What is a Collage?

Although collage has a long history of hundreds of years, it gained popularity as an art method in the early 20th century by artists such as Picasso and Braque. Collage comes from the French word “coller” which means to glue or paste and so, is a composition of materials and objects that have been pasted over a surface to form a unifying (or sometimes not!) theme.

Collage has been found to reduce depression, release repressed feelings, and resolve emotional issues. How so? Research shows that the function of actually moving our hands activates areas of our brain’s frontal cortex, providing pleasure.

Further, the added benefit of seeing tangible results of that which we’ve created provides an extra level of satisfaction. This is why we’re often most content and at peace when simply creating. Even though not officially considered creative arts, tasks such as gardening, painting, jewelry making, and knitting are just several examples of the pleasures that this type of movement brings.

Here is a prime example of Collage Art by Giselle Beauchamp, Helen Opie and Monica Forresall:

Reference: http://www.counselingservices-phoenix.com/pdf/collage_and_expressive_arts_therapy.pdf