An article in Coast Weekend, Astoria, Oregon, reports that two artists have been selected to participate in the inaugural Coastal Oregon Artist Residency program (COAR), which aims to support artistic work created from recycled material.
Sean Barrow of Astoria and Dawn Stetzel of Seaview, Washington, were selected for the program, which was developed collaboratively by Recology Western Oregon and Astoria Visual Arts. Barrow and Stetzel will each be provided a monthly stipend and materials in their designated studio space at Recology Astoria Recycling Depot and Transfer Station for three months, beginning July 11, 2016.
Stetzel, who has done several artist residencies, experiments with recycling material as a way of connecting with her surroundings. The article mentions her sculpture, “Housedress,” which is designed using discarded materials to resemble shantytown structures
“My process is to not just make art out of trash,” Stetzel told Coast Weekend. “There is a story to all the material that I collect, a strong connection to place and the people who live here. For me, this way of making is a life-path of stewardship and creative problem solving that provides a connection to each other and the environment.”
“I like to reach into the science of projects when I can, so I’m very interested to learn of the processes, the lifespans of the materials and what innovations are possible as a result,” Barrow, a sculptor with experience working with metal and wood, said in an interview with Coast Weekend. “My goal is to complete a group of sculptures made from recycled materials by the end of this residency.”
San Francisco-based Recology was profiled in the May 2016 issue of Recycling Today, which included a sidebar on its Artist in Residence programs.