists cope with some of their hilarious and frustrating experiences in the workplace.

Part 2 consists of my own artwork. This program is both entertaining and educational.

The word collage stems from the French word colle meaning glue. Assemblage is three dimensional collage. I have been working in both mediums for 40 years, both as a fine artist and as a freelance illustrator.

Collage has rapidly gained popularity as an art form in the United States. I believe that there are sociological reasons for this. We live in a fast food mentality! Everyone is in a hurry, and the medium of collage conveys a feeling of spontaneity. With the advent of the computer and the internet, our world has become fragmented. This is reflected in the bits and pieces that make up a collage or assemblage.

There is also a growing awareness of ecological responsibility and the need to recycle. Creating a collage is frequently based on incorporating previously used paper, fabrics, and in the case of assemblage, found objects, into an art form. Probably many works of art were created without the slightest awareness of ecology on the part of the artist. It is interesting to see how, through the ages, various scrap materials and found objects were recycled into art.

Several years ago, I had the good fortune to receive a Mexican/American Cultural Specialists Grant to go to Mexico for a ten day program to conduct workshops to train teachers on how to educate children about ecology and the environment. The program featured creating collages out of recycled scrap materials. Many of the teachers had never made artwork of their own and doubted their ability to do so. The results were amazing and rewarding.

The library has thrived and grown through the generous gift of time and money by members of the community, and as is still the case, has relied for the past 50 years on the continued financial support of the people in San Miguel de Allende. The Biblioteca wishes to thank all of the generous persons, groups and companies for their donations of time and money. The library began in a private home in 1954 and moved in 1958 to its current location at Insurgentes 25. This year, the Biblioteca is celebrating its 50th anniversary at this address and will offer a series of special events. Aside from its holdings of more than 60,000 volumes in Spanish, English, German or French and its many lecture, film and theater events, the library grants scholarships to young students and offers cultural activities.

If you wouldn’t normally include a library on your vacation itinerary, you might want to reconsider when you’re in San Miguel. The city’s Public Library has an extensive collection of both Spanish- and English-language books and films, and offers a quiet respite from the sights and sounds of the city. In 1954, Canadian expat Helen Wale invited Mexican children to read through a collection of magazines in her home. Soon, the volume of visitors outgrew the space. In 1958, the library moved to its current location in an 18th-century building several blocks north of El Jardin in central San Miguel. Today, in addition to its abundant bilingual media, the library offers free classes for children on subjects like computers, painting and piano. The library also hosts cultural events and English-language tours that guide visitors through the neighborhood’s colonial architecture. Inside the library, you’ll find a courtyard cafe (good for a quick bite) and the Santa Ana Theatre, which shows international films and hosts concerts by San Miguel’s popular musicians. With its large number of events, the site has become a cultural artery for residents and visitors alike. “This is more than a library. It’s a memorable gathering point for Spanish and English speakers of all ages to share books, chess, movies, music and food,” one TripAdvisor reviewer wrote. The library is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guided house and garden tours operate on Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon; the two-hour tour costs 150 MXN (about $12 USD) per person. Tickets can be purchased at library’s Ticket Center.