August will showcase a brand new feast of assemblage art in the front windows of the Corner Gallery. Spencer Brewer and Esther Siegel are happy to present a never-before-seen collection of work by local enthusiasts who have participated in their most recent Harmony Gaits’ ‘Outta the Box’ Assemblage Camps. The title of the collection is “Frame It.”
 
Assemblage is defined as ‘a collection or gathering of things’ or ‘a work of art made by grouping found or unrelated objects.’ Spencer and Esther’s enormous barn is stacked to the rafters with ‘unrelated things and objects’ that they have collected over the years. There are shelves, drawers, hooks and wires that contain and display everything from pieces of grand pianos to doll parts to tiny glittering bits of jewelry... in addition to an absolutely unfathomable collection of assorted junk. All of this treasure is made available to the students who sign up for the monthly ‘Outta the Box’ camps to assemble in any way that their ‘inner artist’ inspires them. The results are unpredictable, provocative, sometimes emotional and always loads of fun.

One enthusiastic student stated in mid-process, “I’m as happy as can be ‘shopping’ though the workshop with so many things to explore. I spent the whole morning collecting this whole pile of treasures, and have no idea what they will turn into, but I’m excited to get to work this afternoon!” The same was true for the person beside her, who was triumphantly admiring the stack of musical instruments that he had collected, with nothing but faith that  they would somehow turn into an assemblage. 

Another student, Ree Slocum, also took full advantage of the plethora of resources in Spencer and and Esther’s barn. “I brought a pile of stuff with me that I thought I’d use,” Ree laughs, “but I left it all in the car. It’s unbelievable… they have everything from huge pieces of stuff to magical little hand painted micro objects, and I found just what I wanted. The process is ever-unfolding as you discover each new object.”

The First Friday opening celebration for “Frame It” will be on August 1 from 5-8pm. Live guitar and vocal music will be presented throughout the evening by Steve Winkle. The Corner Gallery is located at 201 S State Street in Ukiah.