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I've always enjoyed the adventure of finding ways to re-use what others consider as TRASH ... In the pieces I create. I'm delighted when I see the material transformed into an artistic statement for conservation of the Earth's resources. -- Polly Harrison
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Tired Old Dog Basket 2005, Cut auto rubber innertubes twined over a welding rod frame, chain and dog tags added to surface, Private Collection.
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Polly Harrison studied art at the Atlanta College of Art, but the artwork she has been creating for the past twenty-five years is focused on the use of "trash" to make a statement for conservation... Weaving is the technique she applies to convert folded newspapers, braided nylon thrown out by a carpet factory, inner tubes, discarded movie and video film and other refuse into innovative baskets and three-dimensional wall hangings. Harrison's creations have been influenced by her independent study of Mayan artisans in Quintana-Roo, Mexico, and in San Antonio Agua Callientes, Guatemala, and her further study of Amazonian Folk Arts at Pernambucu Federal University, Brazil. Her inventive pieces have been included in major touring exhibitions such as: Trashformations (organized by the Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, Washington) and Re-cycle, Re-use, Re-create (an Arts America exhibition that traveled to eight African countries as a cultural presentation of the U.S. Government), in solo and invitational exhibitions at numerous galleries and universities and in many public and private collections. Harrison participated in Artist-in-Residence Programs sponsored by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Georgia Council for the Arts for public schools in those states, thereby sharing her enthusiasm for what she calls the "adventure of recycling unusual found materials into art" with both students and teachers. Martha Connell, Curator American Basketmaking: Tradition & Innovation, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 1999 |
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Bright Star Film Basket, 9x9x36, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, 2008, Martha Connell, Curator |
Discarded "Previews of Coming Attractions" I found that 35mm movie film, including discarded "Previews of Coming Attractions" from a local movie theater, along with outdated 35mm educational filmstrips, and 16mm home movies present a wonderful material suited to weaving and plaiting techniques. Woven window panels of movie images are reinforced with a folded-film chain technique on the edges. Three-dimensional baskets are reinforced at the top with aluminum metal strips. Layers of Plexi-glass pop-riveted to the bottom give extra stability to the base. The surface of the basket is often decorated with the traditional technique of quilling to give extra "Look but don't Touch" interest to the surface. |
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Cartoon Window, 29x43", Available at FOUND Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan. |
Plexi-Film Baskets Plaited 35mm movie film (Discarded Previews of Coming Attractions), with pop-riveted Plexi-glass Base. Out-takes are bleached in a solution to make clear film to weave some of the images through. |
PLAITED 35MM & DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS
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The Wedding, 18x18" Private CollectionUsing th e same plaiting technique that Women Prisoners used to make purses and wallets from cigarette packs, I began to experiment with a box of old 35mm photographs as a material. The images split and patterns are made with negative spaces.Because of the glossy finish to the photographs, it isn't necessary to put any finish on the pieces. After the photographs are cut in strips, folded and linked together, I use heavy cotton cord to sew the strips together.
Currently I am incorporating digital photograph prints with a plaiting weaving technique in the center of the piece that brings a woven image to the surface. |
Children and Friends 35x39", Hartsfield-Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport Exhibition, Atlanta, Georgia
CELEBRATE:: Beatrice Wood, 14x14", In process. |
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My Mail: 2005 , Plaited stamps and envelopes, 33x33", Available at the Signature Shop and Gallery, Atlanta |
MY RECYCLED MAIL: When I conducted artist-in-residence programs in schools, a favorite material that we recycled was "Junk Mail"... We used it in weavings, collage and with hand-made books. When I looked at all the mail I receive from Moon Calendars and personal correspondence, the stamps and envelopes were so appealing, I just couldn't toss them. Eventually, I had boxes of stamped envelopes that I tried to find a use for. The Plaiting Prison Art technique that I used for the edges of the film panels came to mind and I began cutting and working with the envelopes to make a panel so the stamps would make a design. I had planned to use the panel as a floor cloth, but it seemed to migrate up to hang on the wall. As an annual project, I save my mail for a piece that I call "My Mail"... The piece is as large as the amount of mail I receive during the year and I write my memories of the year on the back. I noticed that "My Mail" pieces are getting smaller. Because of advances in technology, and more people in the world using computers, i find more and more of my communication and orders are online. |
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Grandfather Spider Basket, Twined silk ties over welding rods with rubber innertubes. 35x10.5x10.5" |
I'm always looking at what our society throws away... Braided nylon rope discarded from a carpet yarn factory, Japanese newspapers from an Asian Market, Videotape cassettes, colorful plastic coated computer cable, old silk ties from the clothing bank, black rubber auto inner-tubes from the tire store and extra metal dog tags left over from the city tag office. Whether it's called Make-Do, Outsider, or EARTH Friendly GREEN ART, using discarded recycle materials as they present themselves, with an appropriate technique that transforms the material into something that surprises and delights the viewer is just what I do and what I've always done. --- Polly Harrison
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Copper Curl Basket with 1947 Dog Tags, Knot-less netted plastic coated computer wire over copper electric fence wire core. Brass Chain with found dog tags dated 1947 from Rome, Georgia. 10x5.5x5.5"Signature Gallery, Atlanta. |
The Signature Gallery
\ 3267 Roswell Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30305 / 404/237-4426Visit the Signature Shop on line.
FOUND
/ Ann Arbor, MichiganRome Area Arts Council/ Rome, Georgia
ANNYX GALLERY / Sag Harbour, New York
"FOUND OBJECTS TRANSFIGURED" Curated by Martha Connell, T Terminal, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, Ga., 2008
Featured Artist, Atlanta Folk & Outsider Art Festival, The Signature Gallery, 2006
"Miniatures" Swan Coach House Gallery, Atlanta Historical Museum, Marianne Lambert, Curator, 2006
Rome Art Coterie 2006 Exhibition, Laura Lieberman Juror, Rome Area Council for the Arts.
Polly Harrison & Marianne Weinberg Benson at the Signature Shop, Atlanta, August 2004
"Annyx Exhibition" in Concert with the Sag Harbour Film Festival, September 2004
"A Night At the Movies" Lost & Found Gallery, Princeton, N. J., June 2003
"Exhibition" Snyderman Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2002
"Spotlight 2000: SE American Crafts Council Juried Exhibition Kennesaw State University, 2000
"American Basketmaking: Tradition & Innovation" Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TENN, curated by Martha Connell, 1999.
"Trashformations" Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA, curated by Lloyd Herman, touring US Museums through 2000
"Re-cycled, Re-Use, Re-Create" US Information Office, New York Arts Council, touring eight countries in Africa 1995-97
Solo Exhibitions... Gallerie de Metropolitan, Escolinha de Arte, Pernambuco Federal University, Recife, Pernambuco Brazil, Partners of the Americas; The Signature Shop, Atlanta; Middle Georgia College; Emmanuel Arts Center; Georgia Southern University
Other Exhibitions... Banaker Gallery, San Francisco; Twinings Gallery, New York; Perimeter Gallery, Chicago; Galleria Mesa, AZ; Textile Arts Center, Chicago
Commission through the Signature Shop Gallery: Boardroom Mixed Media Panels with actual company products, digital photographs, plexi-glass. Superior Essex, Atlanta, Ga.
COLLECTIONS & COMMISSIONS
Superior Essex, Atlanta, Georgia; Colorado Film Festival; Nations Bank, Charlotte; Coca-Cola, Nestle Div., Atlanta; Marietta College of Art, Marietta Ohio; The Lannan Foundation, West Palm Beach; Arts Festival of Atlanta; Georgia Council for the Arts; AVCO Realty, Atlanta; Galleria de Metropolitan, Pernambuco, Brazil.
WEBSITE COLLECTIONS & REFERENCE
Georgia Council for the Arts
, Governor's Permanent Collection http://www.thegaartcollection.org/Southern Arts Federation
http://southernartistry.org/Fibre Arts Design Studio, LLC
, Ojai, California http://www.fibrearts.netBeatrice Wood Center for the Arts, Ojai, California http://www.beatricewood.com/
Aluminous Publishing, Recycled Art & Crafts
http://luminouspublishing.com/index.php
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
Found Object Art by Dorothy Spencer, Schiffler Art Books, Philadelphia, 2002, Featured Artist.
The Metal Craft Book, by Janice Eaton Kilby and Deborah Morgenthal, Lark Books, New York, 2000. Contributing Designer for three projects: Recycled Aluminum, bowl, box, and wearable art.
THE New Photo Crafts, by Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott, Lark Books, New York, 2001. Contributing Designer for Film Frame Project.
Making the New Baskets, Jane LaFerla, Lark Books, New York, 1999. Contributing Designer for Newspaper Basket.
Carol Duvall Show, HGTV, Demonstratation of Plating a recycled 35mm Movie Film Basket, with New Mexico artist, John Garrett, taped at Arrowmonth School of Arts and Crafts and aired 1999
Craft in America: Celebrating the Creative Work of the Hand, Phyllis George, Summit Press, 1993. Featured Artist.
NEWSPAPER and Magazine ARTICLES
"American Artist Re-Cycles With Japanese Newspaper," The Yomuri America, Tokyo, Japan, October, 1992
"Artist Weaves Throwaways Into Treasures" Actor Cordell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Aug. 1989.
"Curso de Tacelagen tera Inicio no Recife" Diario de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, Mar. 1986.
"Inside-Outside" Mona Garvey, Creative Person, 1985.
"Faux for Faux Sake" In Fashion Magazine, Alexander Polakov and Joe Solce, New York, Mar-Apr 1987.
"Handmade Masterpieces" Laura Lieberman, Atlanta Magazine, Dec. 1984.
"Hammock of the Yucatan" Polly Harrison, Goodfellow Review, Berkeley, California, Apr. 1981.
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Polly Harrison / P. O. Box 642 / Cedartown, GA 30125 / Telephone 678/246-0022
