Make a few trash decisions
Who could refuse an invitation to the Trash Bash Art Festival in Nehalem?
By Chelsea Yarnell
For the TODAY
Photos by Trav Williams, Broken Banjo Photography
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. That thought couldn’t be any truer than at Heart of CARTM in Wheeler.
Inside the organization’s reuse store, the mission is evidently clear: creative expression over landfilling. Discarded wears are reimagined into whimsical art pieces that line the walls of the store. Bins are full of deconstructed items, just ready for new life. A hollowed-out television is displayed as a faux aquarium, evoking the idea that, with a bit of creativity, anything can go from shabby to chic.
The biggest community collaboration for Heart of CARTM is the upcoming Trash Bash Art Festival. The four-day event, running from Thursday, May 15, to Sunday, May 18, features a Trash Art Gallery, live storytelling and the Trashion Show. All events will take place at the White Clover Grange in Nehalem. Tickets, $20 online at heartofcartm.org or $25 at the door, get guests access to the entire festival. A digital ticket can be shown at Heart of CARTM’s store or at the door of your first event to receive a button that serves as a festival pass.
“The Trash Bash has always been a culturally significant event for our organization that shows the resourcefulness and creativity in this area,” said Heart of CARTM Executive Director Jessi Just. “We embody that in our organization all year long, but this festival really gathers the excitement and enthusiasm for us.”
The money raised from the festival is dedicated to the cultural operations at Heart of CARTM.
“Every single dollar goes right into the core of our organization,” Just said. “It allows us to have a creative team of people who listen to the community and respond with services and events that our community needs in order to be resourceful and creative.”
This year’s theme is “Gathering.”
“It feels particularly exciting to gather neighbors and friends to come out of hibernation and into creative collaboration,” Just said. “It’s a real gift for people to gather and share creative ideas and stories.”
The Trash Art Gallery is the longest running event of the festival. Since 1999, artists have showcased their skills by using trash to create masterpieces. The show is all-inclusive with varying levels of craftsmanship, yet all redefining how the viewer sees trash. The gallery opens on Thursday, May 15, with a reception from 5 to 9 pm. It will be a time to meet the artists, purchase art, enjoy some appetizers and drinks, and view the live art entertainment. During the “Trash Slam,” three artists will have two hours to create an original art piece out of trash.
“These artists are creative thinkers and DYI-ers that we know in the community,” Just said. “They are talented folks.”
The gallery will remain open through Sunday, May 18, open from 11 am to 5 pm each day.
On Friday, May 16, the festival continues with “Trash Tales.” Storytellers have been invited to share anecdotes about the emotional connection between humans and their “stuff.” The live mic event will be from 5 to 7 pm with drinks and appetizers.
Trash turns to fashion on Saturday, May 17. The Trashion Show party begins at 4 pm with food from Gnarly’s Tacos, a bar of local libations, a festival costume tent, DJ HIHAT and a community gathering on the lawn. Seating for the show begins at 5 pm.
“It’s incredible that you can walk, move and be totally covered wearing garbage,” Just said. “It’s an effort to inspire people to think differently about waste.”
This year, Heart of CARTM offered a workshop space for designers to construct their wearable trash.
“We have had a lot of bubble wrap in the store lately,” Just said, “so I’ve heard some rumors about some bubble wrap dresses.”
The workshop space is the latest expansion for the organization, nearly doubling its footprint in Wheeler.
“We are leaning into reimagination and repair with this new workshop space, so we’re really excited that it allows us to have a dedicated space to share skills,” Just said. “Our ‘repair cafes’ have been a wonderful service for the community and we are super excited to have a dedicated space for that and hosting more classes and workshops in the future.”
Heart of CARTM’s Reuse store is located at 395C Nehalem Blvd in Wheeler. The White Clover Grange is located at 36585 OR-53, Nehalem.