PASADENA, CA.- The Chouinard School of Art presents Choice Small Pieces, on view through July 16, 2005. This group exhibition of collage and assemblage at Chouinard Foundation Gallery is a collection of works by artists known for collage and assemblage art. Also in the exhibition are artists more recognized for painting, printmaking or sculpture.

According to the curator, Gary Wong, the history of collage and assemblage has been well documented. California artists, specifically those from Southern California have continued to be practitioners of this art form. Considered somewhat “outside” the beauty of the form is its accessibility to everyone. Painters, printmakers and photographers, et al found expression in the form concurrently with the “serious” work being produced.

Today there is renewed interest in the artists and the medium, with particular focus on the relationship between the artists and society during the 1950’s – 1960’s.

This exhibition will feature Southern California collage and assemblage artists that have either gained prominence through public exhibition and critical attention or have stayed relatively unknown. But the artists in the history books represent only the tip of an artistic iceberg. There have always been legions of artists overlooked by critics and historians. These omissions are particularly prevalent within collage and assemblage, perhaps exacerbated by the personal and introspective nature of much of the art. Yet in spite of the critical neglect, work in collage and assemblage continues and the medium perseveres, offering as intriguing and accessible a personal statement any artist (or viewer) can hope for.

So, here is an exhibition; a presentation of choice, small pieces, representing but a small portion of the treasure that exists, a sampling of wealth from well known artists and rich discoveries from the lesser-known. The Southern California collage and assemblage community is both diverse and widespread, encompassing many different voices and reflecting multiple facets of this gem of an art form.

Artists who are primarily collage and assemblage artists include John Bernhardt, Paul Darrow, William Dole, George Herms, Ynez Johnston, Betye Saar, John Schroeder, and Gordon Wagner. Artists more recognized in other media are Larry Bell, Conner Everts, Llyn Foulkes, Matsumi Kanemitsu, Larry Latta and Emerson Woelffer.