Exhibit Remixes Artwork and History Together

Archives have traditionally been seen as a repository of knowledge to gain insight into the past. Through a new exhibit, the UTA Libraries Special Collections archive has been reimagined to allow the creation of new art. 

The Retro Remix: Archives-Inspired Student Art exhibit is on display through Sept. 1. It features an exhibition of student art that "remixes" historical materials from the Special Collections Department. 

Evan Spencer, a public services librarian and archivist, stated that Special Collections partnered with 27 students from the art and art history program for the exhibit. Students used photos, maps, book pages, and documents from the archive to create these original works of art. 

"In the exhibit, we have displayed the student's art next to the materials that inspired it. Sometimes it was a map from 1771 that inspired a new artistic endeavor," Evan said. "We have put a QR code with each original item in the exhibit. This is so visitors can scan the code and make their own remix." 

The Retro Remix exhibit is divided into three different sections. The first section is called Layered Composition. The artwork created in this section uses several archival items to create a new original work. 

The next section is called Colorized, where images from the past that are black and white or grayscale have realistic colors added to them. 

The third section is called Question Everything. In this section, students were instructed to construct a fake image that looks believable and real. For example, an artist might add an object like an iPhone to a person's shirt pocket in a 1950s photograph. 

At the end of the exhibit, there are several items on display that haven't been remixed yet into art. People can use those items to create new artwork or use archival items used in the exhibit. They can also choose images from the UTA Libraries Digital Gallery at https://library.uta.edu/digitalgallery. 

People can submit their Retro Remixes for consideration to be displayed digitally in the Special Collections Department online at https://bit.ly/41nbEZd.  

Prizes will be awarded for the best monthly submission. 

"We want to encourage students and library staff to participate if they are inclined to test their Photoshop skills," Evan said. "We want submissions and welcome different takes on different things." 

The Retro Remix: Archives-Inspired Student Art exhibit is displayed in the Special Collections Department from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday through Sept. 1. 

The Special Collections Department is on the sixth floor of the UTA Central Library building.