(Cotuit, Massachusetts) The Cahoon Museum of American Art is pleased to announce the opening of Robin Tost: Scrap Metal Quilts running October 5 – December 23rd.
This innovative and stunning exhibit features over 12 metal “quilts” and three outdoor pieces, Spirit Bear, Phoenix, and Cecilia the Sea Serpent. The idea for her signature style began during a biking trip across Vermont though a region devastated by factory closings. She noticed women selling quilts to supplement their family income and was inspired to create sculpture transforming old, hard recycled metal into a form associated with fiber work. Influenced by traditional quilt patterns, Tost cuts the metal, punches it with a drill press, and sews the pieces together with wire. “For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to bits of trash. My satisfaction in the variety of colors on discarded things (new, faded or scratched away), the found pieces of metal (bright, bent or rust eaten) and the shapes of broken manufactured bits (sinuous, circular or geometric) is only surpassed by the joy of combining all of these various treasures into something unexpected.” Robin Tost
Robin Tost grew up in White Bear Lake, MN. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, she moved to New York City where she worked for Bil and Cora Baird's Marionette Company, raised two children and showed her wire sculptures and life-sized fabric mache people. In 1985 she moved to the Berkshires in Western MA where she has a barn in which to work and store all the "inventory" she collects from roadsides, the transfer station, and a variety of local scrap yards. She is a firm believer in recycling in its many forms.
About the Cahoon Museum of American Art
The Cahoon Museum of American Art presents art exhibitions in the landmark Crocker House in Cotuit, MA and welcomes visitors of all ages to learn about art and art history, to enjoy fun, family friendly events, to and delight in creative programming. The museum is committed to its mission to celebrate American art in ways that expand knowledge, enrich the spirit, and engage the heart.