“Lend me your hand” is the theme of Loretta Bebeau’s exhibit at the Paramount Center for the Arts, gallery C lower level, in St. Cloud, MN. It references her body of work that combined words in multiple languages with tracings of hands from the people who contributed the words.
“Overall, my career has been formed by using found objects or reusing objects that appear in my life. The material is used to help me grow, going from now to the new. One needs to ask what specific thing needs to change? And then, how will I make that change? What materials will be needed? What materials carry that meaning?” Bebeau said.
Non-art materials became very popular during the 1960s and 1970s. “I used found materials as a child (mud pies) and then as a student, eventually using them during the Feminist art movement after reading everything that was published. Anytime an artist has no money, nontraditional materials are used. Picasso used them during WWII, in Paris. Louise Nevelson used wood because of her budget, while in New York.” In this work, languages are also considered found objects.
In the many years we’ve known Loretta Bebeau, she’s shown up for other artists in the community, trading ideas, giving encouragement and carrying news from place to place. Gallery admission is free, and the works are for sale. The full artist history and a catalog of the work on display is here.