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The CART’M Trash Art project adds an element of creativity and fun that draws attention to the center and inspires people to see new possibilities for using what is normally deemed “waste.”
Several of our founding Board members were artists who realized that a good way to teach about reuse of materials is through art. They also knew that it would make for great PR. A $7,000 grant from the Arts Build Community Program of the Oregon Arts Commission in 1999 paid for the first year’s workshops and show.
In February 1999 young artists, Skye Bender-deMoll and Bryan Torian, turned the front gate into a trash art masterpiece.
Then, Lorraine Ortiz from Art Ranch and Susan Walsh from the Rusty Institute of Painting were hired to organize two free “Trash Art” workshops for Earth Day ‘99 and a subsequent show. Iron Man by the late Ron Hintz soon became a local attraction, as did pieces by CART’M artists, Belinda Spegel and Kathleen Larson.
The first workshop on Earth Day, 1999, drew 15 people representing a real cross section of the community. A few were experienced artists wanting a new medium but most had never considered themselves artistic at all. It was an incredible day right in the middle of the regular business of the dump. As it said in one newspaper article - “A table full of junk becomes a pallet full of possibilities.” A second workshop was held the same day at the local community center for children under 8 taught by local art teachers.
Our first Trash Art Show & Gala opened Friday evening, May 21, 1999, to great acclaim. 50 artists of all ages submitted 80 pieces. The community brought potluck munchies, we hired a local band, and drank beer and cider out of mayonnaise bottles and canning jars from the recycle bins. At least 300 people attended - 10% of this small community of 3000. It was a smashing evening and created a considerable sense of community and pride in “our” center.
Bob Nelson, CART’M Construction Materials Manager at the time, created “Gas Can Man” and we were off! Board member, Byron Melton did our eye-catching office door from used materials.
By summer, the center was so popular that locals began bringing their out-of-town guests to show it off. Art and the Resale Store were main attractions. CART’M staff began spending a lot of time giving tours and saving special items for particular artists. Materials at CART’M are a great resource - aluminum skate runners, rusty stove parts, tile and pottery. For a while we were selling copper tubing and wire as fast as it came in. One artist cuts apart wooden windows for picture frames, another uses them as part of landscape paintings.
And the demand continues to be steady for more workshops - some who had missed the first ones want a chance; others who have whetted their appetites want to hone their skills. Thus workshops continue to be held several times a year. A sliding scale has been implemented to facilitate the equal opportunity of everyone in the community.
In May, 2000, we had a successful second gala even larger than the first, and are looking forward to continuing the role of the “creative recycling center.” In fact, we’ve just about outgrown the existing space in the midst of the recycling center so are we wanting a new building devoted entirely to Trash Art. The Arts Build Communities program has just awarded CART’M a second grant to help plan such a space.