Do Not Fold, Bend, Spindle or Mutilate: Computer Punch Card Art - Virtual Exhibition

This exhibit is on display in the Visual Arts Center's Gallery A from July 28, 2006, through October 1, 2006. This virtual gallery will remain online after that date.

NEW -- View a video segment (requires Quicktime) produced by CityLink, Sioux Falls Channel 16.

The punch cards in this exhibit were manufactured 35 years ago but were never used. The staff of the Visual Arts Center mailed the cards, or in this case canvases, to a wide selection of artists and cultural figures. Participants were instructed to create artworks using the cards and to return their artistic creations to the VAC. They were free to write, paint, draw, cut, print, and/or do whatever they wished with the punch card in direct contradiction to the traditional dire warning: "Do not fold, bend, spindle or mutilate." Learn more about this exhibit.

Since the artists are scattered across the world, this site will serve as the virtual gallery for this exhibition. The original pieces are currently on display in the VAC, but their virtual counterparts may be viewed here.

Copyright Notice: The artwork in the exhibition Do Not Fold, Bend, Spindle or Mutilate: Computer Punch Card Art is the property of Washington Pavilion Management, Inc. The artists retain their copyright of the images for commercial use. The artworks may be photographed and used by the Washington Pavilion for promotional, record keeping and educational purposes. The artworks may be displayed by the Visual Arts Center at its discretion. The images posted on this website may not be copied without the expressed written consent of the artists and of the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science.

Click on any thumbnail to see a larger version. Click anywhere on the larger image to close that view. Please note, there are three "styles" to choose from: horizontal, vertical, and other, based loosely on regularity of size and orientation.