Samantha Mahurin constructs her three-dimensional assemblage of found objects.

Jo Mueller instructs 3rd graders how to attach colored board to the collage.

Linda Shepherd gives words of advice to Duncan Street as he begins his assemblage.

Sharon Woosley lends Nick Foster a hand to build his masterpiece.

Sharon Bailey helps Nick Foster glue pieces to his assemblage in the center’s art studio.

"Assemblage in Progress" - In the lobby, the children will add pieces of various shapes and colors to a large 3-D structure that will be on exhibit until April 4.

Jo Mueller discusses 3-dimensional artwork in the main gallery at Spiva with third graders from Emerson Elementary School in Joplin.

All third graders in Joplin R-VIII schools will become assemblage artists during visits to George A. Spiva Center for the Arts during the first two weeks of March.

The art of assemblage is the creation of a sculptural composition from miscellaneous or found objects. Or, for a more casual explanation, "the art of juxtaposed stuff."

"Each third grade's visit to Spiva will be an exciting combination of activities involving the exhibit in the main gallery, A Confederacy of Objects: Art from Odds and Ends, and hands-on creation of their own assemblages in the center's art studio," said Jo Mueller, Spiva's executive director.

About 575 third graders from 12 schools will visit the center beginning March 2 and ending March 12.

Tour leaders will guide students through the exhibit and encourage their questions and ideas about sculptures by Judy Onofrio, Roger Hines, Rhett Johnson, and Marv Dahmen.

"We expect the children to be amazed to find that ordinary and not-so-ordinary objects in the hands of an artist can be beautiful, funny, or thought-provoking," Mueller said. "They'll discover doll faces, coffee pots, shovels, saws and ironing boards in some of the works."

In the studio, the young artists will create their own small three-dimensional assemblages from supplied materials and take them back to their schools for display. The hands-on sessions will be led by art center volunteers and MSSU art education students.

They'll also leave some of their art at the center. In the lobby, the children will add pieces of various shapes and colors to a large 3-D structure that will be on exhibit until April 4.

A Confederacy of Objects: Art from Odds and Ends in the main gallery and Variations on a 3-D Theme in the Regional Focus Gallery, with works by Michele DeSutter, Ron Mosbaugh and Scott Murray, are open to the public Feb. 28 through April 4.

Spiva Center for the Arts is located at Third and Wall in downtown Joplin. The galleries are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Donations are welcome; there is no charge for admission. Financial assistance for A Confederacy of Objects is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

For more information, please call 417-623-0183.

George A. Spiva Center for the Arts
222 W. 3rd Street
Joplin, Mo 64801
Tel: 417-623-0183
Fax: 417-623-3805
www.spivaarts.org

Jo Mueller, Director