Mattatuck Museum will open a new exhibition, “Reclaimed: The Art of Recology,” Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Museum Director Bob Burns and Chief Curator Keffie Feldman will deliver remarks at 1 p.m.
The exhibition will be on view from May 26 through Aug. 18. This special exhibition of work has been created from unwanted materials and encourages viewers to perceive “trash” in a new light.
Recology is an employee-owned recycling and composting company based in San Francisco. The Artist-in-Residence program is a department within the company. Each year, Recology awards residencies to artists, which include a stipend, coveted studio space and scavenging privileges at the San Francisco Transfer Station and Recycling Center, according to a news release.
Artists spend four months scavenging and working at the 47-acre facility that includes multiple recycling operations.
This exhibition, “Reclaimed: The Art of Recology,” presents a survey of 33 artists from diverse backgrounds who were awarded space, financial support and four months to create wondrous, meaningful, and thought-provoking artworks that speak to the past, present and future.
Recology’s Artist-in-Residence program launched in 1990, and since then, more than 150 professional artists and 50 student artists have completed residencies, making art from scavenged materials. By offering this rare opportunity to create artwork from the city’s litter, Recology hopes to inspire communities not just to reduce, reuse, and recycle but to conserve natural resources, a news release said.
The Artist-in-Residence program also seeks to amplify the voices of systematically marginalized populations and provide a community space for educational programs. Through innovative, introspective, playful and original design and limitless creativity, this exhibition showcases the hidden stories our rubbish tells us about ourselves and our relationship with the earth.
The Mattatuck Museum is located 144 West Main St., Waterbury.
For information, visit MattMuseum.org.
