Collage
Fresh Kills: Elegy VI
- Description
- Framed collage titled Fresh Kills: Elegy VI by John Schweitzer. This piece incorporates a piece of red-and-white-striped fabric with a piece of paper with the words “AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL” at the top, a large cutout of a star in the center, and red-and-white stripes on the right side and blue-and-white stripes on the left. MMIII is written in Roman numerals in the lower right.
- Historical Notes
- In response to the events of 9/11, artist John Schweitzer created Fresh Kills: XXIV Elegies, a series of 24 collages made by attaching mixed materials, mainly found ephemera, onto a flat surface. Though he was not in New York on September 11, 2001, he had previously lived in the city for five years and was deeply saddened by the attacks that targeted his former home and country.
Curator's Comment
The career of Canadian artist John Schweitzer has focused predominantly on the production of mixed-media collages, works of art made by attaching materials onto a flat surface. As a former resident of New York, Schweitzer turned to his preferred medium to respond to the 9/11 tragedy through his art. Using materials found and gathered around Montreal, such as newspapers, paper bags, playing cards, and fabrics, Schweitzer set to work creating this series of 24 collages.
The title he gave to the finished series, Fresh Kills: XXIV Elegies, alludes to the then recently closed landfill facility in Staten Island where, from September 2001 to June 2002, wreckage from the World Trade Center site was transported and sifted for human remains, personal effects, and investigative evidence. It was a solemn place, closed to the public, and critical to forensic activities in service to the recovery mission during its 10 months of operation.
In a career spanning more than 40 years, Schweitzer has occupied many roles in the art world, including those of artist, collector, critic, and curator. In 2003, he was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
The title he gave to the finished series, Fresh Kills: XXIV Elegies, alludes to the then recently closed landfill facility in Staten Island where, from September 2001 to June 2002, wreckage from the World Trade Center site was transported and sifted for human remains, personal effects, and investigative evidence. It was a solemn place, closed to the public, and critical to forensic activities in service to the recovery mission during its 10 months of operation.
In a career spanning more than 40 years, Schweitzer has occupied many roles in the art world, including those of artist, collector, critic, and curator. In 2003, he was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
- Accession Number: C.2014.404.13
- Dimensions: 21.25 in X 27.25 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 53.975 cm X 69.215 cm
- Source: John A. Schweitzer
- Credit Line: Gift of the artist, in celebration of the resilient American spirit
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