Mar 22 – Jun 5
Downtown Gallery, 416 Market St., Lewisburg
The first in a new series of projects that invite artists to engage the Samek Art Museum’s collection, Collect Call features new work by Marisa Olson in conversation with works from the collection about what we cherish and what we forget.
Artist’s Statement
I’ve called my ongoing series of gilded technological devices “Time Capsules” because I believe that each of these objects is a vessel — a capsule of the moment in time they were made that encompasses all of the desires (or fears) that went into their invention, production, and consumption. I’m interested in the reasons why we feel constantly compelled to upgrade to new devices, intensely coveting one phone or camera, only to later discard it for the next model. In this sense, I’ve been collecting people’s once-beloved trash and restoring it to treasure for years. For Collect Call I wanted to think about how these ideas could sit in dialogue with the practice of museum collecting, and to specifically mine the Samek’s archives for time capsules of its own — in this case, a series of compelling images that retroactively become snapshots of technologically-specific moments. The conversation was extended to the Lewisburg community via a call for retired telephones, so that viewers might find a personal way to dial-in to the issues raised.
— Marisa Olson
In 1969, the Rhode Island School of Design’s art museum invited Andy Warhol to guest-curate an exhibition drawn from their collection. The resulting presentation was a hybrid museum collection show and artist installation.
Inspired by Warhol’s exhibition, Collect Call is the first in a new series of Samek Art Museum projects that invite artists to mix the collection, artistic practices, and public memory in new ways.
— Richard Rinehart, Director, Samek Art Museum
Marisa Olson, Gold Digger (Time Capsules), n.d. Spray paint on objects. Courtesy of the artist.
Related Events:
Marisa Olson: Artist Talk
Wednesday, March 23, 6pm
Downtown Gallery, 416 Market St. Lewisburg
Olson discusses the process of creating her work and selecting work from the Samek’s collection for the exhibition. A reception follows the talk.
Collect Call: Found Object Sculpture Making
Saturday, April 23, 1-4pm
Downtown Gallery, 416 Market St. Lewisburg
Inspired by the exhibition, we will be making art out of found objects and displaying them at Soldier Park as part of the Lewisburg Arts Festival. This event is geared towards families, though all ages are welcome.
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Thanks to the following businesses for helping us receive phone donations:
Campus Theatre
Civil War Cider Co.
The Open Door Gallery
Packwood House Museum
Brushstrokes Gallery, Art Supplies and Framing
Treasure Hunters
Thanks also to the University Lectureship Committee for their generous support of Marisa Olson’s artist talk.
Installation views:
