“Talking Trash: A Junk Art Exhibition” features Arizona artists Shari Keith and Claire Ploppet Johnson, who create their environmentally conscious artworks using found objects. The exhibit is set to open at FOUND:RE Contemporary in June.
Shari Keith will join Claire Ploppet Johnson for a joint exhibit of their environmentally conscious art that uses found objects. Pictured: “Red Album Assemblage” (photo courtesy of FOUND:RE Contemporary).
“Art has the ability to help us see things from different perspectives and this exhibition is the perfect example of the adage ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’” shared Audrey Galat, arts and culture curator for FOUND:RE Phoenix Hotel and FOUND:RE Contemporary.
The exhibition highlights the artists’ ability to manipulate discarded material into new and exciting compositions, showing that just about anything can be transformed into a work of art. Using common day objects such as buttons, sunglasses and stones, Keith, also known as “The Junk Lady,” creates patterns allowing the viewer to see beyond the objects’ intended purpose. Ploppet Johnson uses scraps of glass, broken mirrors and road signs to show that even broken items can be repurposed to create something whole.
The gallery represents both emerging and established artists through a regular series of bi-monthly exhibitions and special events that happen in conjunction with the art programming at the hotel. The freestanding gallery is located on Portland Street, adjacent to the hotel, at 1100 N. Central Ave.
“Talking Trash: A Junk Art Exhibition” debuts Friday, June 3, with an opening artists’ reception from 6–9 p.m., and runs through Saturday, Oct. 1. RSVP for the opening artist’s reception on the FOUND:RE Phoenix Eventbrite. For additional information, visit www.foundrecontemporary.com or www.foundrehotels.com.
