Big Ass Collage at Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026

At Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2019, Christopher Kurts and Michael Pajón worked with other members of the Mystic Krewe of Scissors and Glue to create the CollabSlab, a collaborative collage on a 48”x60” wood panel. The original plan was to unveil it at The Surrealist Salon on Saturday, where it was to be cut into pieces and given away. But Hurricane Barry cut short the Festival, The Surrealist Salon never took place, and the CollabSlab made its way intact into Kolaj Institute’s collection, where it hangs in the Artist Bedroom of Kolaj Institute as an example of how big things can happen when artists work together. In 2026, we want to revisit this idea. 

On Saturday Night of Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026, we are coming together as a community and collaborating on a Big Ass Collage. At ten feet tall and fourteen feet wide, this 140-square-foot collage will come together in a demonstration of communal, collective authorship at the heart of the International Collage Community. Throughout Kolaj Fest New Orleans, artists will be invited to prepare elements for the Big Ass Collage. The evening will unfold as part Amish barn raising and part sewing bee, with a roving film crew documenting the event for a future mockumentary about the event. Just to make it more interesting, actors will be performing scenes and those in attendance will be invited to improv along with them. Once completed, the Big Ass Collage will be exhibited at the New Orleans Healing Center before being installed in the Artist Bedroom of Kolaj Institute. The mockumentary will be screened at Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2027. 

Want to get more involved in the Big Ass Collage making and mockumentary? To prepare materials for the Big Ass Collage, you can pre-cut fragments or assemble a free-floating (substrate-free) collage of fragments and drop them off at the Info Table or bring them to the Saturday night event. We are also looking for people with improv acting or filmmaking experience. Announce yourself at the Kolaj Fest New Orleans Info Desk or send an email to [email protected] if you are interested.

Kolaj Fest New Orleans is a multi-day festival and symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society, 10-14 June 2026. Visit the to learn more, see an overview of the program, and register to attend.

This Event is Free and Open to the Public. NOTE: This event will neither be streamed nor recorded.

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