KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 28, 2020

Curated Series Available as Downloadable PDF

Kennesaw State University’s Bernard A. Zuckerman Museum of Art (ZMA), a part of the School of Art and Design, has curated a series of free artist-made coloring pages, now available to the community as a downloadable PDF. This free resource is available for anyone who is looking for activities to do at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sabrina Gschwandtner was the first artist to contribute artwork to the series.

Above: Installation views of Sabrina Gschwandtners' works on view from the December 2019 exhibition, "Cloud Chamber" by Jon Kownacki. Image courtesy of ZMA. 

Gschwandtner’s work was recently highlighted at the ZMA in the December 2019 exhibition “Cloud Chamber” curated by Ginger Wolfe-Surez, interim director of curatorial affairs. A group exhibition of textile works by four women from the United States and Canada, “Cloud Chamber” explored collaboration, handcraft, labor and technology through exquisite tactile works. The coloring sheet by Gschwandtner was inspired by her series of work in the exhibition. The artist brings new perspectives to forgotten early film history, when women were often hired as film editors because of their sewing skills. She “recasts undervalued histories of women’s handcraft work, and connects the sphere of craft and concept in art.” Other artists in the exhibition included Libs Elliott, Jess Jones, and Amanda Ross-Ho. 

School of Art and Design professor and artist Robert Sherer also embraced the idea of sharing his artwork as coloring pages to amuse and help pass the time during the pandemic quarantine. He proffered two pieces of art inspired by “Stronghold,” his upcoming site-specific installation at the ZMA, created to be experienced by walking over and through. “Stronghold" was initially conceptualized in relation to the artist’s own memories of being bullied in childhood, a topic that is, unfortunately, pervasive in our culture. His work has often included autobiographical narratives while exploring ideas of experimental portraiture and alternative forms of history-sharing. Sherer’s work eloquently and urgently represents human experience primarily through the forms of drawing and painting. This work represents cultural growth, suffering, engagement, and hope.

Wolfe-Suarez said, “This project came out of my own experience as a curator and mom working from home during the shelter-in-place order. I have been thinking about how our labor is visible and not visible in ways that already exist in our culture but have been amplified during this time. A lot of my work is done through virtual meetings while my children work on various art projects. I loved the idea of the ZMA bringing activities at no cost to families in the community. It is also a way of connecting my work to my children.” 

Artists Sarah Emerson, Katherine Taylor, and Tori Tinsley have each contributed new coloring sheets as of May, 2020. Additional coloring sheets are anticipated from various artists, including from Pablo Helguera, an artist, writer, and curator in New York who will be co-curating an upcoming, permanent collection exhibition at ZMA. 

Please share your completed coloring pages on social media and tag us: #ArtsKSU #ZMAColoring #ZMAatHome. 

To learn more about the School of Art and Design and the Zuckerman Museum of Art, please visit arts.kennesaw.edu.

--Kathie Beckett