May signals the arrival of the Lost and Found Circus in Bridgeport

A display of whimsical sculptures by Susan Tabachnick

By KATHLEEN MAHER

Starting Thursday May 8, The Barnum Museum will feature an amazingly original display, Lost and Found Circus: A Creative Balancing Act by Bridgeport artist Susan Tabachnick. The exhibition features a circus-themed presentation of small sculptures created with found objects, many of them incorporating old industrial parts and small tools.  The components are not altered in any way, but are assembled into whimsical sculptures suggestive of the lively energy and humor that characterizes the circus.  The assemblages give “new life” to items originally made for other purposes. Tabachnick never forces the unions and she doesn’t weld or glue the pieces together; they must fit or balance.

The Thursday, Friday and Saturday hours at the museum are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. While Susan Tabachnick was born and raised in Stamford she later moved to the Bridgeport neighborhood where the circus wagon parade appeared annually, around the fourth of July. She would sit on her front porch in anticipation and wonder while watching "the show before the show." These memories of her old neighborhood inspired and launched her in a new creative direction. Tabachnick majored in English, Secondary Education. While not trained specifically in the field of art, she began her venture as an artist when she found a round metal flange on the ground, brought it home and set it on the windowsill.  She started noticing old tools, metal and wooden parts--the kinds of things that end up in people’s garages, workshops and basements--while she was visiting estate and tag sales. Typically old industrial parts caught her eye. Soon she had gathered a collection, mostly things that weren’t created to be beautiful yet had their own aesthetic qualities; these became her toys and “building blocks.” Tabachnick was intrigued with the process of putting the found objects together, finding perfect combinations that fit as if they “belonged,” and discovering the “personalities” of each new assemblage. Their shape, size, material and color suggest how they come together. Tabachnick's first piece was created in 2007. Each of Tabachnick's creations in this exhibition begins with a particular piece of salvaged material to which she is attracted. The sculptures often evolve as a balancing act, as Tabachnick experiments with finding just the right parts, using her own fluid and flexible approach to making art.   All of the work in the show is assembled this way; none of the components are permanently affixed.  Like a real circus, the components can readily be disassembled and transported to a new venue, and if the artist chooses, the found objects can come together in new ways. "The Lost and Found Circus is always a work in progress," explained Tabachnick, "an infinitely creative and organic assemblage of salvaged pieces that invites people to see new possibilities. What is most enjoyable to me are the reactions to my work, and the different references and perceptions that viewers bring to it. I never intended to make a circus. The pieces came together serendipitously, each with its own eccentric personality, not dissimilar to that of traditional circus characters. Over the years, the theme kept percolating to the point where there is now a troupe." Susan Tabachnick will run an Artist in Residence Workshop: Inventive Play on July 16 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at The Barnum Museum.

The workshop will focus on creating small sculptures with found objects. Creativity begins with a good sense of "play" that leads to discovery and inventiveness. This workshop invites attendees to "play" with an assortment of interesting found objects to assemble and transform them into intriguing new objects, perhaps with their own whimsical personalities. Tabachnick will help guests experiment and see the possibilities for how things can fit together or balance. The museum will supply the found objects, but please feel free to bring your own objects, especially those made of metal, wood or ceramic. The workshop will be appropriate for adults and kids, ages 8 and up. $5 per family is the suggested donation.

WHAT: Lost and Found Circus: A Creative Balancing Act by artist Susan Tabachnick WHEN: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. until August 30, 2014 Wednesday, July 16, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.  Artist in Residence Workshop: Inventive Play WHERE: The Barnum Museum, 820 Main Street, Bridgeport in the People’s United Bank Gallery. Entry located at the back of the historic building COST:  Admission is free but donations are always appreciated.  July 16 workshop suggested $5 donation per family.  Barnum Museum members are always free. Call for more information 203-331-1104 ext.100, M-F from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum's permanent collection of P.T. Barnum and Tom Thumb artifacts, carriages, artwork, and decorativearts are on view in Envisioning the Future!, located in the People's United Bank Gallery. Be sure to see our astonishing new acquisition, The Centaur of Tymfi--you will be speechless! Please note that our historic Museum building is closed due to storm damage from the F1 tornado that struck Bridgeport on June 24, 2010. All exhibits are presented in the adjacent People's United Bank Gallery, at the rear of the historic building. To learn more about The Barnum Museum’s current programs visit barnum-museum.org. You can also visit the museum on Facebook, view past programs at www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org or communicate on Twitter @BarnumMuseum. The original Barnum Institute building is owned by the City of Bridgeport and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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