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Art Talk Live: The Arts of the Everyday—Found Materials in Brazilian Art & Printmaking at Home

Several white porcelain objects are scattered on a wood floor. Some of the objects are recognizable, such as cotton swabs and crumpled and folded pieces of paper.
Clarissa Tossin, Brazilian, Spent, 2009. Porcelain and trash. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Elaine Levin, 2018.307. © Clarissa Tossin, “Spent,” 2019; courtesy of the artist.

Gallery Talk

This event was recorded. Please view the talk here.

Bits of fabric, metal scraps, trash—these are just some of the experimental materials artists have used to make political statements. From sculpture to the graphic arts, a vibrant tradition of found materials, assemblage, and collage exists in Brazil, where artists have deployed these techniques to illuminate economic, racial, and environmental issues. This talk will explore innovative works at the Harvard Art Museums and beyond, followed by a demonstration of how to make a collagraphic print at home using found materials.

This talk is part of a series investigating power dynamics in artworks across the collections. Considering intersections of art and power, our curatorial team discuss how artists engage with social and political crises, use art to upset systems of power, and imagine more equitable futures.

Led by:
Natalia Ángeles Vieyra, Maher Curatorial Fellow of American Art, Division of European and American Art

Joanna Sheers Seidenstein, Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Curatorial Fellow, Division of European and American Art

Francesca Bewer, Research Curator, Conservation and Technical Study Programs, Director of Summer Institute for Technical Studies in Art

This free talk will take place online via Zoom. To join, follow this link: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/94767779821 (pre-registration not required).

For instructions on how to join a meeting in Zoom, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact am_register@harvard.edu.

Art Talks Live are presented via Zoom every other Thursday afternoon at 2pm and offer an up-close look at works from our collections with our team of curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students.

Please check our Harvard Art Museums from Home page for a full list of online programs and a rich array of digital content on offer while the museums are closed. Receive regular updates by subscribing to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.