New Art Wall in Bixler

A new art wall in Bixler hallway is turning a corridor into a living, breathing work of art. In collaboration with the Colby College Art Department, the community-driven collage wall invites students, faculty, staff, and visitors to contribute to an ever-evolving piece of artwork. This idea was inspired by the temporary exhibition at the Colby College Museum of Art titled Everyday Devotions: Gifts from the Alex Katz Foundation and Beyond, which is currently on display in the Lower Jetté Gallery through May 31, 2026.

To clarify, the exhibit Everyday Devotions is a curated piece in the Museum featuring works by established artists, with many drawn from transformative gifts made by the Alex Katz Foundation to the Colby College Museum of Art. It is not a student exhibition; rather, the new art wall in Bixler is simply inspired by the exhibition’s themes and spirit, offering the College’s community a chance to explore the concept of collaging for themselves.

Everyday Devotions brings together more than 40 works by 25 artists who have embraced collage either as a medium — cutting and pasting paper — or as a broader conceptual strategy. Between 1955 and 1960, American artist Alex Katz devoted himself to making collages, producing playful landscapes and still lifes with hand-colored papers. Over the past 25 years, he has also become an important collector, donating significant collages by other artists to museums like the College’s through his foundation. That is the true origin of this new exhibition. Taking Katz’s own works as a point of departure, the College’s exhibit expands outward to demonstrate how collaging has evolved across decades, materials, and approaches. 

Some works adhere to traditional cut-paper techniques while others stretch that definition of collage entirely. Artists like George Schneeman, who is prominently featured in the exhibit, often uses mass-produced imagery and commercial materials. His collage work incorporates magazine clippings and familiar logos, assembling elements of pop culture into something concrete.

Other artists within this exhibit repurposed everyday materials in new, inventive ways. Robert Rauschenberg transformed found objects and printed matter into his layered collages. Meanwhile, Alina Szapocnzikow put organic materials like dried grass into her work. This exhibition seems to emphasize thinking outside of the box and material diversity, which promotes these incredible new forms of artistic expression. 

It is precisely this same level of creativity that animates the new Bixler art wall that is open to the everyday passerby. Marked by scissors and scraps, the Bixler collage transforms viewers into participants. Community members are encouraged to choose from available materials or even bring something of their own to leave their mark. Student and contributor Lauren Cho `26 greatly appreciated this sense of variety in regard to mediums available. 

“I love how it is interactive, providing all sorts of different materials for students to use,” Cho said. “My friend and I only added our initials near an image on the wall that we particularly liked, but it still felt like we were part of something bigger. It’s a fun addition to Bixler, and I hope to see more creative projects like this!”

No matter what the viewer chooses to do, each addition to the art wall shifts the composition and expands the story being written. No single person controls the outcome. Instead, the wall grows naturally, shaped by random encounters and collective imagination. 

Talia Thompson `27, one of the wall’s other contributors, was impressed by the thought that went into this special project.

“I thought it was cool how anyone walking by could add something to the wall,” Thompson said. “It was also interesting to see how unique each section was and how different everyone’s contributions looked.”

In this way, the project mirrors the exhibition — collages thrive on juxtaposition. Just as the Museum’s artists combine different motives and materials, the Bixler wall gathers differing fragments of campus life. The result is not only visual; it’s also a social record of this collaboration and shared authorship across campus.

There is also something compelling about the art wall being placed in the halls of Bixler rather than in the Museum itself. Unlike the Museum gallery, which seeks out intentional visitation, Bixler is a site of everyday passage for many. Students rush through between classes, faculty pause for conversations, and visitors walk in to go to the library quite often. The art wall therefore interrupts this routine and invites a moment of play. It suggests that creativity does not need to be confined to formal art like what one might find in the Museum. Instead, it emerges wherever available materials and creativity meet.

By drawing inspiration from Everyday Devotions, the Bixler art wall underscores collage’s boundless potential. In opening this space, the Colby College Art Department has extended the exhibition’s message beyond the walls of the Museum — that art is not only something we observe, but something we can all contribute to together.

 

 

~ Amelia Hanscom `27