June 03, 2006 — August 26, 2006
SALINA, KANSAS – The Salina Art Center announces Tools as Art, The Hechinger Collection, a traveling exhibition that celebrates the amazing variety of twentieth century art that represents or incorporates tools and hardware on view from June 3 through August 20, 2006.
This exhibition features 65 highlights from the collection that transform familiar forms into works of great imaginative power—from hammers, saws and wrenches to such machine tools as the lathe in wood, glass, metal, paper, and stone. Other works include assemblages of found objects and building materials, as well as paintings, prints and photographs depicting all sorts of tools, and featuring world renowned to emerging artists.
In 1978, hardware industry pioneer, John Hechinger Sr., moved the Hechinger Company—a chain of hardware stores started by his father in 1911—into new corporate headquarters in Landover, Maryland. He found the building efficient yet sterile. As a result, he set out collecting art that highlighted the company’s very livelihood. He states, “It was the hope that surrounding employees with artistic expressions of the same objects they handled in the tens of thousands would bring a sense of dignity to their jobs.”
Early on, Hechinger discovered the collection’s distinct focus strikes a rich and diverse vein in modern art. The collection encompasses paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and folk art, primarily from the post World War II era. Spanning a wide range of styles and themes, the collection honors the dignity of everyday tools.
Opening Reception
Meet Tools as Art and Smoky Hill River Festival artist Mr. Imagination, and learn more about other artists who find their artistic inspiration in everyday tools and hardware at the Tools as Art Opening Reception on Sunday, June 4, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at the Salina Art Center.
Tools as Art, The Hechinger Collection, is organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.
The Salina Art Center is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon – 5:00 pm, and Sunday from 1:00 – 5:00 pm. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00 pm.
Tools as Art is sponsored in part by Exline, Inc., Waters True Value Hardware, and Earthcare Services.
Salina Art Center programs, exhibitions and films are presented in part by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency, and by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency which believes that a great nation deerves great art.