One man’s trash is another man’s …art?

That’s right. Brown University, Rhody’s own Ivy League poster-child, and its David Winton Bell Gallery’s most recent exhibition Inappropriate Covers hosts a number of artists recycling materials in the name of art. Materials used range from “vintage album covers to a battered drum set to a pile of cast-off Tickle Me Elmo dolls” (reports the Providence Journal in its coverage of the exhibit).

Since I only recently uncovered (no pun intended, okay it was) news of the collection, I can’t give you my (un)professional artistic take on it, but the brief description of Inappropriate Covers from the gallery’s website is certainly intriguing…

“Through various forms of “covering” and acts of “inappropriation” the works chosen for this exhibition seek to uncover layers of meaning that were previously hidden or obscured. Although appropriation techniques have a deep and variable history throughout 20th-century art, in contemporary culture the rampant use of sampling, remixing, and appropriation has become a general and widespread activity. Inappropriate Covers seeks to revitalize the discussion of appropriation, using the combination of the two words in the exhibition’s title to further develop and enrich our understanding of appropriation practices – practices where the artist seizes preexisting cultural materials to use as source materials for the creation of his or her own artwork.”

So, if you are a all-things-green guru, art lover, or simply looking for a rainy day or weekend jaunt in Rhode Island’s capital city between now and May 29^th, stop by and check it out. If you have visited the gallery, let us know what you thought of the exhibit. Other recommendations for the New England area are also welcome!

David Winton Bell Gallery, List Art Center, 64 College St., Providence. Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 11-4 and Saturday-Sunday 1-4. Contact (401) 863-2929.

Posted by: Katie