MITThe Dean's Gallery
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"Picking up the Pieces"

Mixed Media by

Madge Slavin

November 20 - January 24, 1997

Curated by Michelle Fiorenza


Growing up in wartime England, I learned to make the best out of what was available. Nylon parachutes from army surplus stores were transformed into elegant underwear at a time when clothing was strictly rationed. Later while employed at MIT, I salvaged copper scraps from the machine shop to fashion tiny sculptural objects. Perhaps it was during my early years that the seeds were sown for the reincarnation process. In the current exhibit, I have recycled material oddments and natural objects gleaned from walks around my North Shore neighborhood. For the last three years, MIT's generous tuition assistance program for retirees has enabled me to expand my lifetime interest in the visual arts and my penchant for breathing new life into abandoned materials.

I love to "dig deep" to reveal beautiful and/or interesting images that might otherwise pass unnoticed -- a treasure hunt, if you will. And for as long as I can remember, I have combined experimentation with materials with my drawing skills. Very rarely do I have a preconceived image for my pieces. They evolve instinctively as I work, and this is what excites me - the sense of discovery and innovation as I create. Fantasy forms and faces appear out of nowhere, and the process itself is an uncharted adventure, in the same way that life itself can be.

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