"Pulp Function," organized at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass., reveals a dazzling variety of transformations, from colored-pulp "paintings" and sculptures to jewelry and clothing.
The show offers works by more than 60 artists, including six from the Philadelphia region (Carol Cole, Arlene Gitomer, Jeanne Jaffe, Betsy Miraglia, Lewis Knauss, and Erin Tohill Robin), who approach the medium from different directions.
Some artists exploit the intrinsic qualities of paper as an art medium - its plasticity (as pulp), fragility, delicacy, texture, and ability to evoke nature poetically.
Jaffe's large wall array of biomorphic sculptural forms, most of them abstract, and Knauss' small, fan-shaped cluster of pale sheets embellished with a horsehair fringe fall into this category.
Similarly, Joyce Utting Schutter has crafted an elegant boat-shaped sculpture from pulp, cheesecloth and seed pods. Material purists would find such works most satisfying.
The other, larger group of artists uses paper either to mimic some other medium, exemplified by Gugger Petter's relief, Five People With Two Dogs, made from twisted and folded newspapers, or to recontextualize common paper materials such as books, maps, candy wrappers, egg cartons, and currency.
Yes, genuine U.S. currency. An artist who works under the name Cat Chow is exhibiting the show's premier conversation piece, a slinky evening gown, ironically titled Not for Sale, woven from strips of 1,000 shredded dollar bills donated by sponsors.
The effect suggests green-and-white chain mail, yet the dress is far more stylish than one might expect from woven paper.
