“The Sterlings” Collage Workshop: Collaging for the Self

This month’s exhibition at the Julio Fine Arts Gallery is The Sterlings, a solo exhibition by this year’s Artist-in-Residence, Bria Sterling Wilson. The exhibition is incredibly intimate as it focuses heavily on the idea of family, identity, and traditions. Sterling-Wilson uses her family’s archival photos as a base to create new images through collage and as inspiration for new photos.

               As the Artist-in-Residence, Sterling-Wilson has spent some time with students at Loyola, joining critique sessions and guest speaking at classes. Along with that Sterling-Wilson has been holding collage workshops. This past Tuesday, November 12th, I had the opportunity to attend one of these workshops. Sterling-Wilson led a group of students, faculty, and friends as she showed the various ways one could collage with examples from a variety of artists. With plenty of materials at our disposal, we were let to collage for two uninterrupted hours. There was a sense of comfort with most of the room silent except for some background music. Attendees were given a safe space to create whatever they wanted and Sterling-Wilson was their guide, offering help whenever possible. As a student having to deal with assignment after assignment, it was refreshing to be given the chance to be around others who enjoy collaging as much as you. Collaging is only limited by the boundaries you create.

               If you can attend the workshop, this Tuesday, November 19th at 6:00 pm (Sign up on the Bridge), I highly recommend and bring a friend too! Also, if you haven’t already stopped into the gallery to see The Sterlings, make sure you do, because it won’t be around for much longer!

               The exhibition will run through November 22, 2024. To learn more about the Gallery’s programs and current and past exhibitions, visit julioartgallery.com or call 410-617-2799. Follow us on Instagram, @JulioArtGallery, for updates!

The author’s (Ari Acevedo) collage