recontextures

Restored Depot Gallery, Creston, IA

June 2025

Recontextures is a collection of pieces recontextualizing a variety of 20th-century printed media into collages exploring the processes of memory, nostalgia, and association. The show was originally exhibited through Creston Arts at their gallery space in the restored railroad depot in downtown Creston.

The depot was built in 1899 by the Chicago-based architectural firm of Burnham and Root, who were responsible for many of the depots build around that time for the CB&Q railroad line. Seventy-five years after its construction, the depot was narrowly saved from demolition by a surge of local activism, leading to it’s inclusion into the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It currently serves as home to Creston City Hall, the local Amtrack office, and the gallery space, where Creston Arts has hosted monthly exhibits for nearly 15 years.

The shifting usage of the depot throughout its 126-year history provides a perfect context for the Recontextures exhibit. Much of the subject matter I used for these collages comes from imagery of 20th century labor industries. Textiles patterns, construction plans, and railroad schematics are all interconnected with images of flora, fauna, and the human body, exploring the relationship between industry, individuality, and identity.