Thanks to the technology of “cut” and “paste” commands on our digital devices, we can rapidly move text, photos, and graphics around; but the techniques of cutting and pasting — or collaging — existed long before computers. Collage derives from the French word coller (to glue) and is an art form thought to have originated with cubists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who are credited with coining the term.

But they didn’t invent the process.

Picking up the pieces

Sandra Duran Wilson, The Place Between (2023), mixed media collage; courtesy the artist

Picking up the pieces

Darlene Olivia McElroy, Los Colores (2021), mixed media; courtesy the artist

Picking up the pieces

Kitt Miller, Why it is, (2020), collage; courtesy Kitt Miller

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