The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Under Construction: Collage from The Mint Museum August 20-November 7, 2021. Additionally, beginning August 1, the museum will resume full operating hours for the first time since 2020 (Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5pm, Sunday 1-5 pm, closed Mondays).
Under Construction showcases the artistic technique of collage, a dynamic and engaging medium in which materials from different sources are cut, torn, and layered to create new meanings and narratives. According to Executive Director David Butler, “The KMA is excited to celebrate yet another aspect of the Southeast’s rich visual culture.”
Featuring nearly 80 works by more than 30 international artists, this exhibition explores the growth and impact of collage from the 1950s to the present. Although collage gained acclaim in the early 20th-century through the groundbreaking work of artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, it experienced a renaissance (particularly in America) after World War II. Charlotte, North Carolina native Romare Bearden is widely credited with rejuvenating and reinvigorating the technique. The exhibition brings together more than a dozen collages by Bearden. It shows how he inspired subsequent generations of artists, including Radcliffe Bailey, Sam Gilliam, Kojo Griffin, Robert A. Nelson, Man Ray, Kristina Rogers, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Howardena Pindell, Robert Rauschenberg, and James Rosenquist. As is evident in many of the works in Under Construction, Bearden’s legacy continues to serve as a powerful touchstone for younger artists as they use new ideas, materials, and tools to define the medium’s voice in the Digital Age.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum will also host Kolaj LIVE Knoxville. From Friday, November 5th, to Sunday, November 7th, 2021, artists, curators, and writers will gather for a weekend of collage making, slideshows, exhibition visits, and storytelling that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st-century movement. Additional programming surrounding the exhibition will be available at www.knoxart.org/events/.
Under Construction: Collage from The Mint Museum is organized by The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Under Construction: Collage from The Mint Museum is generously sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Special thanks to Lexus of Knoxville, Alexandra Rosen & Donald Cooney, and Hei & Stanley Park.
About The Mint Museum
Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution and museum of international art and design. With two locations — Mint Museum Randolph in the heart of Eastover and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts — the Mint boasts one of the largest collections in the Southeast and is committed to engaging and inspiring members of the global community. Visit www.mintmuseum.org.