Spared From Disposal: Annual Recycled Art and Fashion Show Continues With Grant Funding

Jenna Hall is a sophomore at Western Washington University pursuing a major in visual journalism and minor in Internet studies.

Whatcom County has been a leader in curbside recycling — the first county in Washington state to do so — since 1989. Locals’ concern for sustainable living practices inspired the formation of nonprofit, environmental education organizations like RE Sources. In 1993, the nonprofit opened The RE Store, a used building materials retail and service company.

Today The RE Store’s latest endeavor is turning trash into art. This creative collaboration, called the Annual Recycled Art and Fashion Show, spreads local recycling awareness through workshops, cleans up public parks and promotes designs fit for the catwalk and museum walls.

After eight years in the community, the event itself is spared from disposal as The RE Store moves into a year of tight financial budgets. The event’s costs will be met this year thanks to both a city of Bellingham municipal arts grant, event sponsors and partnerships with galleries at Western Washington University and Allied Arts.

The show had humble beginnings — a 1999 exhibit within The RE Store itself showcased a small number of arts and crafts projects customers made from recycled materials bought in the store. Each subsequent year, a new element has been added to the event.

Six years ago The RE Store’s Seattle branch held its first show; five years ago the first trash fashion show was held, four years ago Allied Arts joined the effort; three years ago the trash fashion shows were held in both Bellingham and Seattle; and two years ago the Viking Gallery joined with an exhibit.

This year, La Conner’s Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA) is curating their spring show in unison with the show and will mark the first time that a museum is on board, Jason Darling, education and marketing director of The RE Store, said.

“Having MoNA join us illustrates that the event is moving to another level of community cohesion and professionalism,” Darling said.

Allied Arts Director Kelly Hart said she is excited for her gallery’s involvement in the event, which will showcase professional artists. She also described the show as very popular with the community because of the artwork diversity. Almost every medium is explored, from rugs made with dryer lint to recycled toy Barbie dolls to a giant tube of recycled lipstick, she said.

“In this economy it may seem like any individuals can’t do art because of limited financial resources, but art doesn’t have to cost much,” Hart said. “You just have to be creative.”

Cory Budden, a co-coordinator for the Viking Union Gallery, which will house student-produced recycled pieces for the event, said the exhibit will try to expand “what people think of as art.” She said this event is significant not only in its call for art, but for the opportunity it provides for connecting an isolated art community, like the university, with a professional museum and a large nonprofit organization.

Artist and workshop leader Thor Myhre said the purpose of the event was to educate and inspire people to go home, clean out their garages and make something out of what they once thought was nothing. While he has been doing these types of workshops for 15 years, this last year Myhre said he has seen an increase of interest in recycling because people have to make do with what they have.

Kuros Zahedi, leader of the Urban Alchemy project, a park cleanup and art collage workshop, sees trash as a symbolic reminder of human’s overzealous consumption. Zahedi said by turning the garbage back into art, society is developing habits of re-use. He said the event and his workshop must continue because people need to understand trash as addressing a much deeper ailment of society — an ugly reminder of the human disrespect for natural balance.

By humbly picking up trash, Zahedi said, people forcus on the societal trend of waste and consumption, which is something no amount of fundraising can change. Whether the artwork is sold or the event continues, he said, the artist’s job is to wave the red flag of distress for political, social and economic awareness.

The Urban Alchemy project is one of a series of mini-events making up the Recycled Arts and Fashion Show, such as a hands-on recycled art station at The RE Store gallery opening, two free art workshops with professional artists and an art teacher training workshop. It is no longer one event, but a festival of different activities.

“My long-term goal for next year is for Seattle to have three galleries involved and four workshops,” Darling said. “The event started out as one small thing. By 2015, we are aiming to have 15 galleries involved in eight different cities. We’ll see how far it goes.” §