Artwork detail by workshop, photo by Teresa Cribelli.
Outsider Art: Collage as Self-Expression
Whether using paper or fabric, collage has long been practiced by women, people of color, and those without access to a formal art education. In this class, we will examine the history of collage as an outsider art – how women and people of color used material at hand (paper and fabric scraps, for example) to create visual expressions that resonate powerfully today. Students will be asked to channel the spirit of these artists (many of whom remain unidentified) in creating their own works of art from the materials of daily life. The instructor will bring her expertise in history and collage to help students explore this vibrant and accessible art form.
What to Expect: This class begins with a short presentation of the history of collage as an outsider art, and will include a visit to the Art of the Ancient Americas gallery for inspiration. Students will be asked to find three elements from pieces in the collection to inspire their collage composition. We will examine Enrique Chagoya's Borders of the Spirit in the Art of the Ancient Americas gallery as a way to consider how collage is a powerful medium for exploring identity.
Creative Classes are taught in a studio art environment and offer an opportunity to learn from professional creatives through traditional and experimental approaches. Each class is uniquely designed by a creative educator for an adult audience, designed to help you learn a new skill or expand your own creative practice. Explore the Summer/Fall 2024 class schedule.
About the Educator
Teresa Cribelli started her art career in the archive; inspired by the historical documents she used in her academic research in Brazil, she became interested in the ways that collage can bring the past and the present together. While living in Brazil she was also inspired by the wheat paste street art of Rio de Janeiro. Part of Rio’s vibrant street art culture, wheat paste posters (graphic art printed on paper and pasted to walls) became a type of open-air collective collage she watched for on her daily commute. Inspired by the outsider artists who make street art, she began collecting and then experimenting with vintage papers to make her own collages. Bringing her training as a historian to her practice (she taught Latin American History at the University of Alabama for 11 years) Teresa uses her small-scale analog collages to make visual statements about power, gender, and the environment told through the lens of history. Her work has been shown at Kolaj Fest in New Orleans and Paperworkers Local in Birmingham, Alabama among other venues. Her pieces are held in private collections and in the Doug and Laurie Kanyer Art Collection. Street art pieces based on her collages can be seen in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama; Denver, Colorado; Barcelona, Spain; and São Luís, Brazil.
To request a sign language interpreter or any other accessibility service, email access@denverartmuseum.org at least ten (10) business days in advance of the program. We will make every effort to provide accommodation for requests made outside of that window of time.
Class Cancellation Policy: If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a Friday or Saturday as the educator’s schedule allows.
