Niagara Falls, Table Rock

© Gerald C. Mead, Jr., from the Collection of the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University. No reproduction without the permission of the owner.

Niagara Falls, Table Rock, 1998

Gerald C. Mead Jr.   —  
  • American
  • 1962

  • 2010:023
  • mixed media and found objects
  • Empire State Travellage Series
  • 6 x 4 in.
  • Framed: 12 1/4 x 10 1/4 in.
  • Collection of the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, Purchase, 2010

This artwork references both a popular tourist activity at the Cave of the Winds on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, and artist Gerald Mead’s personal experience at the site. Memories, ephemera, and statistical facts are all expressed in what the artist refers to as a “Travellage,” a term combining “travel” with “collage.” The number 125 stenciled on the left represents the average of the heights of the American and Canadian Falls, while the piece of yellow rubber attached to the card represents the raincoats shown in the postcard. The numbers symbolize the way an archaeologist assigns numbers to artifacts: in this case, small pieces of rock found at the site. The artist mailed the artwork to the Buffalo News, as a tourist would send a postcard.