Reclaiming Fragments: Exploring Archives and Erasure through Collage
La MaMa
74 E 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
March 8, 2025
3pm ET
Free / Donate
Memory, history, and identity are often shaped by what is preserved and what is erased. In this hands-on workshop and artist talk, we will explore collage as both a personal and collective act of reclaiming fragmented narratives. By layering images, text, and artifacts, participants will reconstruct stories from narratives of their choice - whether personal history or cultural moments - while also reflecting on how histories can be obscured or forgotten. Through the process of collage, we ask: How do we reclaim what has been erased? What power do we have in reassembling the past and how do we create new narratives from fragments that remain?
This workshop is led by Elyana Shams, a multimedia artist who explores the narratives of memory, identity, and girlhood in Iran to create work that offers space for both reflection and empathy from the viewer.
The workshop is open for both physical and digital collages, if folks want to bring their own material/medium (iPad, photos they want to use, etc) to make with, they're welcome to.
Presented as a part of Re–Fest, CultureHub’s annual festival. Join us before or after the workshop to experience artworks, performances, conversations, and workshops throughout La MaMa's 74a E 4th Street building. Re–Fest is free and open to all.
Full artist line-up and programming schedule here.