Beyond their aesthetic appeal, this exhibition of two assemblage besties carry a restorative message. By re-imagining waste as art, they actively participate in environmental healing through creative reuse. By diverting materials from landfills and challenging viewers to reconsider their relationship with consumption and refuse. However, Alea Bone and Stephanie Brockway both approach assemblage with different narratives and technique.

ALEA BONE

Alea Bone, an assemblage artist from the high desert, creates intricately crafted butterflies that merge found materials with striking visual harmony. Many pieces include layers of repurposed tin, patterned material, and vintage embellishments form a symmetrical composition that radiates balance and intentionality. The butterfly’s wings unfold in mirrored arcs of scalloped edges and repeating textures, echoing the elegance of Art Nouveau design through rich jewel tones combine with intricate organic motifs and a central, stylized female portrait to evoke both strength and delicacy. Bone’s work transforms discarded objects into ornate, cohesive forms that celebrate both nature’s symmetry and the enduring beauty of reuse.

STEPHANIE BROCKWAY

Stephanie Brockway, an Oregon-based assemblage artist, brings humor and heart to her whimsical world of hand-carved characters. Working with found wood and salvaged materials, she sculpts expressive faces and oddball figures that exude personality and charm. Brockway employs outsider painting techniques and rough-hewn textures that give her characters a raw, endearing quality. Many of which she carves out of vintage wood and adds onto with other vintage ephemera like tin, glass and ceramic. With a campy sense of humor and a love for storytelling, her work invites viewers into a delightfully absurd universe where the weird and wonderful reign.