GATHERING

The Dalton Gallery of Agnes Scott College presents Gathering, an exhibition featuring thirteen artists who use discarded materials and objects to create their work. Artists presented are Bridget Conn, Rebecca Des Marais, Thornton Dial, Amandine Drouet, Lonnie Holley, Ronald Lockett, Charlie Lucas, Lynn Marshall-Linnemeir, Michael Murrell, Omar Thompson, Daniel Troppy, Larry Walker, and Stan Woodard. All artists hail form the southeast. Gathering is curated collaboratively by Dalton Gallery Director Lisa Alembik and Agnes Scott alumna Virginia Philip (’61).

Gathering artists come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are self-taught, others are university professors. All are teachers of some sort, linked by their intuitive approaches to collecting materials. They explore their surroundings for resources — scavenging the attic, investigating scrap yards, opening their doors to the remnants of others — to come upon overlooked treasures that they rededicate to art. They shed light on the value of re-collection, often imbuing their newly embodied heirlooms with a sense of hope. Their processes of reclamation are evident in the works of art in the exhibition.

Under the care of the artist, those things once lost or overlooked, now salvaged and refocused, become part of a new tradition. The artists draw out latent powers and new possibilities from these re-appropriated objects, placing them in a fresh context. By embracing connections, Gathering artists weld links to their cultural history through their combinations of findings. They work from strong personal foundations, often communicating their particular experience and heritage. The story of the artifacts, whether actual or imbued by the artist, is integral to the meaning of the new pieces. The particular symbolism of one discovery combined with the telltale legend of another leads to a work of art of greater significance than the sum of its parts.

Family photographs, inherited heirlooms and mementos of personal importance can have dramatic presence in one’s life without having monetary value. The process of cherishing and collecting is not limited to those who consider themselves artists. Through focus and struggle, one can tap into the imagination, finding extraordinary meaning within an object once overlooked. The search to discover materials engages one with their surroundings, increasing their sense of belonging to that place and culture. Gathering castoffs to be used in artwork can generate an awareness of just how much one consumes and instigate a push towards creative approaches to cleaning the environment. Through the work of these artists much can be learned about the importance of observation, the amazing power of intuition and an appreciation for the recycling of resources. Gathering artists create new tools for bonding, expressing the means to establish community through artmaking, dreaming, ritual and story telling.