Paper is a common object taken advantage of each day we take notes for class, each time we read a book and each moment we write a check for something seemingly more valuable. Paper has such an everyday function that sometimes we forget the different ways in which paper can amaze us in its visual glory.
Jane Hammond adds a new dimension to paper in her exhibit ""Jane Hammond: Paper Works"" at the Chazen Museum of Art. She unites paper's recording function and its aesthetic mechanism to create works of art that show the world that paper is more than just a common, everyday thing.
After receiving her master of fine arts degree at UW-Madison in 1977, Hammond returns with a collection of 49 works on paper. She expresses various thoughts and emotions through her unique collage style, which allows more freedom and imagination in creating her pieces. Hammond incorporates different techniques—like etchings and patchwork—and unusual materials—such as maps, stamps and coins—for both visual and mental stimulation.
Hammond presents the theme of containment in her piece ""Scrapbook (1000 Yen)."" The piece is presented like an open book, comprised of sewn-in Japanese paper as well as French marbled paper. On the pages she arranges an assortment of items such as money, photographs and paper cut-outs of flowers, necklaces and other figures Hammond hand-made. These random snippets are like little memories bound within the pages of the book.
While some works are orderly, other pieces are equally as disorienting as they are moving. ""Martin House Me"" is a mind-boggling spectacle in which Hammond blends drawing with collage. At the center of the piece are two identical heads propped up on stands—one head in black and white, the other filled in with color. After taking notice of the faces, eyes can wander in all sorts of directions. Cubic figures appear at different spots of the canvas. The face of a cat smiles at one corner, and a bird in a coffee cup emerges somewhere else.
Like ""Martin House Me,"" ""Still Life with Seal"" uses Japanese collaged paper as a canvas for a mish-mash of visuals. ""The Wonderfulness of Downtown"" is also a wild collage on collaged paper, blending the idea of a map with a sightseeing guide.
The centerpiece of Hammond's exhibit is ""All Souls (Masindi),"" which is also a type of map, except this time it is a map that tracks different types of butterflies. The butterflies are three-dimensional and look as if they were once real. The details are incredibly delicate, making ""All Souls"" an exceptionally worthy centerpiece.
Though at times paper is taken for granted, one can always appreciate its radiance through the pieces in Hammond's exhibit. ""Jane Hammond: Paper Works"" runs June 23 to Aug. 12 at the Chazen.
