A decade ago, in the spring of 2012, Oil City’s Graffiti Gallery, at 210 Seneca Street, located next door to the Artists’ Attic, put out a call for artists, collected submissions, and curated its first Junk Art Show.
In the call, they asked artists and community members to exercise their creativity by recycling or upcycling “junk” in any form, be it cardboard, metal, wood, glass– even eggshells– into sculptures, decoupages, assemblages, furniture, lamps, clocks, wall hangings and so much more. To cite one example, a past Junk Art Show entry from local artist Carol McDonald, transformed old metal folding chairs into cats!
Fast forward to 2022.
During the 10 years that passed, the once Junk Art Show, which featured mostly 3D art anyway, underwent its own upcycle process to become what it is today: 3D Form and Furniture.
What changed during that transformation was not the spirit of the show, as many of the pieces on display in 2022 are still old items given new life: artist Mary Lou Morrison’s display, for instance, featured a clarinet, a French horn, a trumpet, and a guitar that each formed the lower part of a lamp.
What changed during those years was not just the title of the show, but the intention. By opening it to any 3D forms and furniture, it naturally made the show more inclusive, allowing art like pottery and sculptures that are cast and not assembled to be submitted to the show alongside art that employs Barbie dolls or other found objects.
This year’s 3D Form and Furniture show, curated by Stained Glass Artist, Maureen James, opened May 13, 2022 with a lovely reception and features the following artists and mediums:
Alan Dloniak, furniture and sculpture
Carol McDonald, sculpture
Raven Nestor, sculpture
Heidi Wirtner, sculpture
Cindy Andes, fiber arts
Maureen James, stained glass
Heidi Whistle, jewelry and sculpture
Bill Hankins, pottery
John Sims, pottery
Linda Lineman, porcelain
Noel Tippel, mixed media
Susette Jolley, mixed media
Kenda Zerbe, sculpture and stained glass
Lena Wheeler, jewelry and mixed media
Crystal Roser, resin, repurposed materials, furniture
Ann Rudegeair, stained glass
Kathy Perrett, furniture
Angela Wyant, pottery
Mary Lou Morrison, repurposed musical instruments (lamps)
Dan L’Huillier, sculpture
Richard Sayer, satirical sculpture
The show is free and open to all, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you still have one weekend left to check it out– Graffiti Gallery’s hours for the show’s final weekend are: Saturday May 28 from Noon-6PM; and Sunday, May 29 from Noon-6PM.
Written by: Oil City Artist, Marcy Hall
