Art meets history in the striking work of Teresa Cribelli, a native Coloradan who’s a collage artist as well as a college history professor. She says, “Through disassembling and reassembling vintage illustrations, figures, colors, and textures, I reuse historical materials to disrupt and recreate contemporary understandings of these themes.”
Teresa’s work ranges from small-scale collages to large street murals. Internationally, her murals can be seen in São Luís, Brazil, and in Barcelona, Spain. Nationally, they appear in Denver, Colorado, and in both Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama. The underlying theme is always history. For example, her River City Mural in Tuscaloosa draws upon images and illustrations from vintage books on Alabama to show how the relationship between the Black Warrior River and various groups of inhabitants has changed over time. Her objective? To have viewers think about the river in new ways.
Teresa is active in the international collage community, and was awarded the Doug & Laurie Kanyer Art Collection Purchase Award in 2019 at Kolaj Fest New Orleans. The Kanyers established their collection to support artists and advance a deeper understanding of collage as art. Their criteria for choosing the winners were the overall practice of the artist, the historical value/critical context of the work, and how the work demonstrates a use of the medium. The Kanyers also considered the artist’s broader role in collage to identify artists whose impact goes beyond their immediate community. One of Teresa’s small works is now part of the Kayner’s permanent collection at the Yakima Valley Museum in Oregon.
To sum up, Teresa’s works, which exist at the intersection of history and art, cause viewers to see collage with fresh eyes. To her history and art are inseparable. We doubt any other history professor would have accepted a 3D collage on slavery and emancipation for a student's final!