Prospecting for Art

October 13 – December 17, 2005 | Curated by: Martha Friend & Michael O’Connell

The exhibition Prospecting for Art: Found Objects and the Creative Process stemmed from a profound curiosity about the found objects that visual artists are drawn to and what influence those objects may have on their work. 

Many artists collect found objects. What is the relationship between the found object and the art making activity?

The flotsam and jetsam of the natural world and discards from the universe of the manmade --the broken, the useless, the forgotten, the lost, the out of date –any of these could become tomorrow’s found treasure.  As an object of contemplation, they found lives again, if only in our imagination.  Some of us are driven to comb vacant lots, trash heaps and garbage dumps, the woods and the beaches in search of them; some of us stumble upon them by accident.  

How does the ordinary become extraordinary? How can we rekindle our sense of surprise in the face of the everyday? Do objects remember? Is existence completely random or full of magic and coincidence? The artists included in this exhibition believed that found objects may offer a clue to many of life’s important questions. The show consisted of found objects collected by 39 artists as well as original art created by each artist.  A found object was defined by the curators as “any item, natural or manufactured, found or obtained, that was not originally intended as a work of art, that was not altered in any way from how it was found, and is considered by the artist to be worthy of exhibition.” 

Related Programming

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 15, 5:00–8:00 pm

Artists Talk: Wednesday, October 26, 7:00 pm

Found Art Assemblage Workshop: Saturday, November 12, 1:00 pm

Participating artists:  

Timothy Barner
Susanne Bartz
Laurinda Bedingfield
Meg Birnbaum
Carol Blackwell
Lorey Bonante
Lizi Brown
Ellen Chase
Noon Coda
Barbara Cone
Juliann Cydylo
Sylvia deMurias
Gary Duehr
Laura Evans
Stephen Flanagan
Martha Friend
Jennifer Fuchel
Tali Gai
Raymond Gilbert
Lisa Jeanne Graf
John Guthrie
Susan Halter
Keith Maddy
Daniel Maher
harriet regina marion
August Miller
Denyse Murphy
Toru Nakanishi
Michael O’Connell
Roslyn Rose
Jane Sherrill
Paul Silverstone
Marcella Stasa
William Tenney
Andrea Thompson
Adele Travisano
Paul Weiner
Annabelle Whiting
Rick Zonghi

This project was supported by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and by the membership of the Somerville Museum.