Frank Juarez
The weekend of July 30, Kolaj Magazine hosted an event called Kolaj LIVE Milwaukee. The 3-day symposium brought collage artists from across the United States – San Francisco, CA; Rockwall, TX; Toledo, OH; Marshfield, WI; Seattle, WA; Milwaukee, WI; New London, WI; Portland, OR; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Brooklyn, NY; Signal Mountain, TN; Hahira, GA; and Lexington, KY.
The symposium began with a welcome reception with Ric Kasini Kadour (editor, Kolaj Magazine), Frank Juarez (publisher, Artdose Magazine), and Samantha Timm (curator, Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel) and a book launch of, “Oh, Money! Money!”, by Eleanor H. Porter, which was illustrated by contemporary collage artists followed by a tour of The Money $how and the other exhibitions.
After a night of networking, exchanging business cards and social media handles, and enjoying Saint Kate’s art collection, the excitement was felt on the following day. Saturday morning through the afternoon numerous presentations and projects on collage were shared, collage artists worked on their own collages, and networking continued. The evening concluded with Cut It Up Salon, which was full of individual projects, readings, and camaraderie. The Grand Impresario, Daniel Lynds, was entertaining and brought laughter to a long and productive day. What I enjoyed about the overall experience is that Ric set the right tone for people to feel comfortable and welcomed.
The symposium ended on Sunday with The Great Collage Swap. So what is a collage swap? Every collage artist were encouraged to submit one of their collages and entered into a lottery system in which they would be presented with someone else’s collage. The best part of this exchange was that when an artist’s collage was selected he, she, or they would say few words about it. This opened the door to more conversations on the creative process and hopefully more collaboration for the future.
Although Kolaj LIVE Milwaukee has ended, The Money $how is still on view in the AIR Gallery through September 12, 2021. On August 27th, we will be having a closing celebration from 5-8pm. To RSVP, click here. It is free and open to the public.
About The Money $how
The Money $how takes guests on a tour of late-stage capitalism. Each of the artists in the exhibition uses collage to unpack ideas about money and its omnipresent influence on our culture.
Artworks speak about Black wealth, immigrant remittances, and how mid-20th century advertising informs present-day attitudes. Artists collage dollar bills into flowers and mine material remnants to tell stories about home economics. Guest Curators Frank Juarez and Ric Kasini Kadour start from the premise that money is an idea that shapes contemporary life and present works that invite viewers to consider cash, labor, and capital.
Artists on display include Max-o-matic, Michael Koppa, Gavin Benjamin, Mark Wagner, Patricia Leeds, Carey Watters, Terie Leicht, Paola de la Calle, and Ric Kasini Kadour.
Celebrating 10 Years (2013- 2023) 