CRESTON ARTS PRESENTS: RECONTEXTURES

May 17th, 2025. CRESTON, IA - Creston Arts welcomes a colorful collage exhibit from Des Moines-based Artist Trey Reis. 

About the Art

Recontextures is a collection of new work exploring the unique process inherent to the medium of collage. Each work is built out of a variety of source material, from textile patterns and old comic books to reference texts and more. These images are cut and rendered down into their base characteristics of color, texture, and form. For this project, thousands of images are pasted and repurposed into large-scale collages exploring similar terrain to early Abstract Expressionist works. 

The title of this collection, Recontextures, is a reference to both the process of recontextualization at the core of collage and the intricate, textural nature of the finished pieces.

Support for this work is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Closing Reception

The public is invited to an artist’s reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 27, at Creston Arts Depot Gallery, 116 W. Adams St. Light refreshments will be served.

The exhibit will be open to the public for the month of June. Gallery admission is free. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The gallery is closed on weekends. 

About the Artist

Trey Reis is an Iowa Artist Working out of Des Moines. His work explores the unique characteristics inherent to the collage process through the creation of both visual and sound collages. He also runs the gallery space at The Lift in downtown Des Moines and a music label called Warm Gospel, specializing in cassette tapes and lathe-cut records.

Two collections of visual work have been exhibited publicly: Piece in 2018 and Chaos Patterns in 2021. Individual pieces have been included in group shows locally throughout Iowa and around the United States. In 2024, he was awarded an IEDA artist grant through the Iowa Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

You can learn more about Reis at treyreis.com.

About Creston Arts

Creston Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served the Creston Area since 1977. Our mission is to enrich the lives of Southwest Iowans by bridging the community to the arts through coordination, advancement, promotion, and administration of all phases of the arts in Creston and the surrounding area. For more information, a calendar of upcoming events, or to make a donation to further our mission, visit www.crestonarts.org or call 641-351-7634.

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