The Artist In Residence Program
Wednesday, July 21 - Saturday, September 25 | Free
Opening Reception: Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Recology, Intersection for the Arts, and Hub Bay Area are pleased to present the exhibition, Art at the Dump: Twenty Years of the Artist in Residence Program at Recology at Intersection 5M. This exhibition celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the art and education program at Recology San Francisco, a one-of-a-kind initiative that enables artists to work with materials taken directly from the city of San Francisco's waste stream, while teaching the public about recycling and resource conservation. Art at the Dump presents a sampling of work made by some of the more than eighty artists who have participated in the program. Work in a variety of mediums-sculpture, photography, painting, drawing, performance, video, textiles, and musical composition-is represented, and often runs counter to traditional notions of what art made from found materials should look like.
The Recology Artist in Residence Program was established in 1990 at the same time that curbside recycling was being implemented in San Francisco. Conceived by artist and activist Jo Hanson, it was the most innovative component of an outreach plan developed by the City and Recology San Francisco (then known as Sanitary Fill Company) to educate people about recycling. Now twenty years later, the Artist in Residence Program has grown to include an Environmental Learning Center, an extensive tour program, a three-acre sculpture garden, off-site exhibitions, and has been nationally recognized and awarded as the only program of its kind in the country. Artists are provided with a stipend and a well-equipped studio to make artwork from materials they scavenge from the Public Disposal and Recycling Area ("the dump"). Artists speak to the more than 5,000 students and adults who annually attend the San Francisco garbage and recycling facility tours which focus on the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
"Throwing things away is an automatic action for many of us and I think art has a remarkable way of showing us the layers of our existence that our repetitive daily lives obscure" says former artist-in-residence David King. Though the artwork is incredibly varied, the connecting thread is that these were all materials that at one time passed through the hands of San Franciscans-things once with meaning or function, determined to no longer be of use. But as the artists demonstrate, much of what we throw away still does have the potential to be used.
The exhibition features the work of over fifty artists including Estelle Akamine, Ellen Babcock, Bill Basquin, Nemo Gould, James Gouldthorpe, David Hevel, Dee Hibbert Jones, Christina Mazza, Sirron Norris, Scott Oliver, Nicole Repack, Isis Rodriguez, James Sansing, Nathaniel Stookey, E. Banker White, and Noah Wilson. Work by artists who have participated in the Student Artist in Residence Program will be presented in the building's café. A publication documenting the history of the Recology Artist in Residence program will be available for sale.
The Recology Artist in Residence Program was established in 1990 at the same time that curbside recycling was being implemented in San Francisco. Conceived by artist and activist Jo Hanson, it was the most innovative component of an outreach plan developed by the City and Recology San Francisco (then known as Sanitary Fill Company) to educate people about recycling. Now twenty years later, the Artist in Residence Program has grown to include an Environmental Learning Center, an extensive tour program, a three-acre sculpture garden, off-site exhibitions, and has been nationally recognized and awarded as the only program of its kind in the country. Artists are provided with a stipend and a well-equipped studio to make artwork from materials they scavenge from the Public Disposal and Recycling Area ("the dump"). Artists speak to the more than 5,000 students and adults who annually attend the San Francisco garbage and recycling facility tours which focus on the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
"Throwing things away is an automatic action for many of us and I think art has a remarkable way of showing us the layers of our existence that our repetitive daily lives obscure" says former artist-in-residence David King. Though the artwork is incredibly varied, the connecting thread is that these were all materials that at one time passed through the hands of San Franciscans-things once with meaning or function, determined to no longer be of use. But as the artists demonstrate, much of what we throw away still does have the potential to be used.
The exhibition features the work of over fifty artists including Estelle Akamine, Ellen Babcock, Bill Basquin, Nemo Gould, James Gouldthorpe, David Hevel, Dee Hibbert Jones, Christina Mazza, Sirron Norris, Scott Oliver, Nicole Repack, Isis Rodriguez, James Sansing, Nathaniel Stookey, E. Banker White, and Noah Wilson. Work by artists who have participated in the Student Artist in Residence Program will be presented in the building's café. A publication documenting the history of the Recology Artist in Residence program will be available for sale.
Current Artists
Previous Artists
Upcoming Residencies
| October 2010 - January 2011 | ||
 Suzanne Husky |
 Ferris Plock |
 Bill Russell |
| February 2011 - May 2011 | ||
 Niki Ulehla |
||
About the Artist In Residence Program
 |
 |
 |
Mission Statement
The Artist In Residence Program at Recology San Francisco is an innovative program that inspires and educates people about recycling and resource conservation by providing local artists with access to materials, a work space, and other resources at our Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center.
Trash to Treasures
Since 1990, artists have worked in a large, well-equipped studio next to our Transfer Station west of Highway 101 near Monster Park in San Francisco. The Transfer Station is located within a 44-acre property that includes several recycling facilities and the Public Disposal Area (also known as "the dump").
Art is created from what would have been sent with the rest of San Francisco's trash to landfills across the Bay or recycling plants across the nation.
The Company Provides
Expectations of the Artist In Residence
The Artist In Residence Program at Recology San Francisco is an innovative program that inspires and educates people about recycling and resource conservation by providing local artists with access to materials, a work space, and other resources at our Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center.
Trash to Treasures
Since 1990, artists have worked in a large, well-equipped studio next to our Transfer Station west of Highway 101 near Monster Park in San Francisco. The Transfer Station is located within a 44-acre property that includes several recycling facilities and the Public Disposal Area (also known as "the dump").
Art is created from what would have been sent with the rest of San Francisco's trash to landfills across the Bay or recycling plants across the nation.
The Company Provides
- 24-hour access to the facilities.
- A large, well-equipped studio space.
- A reception at the end of the residency (including design and printing of invitations, refreshments, assistance setting up).
- Miscellaneous supplies and equipment.
- Monthly Stipend.
Expectations of the Artist In Residence
- Work in the studio either 40 hours per week for a full-time residency or 20 hours per week for a half-time residency.
- Greet and talk to tour groups in the late morning around 10 a.m. on weekdays and on the third Saturday of the month.
- Make a few pieces of art for the company's permanent art collection.
- Use materials found in San Francisco's waste stream.
- Be available to talk with the media.
- Leave all of the art created during your residency with the company for 12 months.
The Art of Recycling
The goal of the Artist In Residence Program at
Recology San Francisco is to use art to inspire people to
recycle more and conserve natural resources. The company provides
selected local artists with
the opportunity to create art using materials they gather from San
Francisco's refuse. This includes 24-hour access to a well-equipped
studio, a monthly stipend, and an exhibit at the end of their
residency, but artists seem most excited about having 24-hour access
to the materials.
The 2,000-square-foot art studio is located at Recology San Francisco Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center. The 44-acre site is where most of San Francisco's garbage and recyclables are temporarily dumped before going to a landfill or recycling plant. Recyclable items are sorted before being shipped to recycling plants and manufacturing facilities.
Throughout a residency, each artist talks to young students and adult tour groups about the experience of turning trash into treasures. At the conclusion of their residency, the company holds a reception for the artists, to show the artist's work and invites the public. Many pieces of art from the program are exhibited in office building entries and public spaces in San Francisco. Many artists have made a permanent piece for the sculpture garden adjacent to the Recology San Francisco Transfer Station and the garden is a key stop for students on recycling tours.
For information about the program, please call (415) 330-1415 or e-mail the Artist In Residence Program.
The 2,000-square-foot art studio is located at Recology San Francisco Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center. The 44-acre site is where most of San Francisco's garbage and recyclables are temporarily dumped before going to a landfill or recycling plant. Recyclable items are sorted before being shipped to recycling plants and manufacturing facilities.
Throughout a residency, each artist talks to young students and adult tour groups about the experience of turning trash into treasures. At the conclusion of their residency, the company holds a reception for the artists, to show the artist's work and invites the public. Many pieces of art from the program are exhibited in office building entries and public spaces in San Francisco. Many artists have made a permanent piece for the sculpture garden adjacent to the Recology San Francisco Transfer Station and the garden is a key stop for students on recycling tours.
For information about the program, please call (415) 330-1415 or e-mail the Artist In Residence Program.