ABSTRACT
In simple terms, assemblage art consists of transforming separate and distinct objects into a unified art piece. This chapter focuses on American assemblage, as well American Outsider Art, including artists such as Joseph Cornell, Robert Rauschenberg, Wallace Berman, and Edward Kienholz. The emphasis on American, especially California assemblage art, is due to the heuristic method used in this study. This research assumes that, due to temporal and physical proximity, the culture climate that influenced these artists likely affected the researcher as well, even if marginally and unconsciously. Assemblage artists find inspiration in streets, alleys, and second hand stores, the domain of the manmade, the idol, and the idle. Though natural materials may be used, they are removed from their native habitat, changing their meaning and form, essentially joining the ranks of the manufactured. The art of assemblage has the effect of infusing objects with significance.
