MOMENTS OF BEING
Charly Weir
Assemblage and folk art that honors the memories of the past and the feelings they create.
The Work
“Someone once asked me what my medium was, and I replied, ‘the town dump.’”
For a piece to arrive, something must first be set aside — a rusty hinge, a headless statue, an empty clock box, the bits and pieces from a barn or an attic. Charly Weir gathers what the world has let go of and transforms it into assemblage and folk art that carries its own moment of being — that flicker of recognition: “my grandmother had one of these.”
The Collections
Bodies of Work
5 pieces New Things
The most recent work — newly finished pieces, added as they come off the bench.
14 pieces Maine Folk Art
Flags and folk pieces made from island cast-offs.
12 pieces Ladies
A feminist series — figures assembled from found things.
6 pieces Angels
Winged figures gathered from salvage, iron and weathered wood.
8 pieces Faces
Portraits built from parts — a fascination that keeps returning.
18 pieces Boxes & Constructions
Shadow boxes and the pieces that break the frame to stand on their own.
8 pieces Interesting Objects
Curious finds that were never made into art — offered just as they were found.
Shown on the island
A lifetime of found things,
shown and collected.
Charly’s work is represented year-round at Islesford Artists Gallery on Little Cranberry Island, and she shows each March at the island libraries for Women’s History Month. Every piece is one of a kind — if something speaks to you, it is meant to be spoken for.