“They’re Grrreat!” That is just one of the comments Hamburg Area School District students could have used to describe the work of “cerealist” Michael Albert who spent three days with the students last week. Albert let students know that inspiration can happen anywhere as it did when he just could not throw away an empty Frosted Flakes box that led to his series of “Cerealism” art that he is now nationally known for.
“I would never have imagined before I started cutting up cereal boxes that it could turn into this. But I think it’s important to think that here’s this artist that came up with this idea to cut up cereal boxes and now it’s turned into this message about recycling as a way to put a creative element into inspirational ideas,” said Albert.
“I think cereal boxes can save the world,” he joked.
From Monday to Wednesday of last week, Albert spent time conducting programs and workshops with the elementary, middle and high school students as well as a workshop that was open to the public on Tuesday.
“I am very, very happy to have this program this evening because this is not only a first for our elementary school, but this is a first for the Hamburg Area School District. We have never had anything like this for the arts before,” said Brenda Binns, art teacher at Tilden Elementary Center.
While with the students, the 48-year-old New York artist shared how he did not plan on making a career out of art, but was inspired by the types of work he saw in the museums in New York City. He always enjoyed art as a class, listing it up there with recess, gym and lunch. However, he attended New York University to study business. During that time he would draw on anything and often doodled experimenting with different drawing materials.
His own dorm room inspired his piece “The Victim” which he described as a self-portrait of that time in his life. The collage drawing is made up of personal items found in his dorm room and after realizing that there were items that he bought feeling as though he needed them yet never used, he felt that he was a victim of advertising and marketing thus leading to the name of the piece.
After graduating, Albert decided to create his own brand of all natural fruit juices with the labels becoming another piece of work he is known for. His Sir Real brand features character inspired by a surrealist art exhibition with the characters fitting the juice they are on such as Sir Real Red Apple Man. While having lunch during one of the school visits, Albert sketched the characters so the teachers could scan the drawings and let the students (and adults) color them.
It still took some time before he discovered his “cerealism” art. Albert’s first collage from materials as a way of recycling and reusing was his sticker collage in 1999. He cut the stickers, old labels and junk mail into pieces and then arranged them on a piece of cardboard. Next Albert began to use photographs of first himself, family and friends and then moved onto other subjects such as the Empire State Building which he used a postcard to recreate. Just as with the sticker collage, he would cut the original material into pieces and recreate a new version.
Then came the Frosted Flakes box that changed everything when he suddenly found himself reluctant to crush the empty box and instead took a pair of scissors (a pair that he keeps with him all the time and have become his trusty pair in his 25 year art career as well as his glue bottle) and cut the box into small pieces before reconstructing. He now has more than 500 pieces in his “Cerealism” series which includes a map of the United States, more than just the usual first three number of Pi, the Gettysburg Address and more. Soon to be added is the Six Pillars of Character that inspired Albert during his time at Hamburg.
“Making art for me is just something I’ve always liked to do because it’s just really fun and enjoyable. I think art is really important,” said Albert. “I think there’s something in art that is beyond the everyday existence. I’ve always had a goal since I was a young person to do something great and special. And for me art contained something that I thought I could do. I do believe that there are many ways to do something special and important in the world.”
His message of finding inspiration anywhere and everywhere appeared to have worked on the students as they were eager to ask questions during their programs and many had the chance to speak with Albert during the community workshop as well as look at more of his work and purchase pieces as well as his autobiography. During the community workshop, the students also had the opportunity to work on their own collages with their parents.
This program was made possible by the PTO groups at both Perry and Tilden.
For more on Michael Albert and his work, visit www.michaelalbert.com.