I didn't have words to describe the opening of Archives Alchemy: The Art of the Dumpster Divers. "Unprecedented" was the only word that came to mind. My friend Roseanne Murphy sent me the following email the next day. Her words capture it:
"Archives Alchemy/ The Art of Dumpster Divers/ opening last night Wowed/ So firstly I thank you for whisking me the e-mail invitation. Who would have anticipated such an astounding crowd/ to show up on a lousy/brr cold and rainy night? So yep I was astonished by the crowds of art lovers all that infusion of la bohemia the gaiety the overheard conversations of bon homie like an Art Salon/ of another time. That ignited all 5 senses/ simultaneously/ Tellin ya it Wowed Me. As did the complexity of the Art/pieces/ the delving of themes/ like dumpster diving/ expressions via satire/ sardonic wit and some just let it rip/ like Hip/Hop ya better be thinking/ about this theme/ right in front of your nose Girl/ found in old archives/ and re imagined for the now/artist perspective. As you can tell I was besotted and beyond fascinated/ with my cup of plenty running over the top. So I will re/visit again/ sans the hoards of people/ and take more time/ to peruse the pieces."
Ann Keech invited me to help her make the sign that said Archives Alchemy, the Art of the Dumpster Divers of Philadelphia, that hung in the center of our 'quilt.' To our delight, the Archives asked to keep the sign. It now hangs in their new location.
I have three pieces in this 'quilt': the two in the center just below the sign, and the one on the bottom right. I later bought Ann Keech's piece, second from left on the bottom, and Ellen Benson's, second from the left in the row below the sign. Altogether I had twelve pieces in this show.
It was the occasion of my first real review:
Susan Richards,
Tear Down Fences, mixed media,
Archives Alchemy.
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the
National Archives
Susan Richards, Archives Alchemy. Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the National Archives
- “As an artist, I am inspired by Outsider and Vernacular artists,
Dada, and third world people who make art from the trash heap of
civilization. I love art as a vehicle for creating community,and as a
voice for social change, as well as for humor, and for pure pleasure. I
am especially inspired by anonymous artists from every culture of the
world, over the centuries, who made art from the depths of their souls,
moved by awe and wonder at life itself and its mysteries. In a former
life I was an Art History major at Columbia University. Life in the Big
Apple was my best art education.” - Susan Richards View Susan Richards’ complete profile
- The Dumpster Divers of PhiladelphiaThe
National Archives had miles of microfilm and piles of debris from
moving records and renovations, doomed for the dumpster. “Call the
Dumpster Divers!” Who? The Dumpster Divers of Philadelphia are
a group of over 40 found object artists, their artwork as diverse as
the group and materials used. They were officially recognized with a
2012 City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Tribute for “helping to raise the
consciousness of art lovers and heightened awareness of taking a
creative approach to support a more sustainable city, country and
world.”This show is an unusual collaboration between two very different
Philadelphia institutions and demonstrates the infinite possibilities
available when we think outside the dumpster. Leslie Simon, Director,
Research Services, the National Archives at Philadelphia said, “I
challenged theDumpster Divers of Philadelphia to
create art out of the debris from our moves and renovations. Materials
included decommissioned ladders and carts, miles of microfilm and
readers, aged leather book bindings, as well as decommissioned
electronics and displays, posters, photographs, and lots of red tape.”
- Archives Alchemy
Susan Richards,
Home Movies, mixed media,
Archives Alchemy.
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the
National Archives
Susan Richards is
an artist with the ability to coalesce a collection of disparate
objects, dissembled parts of modern life, by creating artworks that
speak with a dialect all their own. Strong, strange narratives emerge
from the assemblage using bricolage – ’(
French for
“tinkering”) is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse
range of things that happen to be available, or a work created by such a
process’. Each of the artworks
Susan Richards
created for the National Archives assemblage show is dramatic,
thoughtful and articulate, filled with information rich media to
communicate her point of view from the inside out.
Home Movies uses the metaphor of the bird cage to represent
the situation of many women in contemporary society, home-keepers
responsible for maintaining the health and welfare of the family through
house-keeping, cleaning, child rearing and endless maintenance. The
film scavenged from the archives say’s. ‘Look at me. Watch all that I
do.’ The doll/father is literally upside down, suspended, trapped, his
conundrum of expectations and responsibilities turned into a movie clip
that is unbelievably real. It’s hard to look at at first, the disarray
and depiction of entrapment is beautifully disguised in objects designed
for preserving and protecting. The bird cage, the baby shoes, the life
on film speaks of feminism, the male gaze and the need for a fully
unfettered personal identity. The vernacular of visual cultural cues
presents assemblage as narrative loaded with cultural feedback and buzz.
Susan Richards,
Your National Capital Beckons You, mixed media,
Archives Alchemy.
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the
National Archives
Just as there is a ‘male gaze’ story going on in the works, the groin gaze of
Your National Capital Beckons You
really messes with my head over the meaning of power. Are kitties more
influential than the Statue of Liberty? What does handsome mean? What’s
it like for a boy? The hegemony of power icons from pure bred beings,
man or dog, social hierarchy and power symbols vibrate with an intense
hyperpower.
Susan Richards,
Immigrants Prayer, mixed media,
Archives Alchemy.
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the
National Archives
Immigrants Prayer is an action oriented art statement
combining text, content, symbols and memes in a minimalist assemblage of
bricolage loaded with information. The story plays out like a Faulkner
novel with the prayerful man pleading to be just allowed to make his own
way. Washing clothes on a washboard represents, family, caring, love,
and hope for tomorrow. The family portrait, a universal theme, posing
quietly on the rippled surface, looking for the key to the resolution of
their dilemma through promises of hard work, diligence and honesty.
Assemblage art can be confounding to consider. The process raises so many questions, we know the National Archives wanted the
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers to
make new artworks for the show. Finding that particular scrap of
document filled with semiotically charged language about the human
condition paired with the washboard is so random. It really makes you
wonder what the artist was doing when these things came together,
integrating a socio-political statement through bricolage and creating
new context. The whole idea of taking materials from the National
Archives adds an extra gooey layer of history and time.
Susan Richards,
Quilt, mixed media,
Archives Alchemy.
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the
National Archives
Susan Richards,
Quilt, mixed media,
Archives Alchemy.
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the
National Archives
“I’m proud that Ann Keech asked me to assist her with the
show’s sign at the center of the quilt. It was a lot of fun working on
it together and I enjoyed putting together the spines on the ends –
truly bookending it.” - Susan Richards
There are so many cool Philadelphia artists in
Archives Alchemy: Betsy Alexander and
Burnell Yow! of Raven’s Wing Studio, Alden Cole’s Conscious World of
Art, Eva Preston, Linda Lou Horn, Ellen Benson, Toni Nash, Carol Cole…the
list of artists is long all, each of them took objects from the
archives that had either been digitally cataloged or was simply
disintegrating and made something amazing and new. The Divers
reintegrate the elements of modern life, little bits of
someone’s own
mastery that are doomed for the dumpster into a magical mosaic of deep
thought art.
Susan Richards,
Quilt, mixed media,
Archives Alchemy.
Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at the
National Archives
‘As a loosely bound collective of classically trained and
self-taught artists the Dumpster Divers’ unique found object artwork
has been exhibited at the American Visionary Art Museum, Noyes Museum of
Art, Perkins Art Center, Please Touch Museum, the Garbage Museum and
many other regional and national exhibitions. They are featured in books
such as Found Object Art(Schiffer Art Book)
,
books 1 and 2. They established South Street galleries that have
entranced more than fifty thousand people, while recycling these
abandoned storefronts into viable neighborhood businesses. In the words
of their founder, Neil Benson, “Trash is simply a failure of the
imagination.”
Thus, in a new kind of alchemy, this partnership between the National Archives at Philadelphia and the
Dumpster Divers of Philadelphia preserves, conveys and interprets stories of our pasts hidden in words and objects.’
Archives Alchemy: The Art of the Dumpster Divers, April 24, 2014. Gallery Hours listed below
. Location: National Archives at
Philadelphia, 900 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-4292 (Entrance on Chestnut Street).
The National Archives at Philadelphia
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the record
keeper of the Federal government. About 2% of all records created are
preserved permanently and are available to the public, whether exploring
family history, proving a veteran’s military service, or researching an
historical topic. The National Archives at Philadelphia, one of 15
research facilities across the country, holds records of federal courts
and agencies operating in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and
West Virginia. The records range from hand written 18th century customs
manifests to 20th century scientific data.
Calendar Listing: The
Dumpster Divers of Philadelphia are
exhibiting their unique found object artwork created for the National
Archives at Philadelphia. Opening Reception January 10th, 5:00 – 7:30pm
at the National Archives, 900 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
19107-4292, 215-606-0101. Show runs from Jan. 10 – April 24, 2014.
www.dumpsterdivers.org
Gallery Hours of Operation:
M-F: 8:30 am – 4:45 pm. Second Saturday of each month: 8 am – 4 pm.
A Photo ID is required to enter Federal Buildings.
Address: National Archives at Philadelphia, 900 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-4292, 215-606-0101
Photographs for this post courtesy of
Susan Richards.
Written by
DoN Brewer except where noted.
Read more about
Archives Alchemy: The Art of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers at DoNArTNeWs.
Although I didn't agree with everything the reviewer said about my work, I appreciated the coverage nevertheless!
Sara Benowitz, tying part of her costume on Neil Benson in top photo.
