Five artists make new treasures from old trash

(JANUARY 28, 2022) There's a saying in English: One person's trash is another person's treasure. And that's the idea behind GLEAN, a special art program sponsored by an unlikely organization: Metro.

Metro is the regional government that serves people in 24 cities in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. One of its jobs is to protect the use of land and natural resources. That includes managing the region's garbage and recycling programs. It also includes GLEAN, an unusual program in which area artists create art from discarded items and materials found at Metro Central transfer station.

The program began in 2010. Artists are selected by a jury. Each artist receives $2000 and access to the materials of the waste transfer station. They create a series of works of art for an exhibit. 95% of their artwork for this exhibit must be created from materials gleaned (collected) from the transfer station. Each artist also receives 80% commission from the sale of their art at the exhibition.

In using stuff that other people threw in the garbage, artists push the boundaries of what can be used to create art. But there's more. "GLEAN calls attention to waste in greater Portland and aims to inspire people to think differently about the things we throw away," says Metro on its website. "The artists of GLEAN lean into these challenges by taking discarded things from the dump and giving them new meaning, new life and new stories."

Metro's website adds, "Many of the GLEAN artists spoke about people’s lives they could see from the trash at the dump. The entirety of possessions from an ex-girlfriend, whole households of stuff from a sudden move or a loved one’s death – multiple peoples’ stories strewn together in a pile. The artists use these objects and materials found at Metro Central to speak about ideas related to ecology, resource conservation, gender roles and cultural genocide."

The artists this year include Caryn Aasness, Colin Kippen, Jessica (Tyner) Mehta, Malia Jensen, and Willie Little. The artists will be showing their artwork at an exhibit through February 25. The exhibit is open 12 noon to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday, in Suite 102 of the Maddox Building at 1231 NW Hoyt Street in Portland. Admission is free, and the works of art can be purchased.