Curious Narratives

Enjoy this glimpse into a Cabinet of Curiosities—a local mixed media show at the Santa Cruz Art League.  Imagined Memories: Wendy Aikin + Judy Stabile + Jean Sheckler Beebe defies description—sculpture, painting, collage, assemblage, fiber art, found art, video, storytelling—it’s all delightfully there. The artists created several vibrant imaginary characters from images found in old portraits, and then embellished their stories and environments to create overlapping installations throughout the gallery. There is Dorian Blue, the inventor of the paint by numbers postcard, and Josephine LeStrange, collector of reliquaries. This large back room is the office of the cabinet’s curator, a space filled with themed collections and artifacts. “Where did they ever find these things?” is a common question when looking at all the bones and insects, old dolls and toys, pages of old journals, antique office supplies, oh my, I’m overwhelmed. The second most common comment seemed to be, “Oh, I have one of those!”