The phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” reverberates throughout the Moorpark College Art Gallery’s new display.
Moorpark College’s art department is hosting a gallery called “The Next Generation of Regeneration,” a gallery of artwork made up of recycled objects.
Katherine Adams, co-chair of the Year of Service was at the artist’s reception on Feb. 25 and explained the need for recycling and how it links to other Year of Service events.
“We can’t leave this mess for the next generation to cleanup,” Adams said. “We have to rethink, re-envision and reinvent what we do and what we’ve done.”
Lara Bank, the director of the gallery, explained the significance of using what one person considers garbage for art.
“It was the Gallery Committee that suggested the idea” Bank said.”We can remember, not everything we throw out is junk.”
Derek Franz, one of the featured artists, had two sculptures made entirely of recycled objects held together by zip ties. One of his pieces is a metal framed man covered in a sheet of armor and the other a bird.
“I like armor, I wanted to make a contemporary armor,” Franz said. “They kind of share the same DNA they’re from the same recycled horde.”
Bottle Village in Simi was also featured heavily in the gallery.
Started in 1956 by Tressa “Grandma” Prisbrey it grew through the rest of her life, the village was constructed to house her folk art. In the 1994 earthquake the village sustained major damage largely due to the construction materials used in the buildings, containing no rebar reinforcement.
“We don’t’ have to burn and melt down it, we can reuse it indifferent ways,” said Bottle Village Volunteer Deborah Dennert.
Joanne Johnson is a longtime volunteer at Bottle Village and met Prisbrey.
“Bottle Village is a sandbox, and I guess we just never grow up,” said Johnson. “She (Prisbrey) called it her monument to showbiz.”
Another piece was Jade Thacker’s flag dress which was inspired by Yoko Ono’s “Cut Piece.” It was an American flag adorned with different objects pinned on, she first wore it to a war protest, and now it flies outside her house
“We fly it in our hometown, which I guess is our house,” Thacker said. “I wore it again when I voted in the presidential elections in 2008.” Since then according the Thacker she has not worn it.
Students were intrigued by the art display, finding it unique.
“It has a very unique kind of style, it’s not something usually seen,” said Heather Tolliver a 20-year-old health science major.
The gallery runs until March 17 and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
