AIC's 45th Annual Meeting

This poster discusses guidelines for consistent descriptions of contemporary collages. Unlike historical collages, where cut or torn paper is adhered in layers to create a two-dimensional work, contemporary collages created since the 1960’s incorporate a greater variety of materials and construction methods. Building on the vocabulary and syntax established by “Descriptive Terminology for Works of Art on Paper: Guidelines for the Accurate and Consistent Description of the Materials and Techniques of Drawings, Prints, and Collages” (Ash, Homolka, Lussier, 2014) this poster expands on the existing guidelines, which provide general descriptive language for collage materials and a hierarchical structure that guides word order, by providing a system for describing the construction of these complex works of art. This expanded system was informed by the assessment, selected analysis and treatment of nearly two hundred collage works, dated from 1913 to 2000, in the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The terminology allows for the inclusion of support materials, media, and construction methods based on observations of contemporary collage examples. Consideration is given to attachment methods such as local vs. overall attachment, mechanical systems such as staples, overall coatings, and the use of adhesive layers as distinct design elements. Materials, such as tapes and staples, are also considered with respect to their aesthetic (design elements), as well as functional (attachment method), roles. Several examples including unique cases such as when paint media is used as an adhesive are presented. The goal of this expansion of the descriptive terminology is to provide increased understanding of collage fabrication when communicating the materials and methods of contemporary collage works.