Artist Spotlight: Max Collins
Now on Display at the Monocle for the month of July.
Max Collins is an acclaimed photographer and wheatpaste artist best known for creating artworks and installations by adhering images onto various materials and objects. Max holds a BFA in Photojournalism from the University of Michigan and an MFA from the University at Buffalo.
While living in Portland, Oregon from 2016-2020, Max focused his work on supporting bereaved families by facilitating memorial art-making workshops, becoming a licensed funeral director, and planning a wide range of funerals, services, and celebrations of life. As a community-focused artist in Buffalo, Max has implemented public art projects, exhibitions, and workshops over the last decade with various institutions and organizations across WNY.
Max has artwork in the permanent collection at The Burchfield-Penney Art Center, and his work has been showcased in solo shows at the Castellani Art Museum, WNY Books Art Center, and BAM Gallery. Max was recently invited to participate in a public art residency with The Albright Knox Art Gallery that took place throughout Summer/Fall of 2021.
This exhibition is an exploration and expression of Max Collins’ loving relationship with paper and its source material: the tree. As a wheat-paste artist for over a decade, Max Collins handled tens of thousands of feet of paper, which in turn has created a deep appreciation for the maker of the material. “I have a love of trees for the value they bring to our lives in a myriad of ways. Trees clean our air, offer shade, mark the seasons, communicate with each other and other living beings. They are givers and teachers. They line our streets and connect us to the natural world amongst an urban landscape. When they are cut down, they are turned into lumber that’s used to frame our homes and craft the tables we sit down at for dinner every night. All living things turn into other things, in time, trees especially so.” This show is a gesture of gratitude and appreciation for the tree and all its forms.
The sculptural pieces in this show are a commemorative act of honoring the pieces of lumber for the purpose they once served. Shrouded in an assemblage of paper remains collected in his day to day life, these works directly reference the tradition of washing and shrouding a body before its burial as a final act of reverence for its life. Paper cut offs from prints, recycled paperwork, receipts, and take out bags were used to swath and wrap these sculptures. The process of making these works was a reciprocal practice that was informed by Max’s memories and experiences of washing and shrouding rituals that he oversaw as a funeral director at Finley Sunset Hills in Portland, Oregon.
Q&A With the Artist:
What was the inspiration behind this collection?
When I worked as a funeral director I worked on a handful of “indigent cases” which is when someone passes away and there’s no one in that person’s life to take care of the expenses. The job of the funeral home in this situation is like being a detective; you have to utilize state and public records to piece together information for a death certificate as well as determine if there’s ANYONE out there who would be willing to help with the expenses. These cases would often result in the state footing the bill for the cremation and our funeral home would be responsible for storing the “cremains” in a designated tomb in our mausoleum that held dozens of unclaimed urns. Making this body work felt similar to this experience; giving time and energy to honor the life of someone or something who was completely forgotten and overlooked.
What is your technique when creating this collection?
For years I’ve been collecting discarded lumber that once served a purpose from the Niagara River and other industrial sites around WNY. After I lug them to my home or studio, I dry them out, clean them up, seal them, and slowly shroud them using scraps of discarded paper in my studio.
How has your style changed over time?
My approach to work has become more and more sculptural. For years, I practiced as a traditional photographer shooting editorial assignments for newspapers and magazines. In my early 20s I discovered wheat-pasting as a method to install my images in the public spaces on buildings, which taught me a lot about how physical surroundings can affect how art is experienced. This shifted into creating more immersive installations with my work while utilizing materials that spoke more conceptually.
What is your favorite and least favorite part about professional art?
The people.
What is your go to work playlist?
1400 AM.
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
My studio mates at my workshop at the niagara frontier food terminal.
Artists that I’ve studied that have had a deep influence on my practice would be Milton Rogovin, JR, Jeanne Claude and Christo, James Turrell, Robert Ryman, Carl Andre, Anselm Kiefer, and Ruth Asawa.
If you hadn't been an artist what would you be?
Artistic Funeral Director
If you could only bring one thing to the moon what would it be?
One thing?! Am I flying on the frontier airlines of space travel? I suppose a jug of water because it sounds like this flight won’t have any refreshments.
What is your dream project?
They’re different every night. One that I’ve had several times involves designing a gallery/church/event venue to offer an alternative space for funerals and memorial gatherings.