Best of Trash Into Treasure

A sold-out crowd of over 500 gathered at the Lincart Gallery in San Francisco for the opening of the SMART Art - Trash Into Treasure Exhibition.

A project of David de Rothschild's daring Adventure Ecology, the competition invited artists to show how discarded items can be transformed into works of art.  Judging by the dazzling winners, the competition succeeded. One person’s trash is another’s person masterpiece.

These were not your average rusty backyard junk sculptures. The winning art works blended style with sustainability, mind-bending creativity with regenerative design, and ultimately, trash with beauty.

Pictured here, the purple Crown Royal Gown by Colleen Miezejeski is designed from all-reclaimed fabric.  Looking like eco-royalty, here she is gazing peacefully through the winning "Certain is Nothing Now" installation made from layers of junk mail collected by the artist Julia Goodman.

Speaking of junk mail, ForestEthics was on hand to help people get off junk mail lists. See their Do Not Mail web page for insider tips and the chance to sign the petition to create a national Do Not Mail registry, which would save an awesome 100 million trees per year.

Marie Antoinette

This crowd favorite Tim Dey's Ghost of Versailles is made from used bubble wrap, proving that you can have your eco-fashion-cake and eat it too.

Circuit Runway Necklace

This necklace by Christine Dhein is so handsome you would never guess it is made from reincarnated circuit boards.

Grass

Eco-artist Harriete Estel Berma took first place with her spectacular lawn sculpture made from 32,400 individual blades of colorful recycled steel containers. The video of her making the piece is a must-watch and a hilarious commentary on American lawns.

Many party-goers took turns riding Ocean Beach surfer Kathleen Egan's Plastic Wave, made entirely from plastic bottles collected from her friends. Watch this great video here of Kathleen and her surfing community making the wave. The best picture of the night goes to New Leaf Paper founder Jeff Mendelsohn seen here surfing inside the sea of plastic.

  

Event chair Heidi Quante wore a striking short black dress designed by Drew Kleiner made out of reclaimed bicycle tires. Here she is below with Lincart gallery co-owner Holly Fouladi, who is wearing an eye-catching necklace by Judith Selby Lang. Eco-adventurer David de Rothschild announced the winners and said that he was impressed by the outpouring of time and creativity these artists brought to the cause – naming specifically Grass and Scott Oliver’s found Chair turned Hetch Hetchy Valley. 

 

I was thrilled to serve on the Host Committee for the opening because I believe that re-imagining trash is one of the most important things we can do. What if there were no trash?  What if we viewed everything as having some purpose?  In nature, everything has its place and its value. Don't miss artist Tim Gaudreau who photographed everything he threw out for 365 days. The resulting art exhibit must be seen to be believed. As the ultimate example of turning trash into treasure, Back To Earth’s Ari Derfel saved his trash for a year, received a flood of media attention, and is now the subject of a highly-anticipated work of art by Kuros Zahedi called Finding Away.

Visit the Lincart Gallery online and offline and see the works of art until June 25, 2009.  You will never look at trash the same way again.

Photos by Drew Altizer