Recent clean up efforts at the Columbia Theatre in downtown Paducah sparked a creative endeavor with local artists. The Paducah Art House Alliance is hosting an exhibit and sale of artwork Thursday night (June 9) created by found objects in the historic space. On Sounds Good, Austin Carter speaks with Darlene Mazzone about "Reclaimed & Repurposed) at the Paducah School of Art & Design, the origins of the idea and some of the work on display and for sale.
The event is from 6 to 8 PM. There is a $20 admission fee. The admission can be paid at the door or online. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Darlene Mazzone says the idea came to her while touring the Museum of Modern Art, where she saw a sculpture made primarily of nuts and bolts. She says it was like a lightbulb.
She has been leading a clean up effort at the Columbia Theatre for the past year and a half and the backstage and basement had been full of thousands of artifacts, many of which were saved with the idea of commissioning local artists to re-imagine the items.
She says the artwork is "incredibly fabulous" and even "mind blowing." Art ranges from the the very small - like earrings, to large, 7-8 foot sculptures. One sculpture was made with the vaudeville-era sewing machines found in the basement. She says there are lighted pieces, large globe fixtures, a robot that lights up and more totaling approximately 75 pieces from about 30 artists.
As for current work at the Columbia, Darlene says most of the space is environmentally clean. They'll be soon moving into the design phase, bidding contracts and a capital campaign. Asbestos abatement is done and they are now looking at the lead-based paint removal over the next few months.
