Utica Creative Reuse

A nonprofit art supply thrift store, offering free art workshops

Trash to Treasure 2025
A Group Exhibition of Found-Object Art

On view at Utica Creative Reuse

734 Columbia Street, Utica, NY

September 12 – October 17, 2025

Gallery: 2025 Exhibiting Artists

Mi Campo

Susan Finkelstein

A lifelong Philadelphian, I now live in central New York, inspired by animals and landscape around me. As much as possible, I use found, and upcycled items – in that way, the universe determines the direction of my work. My favorite materials are mirror, plates, glass, tiles, hardware, beads, jewelry, ephemera: flotsam and jetsam of people’s lives. Rather than overplan, the piece often makes its own way. I work on old windows, interior and exterior walls, wood panels, and cement board.


Ernie and Bernie

Katie Farkas

These jellyfish sculptures, crafted from discarded materials like old telephone cords, transform trash into delicate forms. They explore the tension between beauty and pollution, drawing attention to environmental decay through reimagined marine life.

Bee

Kimberly Allen

This project was inspired by the light fixture. I love making art that helps to foster a deeper connection to issues that are close to my heart. I took my daughter on her first trash cleanup when she was 3 years old because I wanted her to love and respect our Earth and all wildlife as much as I do. I think art is a great way to raise awareness and inspire others to action

Utica’s Orpheus

Ravin Wormwood

This guitar is an oracle! Gently reach inside and pull out one slip, this is your guidance! You may keep it to reflect on it later or put it back in for another viewer.

Playtime is Over

Milly Szmurlo

“Playtime is Over” was inspired by a play mat found under a bush on the side of the road. I found a forgotten box of crayons in the bottom of my closest and thought they matched wonderfully with the vibe of the battered old play mat. As I was melting the crayons onto the mat, I kept hearing the words “playtime is over in my head” which made me think of the harsh juxtaposition of the whimsical nature of childhood verses the harsh reality of adulthood when we are forced to work our lives away.

Untitled

Wesley Appler

Notions

Sarah Swann

Untitled

Duane Isenberg

Stone Soup Community Sculpture Project. Artist: Marc-Anthony Polizzi
Stone Soup Community Sculpture Project. Artist: Marc-Anthony Polizzi

Trash to Treasure 2024
A Group Exhibition of Found-Object Art

On view at the Other Side Gallery

2011 Genesee Street, Utica, NY

July 12 – August 3, 2024

Gallery: 2024 Exhibiting Artists

Do Signs Work?

Amy Perritano Eddy

This project came about as the result of excitedly finding caution tape and a sign during my clean-up. While I originally had another idea for these, I ended up letting the art direct me to what it became. The sign says, ‘Do signs work?’ Thinking of the oceans, I spiraled the tape into an eddy, placing the different bottles and cans within it. In the middle is a representation of Earth being held by different colored hands (gloves). I fashioned sea animals out of other objects I found, each one with a sign reminding humanity to ‘handle with care.’

Altered State of Consciousness

Sarah Gregory

“Altered State of Consciousness” is a fun sculpture comprised of various discarded objects. The theme is influenced by Sarah’s pursuit of a degree in forensic psychology. Comprised of mixed media, it’s a physical representation of drug use disorder.

Tree #4

Ben Garlington

This series represents the ability to reinvent and return to a natural state, regardless of what caused the separation.

Topographical Map: A Journey

Teresa Van Etten

Creating with Mosaic artist/instructor, Susan Finklestein, at the Trash to Treasure Workshop, was very informative and inspiring! I chose to make a map of a journey. The blue tiles signify water. Mirrors make a path. Ceramic figures and tiles represent waymarks on the journey. This is a new medium for me, and very enjoyable to work with!

Stinger’s Girl

Catherine Wright

“Stinger’s Girl” is created with litter found on cleanups in playgrounds, sidewalks, and creek banks from South Utica, corn husks from Alice’s Acres, grandma’s drapes, and old costume accessories.

I AM NOT YOUR ASHTRAY

Kimberly Allen

When my daughter would go to Pinz /New Hartford to sing Karaoke, I would sneak out to the parking lot and collect trash for my project.  I could not believe how many cigarette butts there were and could not possibly pick up all of them.  I looked at the research and found that cigarettes are one of the biggest forms of litter with an estimated 80% of cigarettes disposed of improperly as litter.  That is heartbreaking!  We can do better.

Safe Now

Kylen Gillette

This nest, formed from dried roots, vines, reclaimed fabric, and chain mimics a bird’s nest, a safe place to grow.

Give Both

Ravin Wormwood


The two bottles are both labeled with their contents, ‘gentillesse’ and ‘vérité,’ (French for kindness and honesty). This piece is inspired by the sentiment ‘honesty without kindness is cruelty, and kindness without honesty is manipulation.’ Gentillesse is meant to appear inviting, but delicate. Véritié is abrasive, yet reflective. This is titled “Give Both,” because kindness and honesty are both necessary for affecting change.

The Treehouse

Robert L. King

I’m happy to say that I was inspired to join the Trash to Treasure Art Challenge in memory of my fiance, Danielle, who loved and created all kinds of wonderful artwork. My idea for “The Tree House” comes from May being the month for all Utica residences to place their tree trimmings on the curbside for pickup, so I decided to use these trimmings to make my Tree House. A discarded CD would serve as a small pond in the yard, with a small bird and a goldfish from a found key chain jumping out of the pond. Please take the stone pathway to my Tree House – all are welcome.

Flawless

Sarah Marris-Swann

“Flawless” is a mixed media painting created from a found broken shop sign, a broken dresser drawer, and acrylic paint. The intention behind this work is to encourage the viewer to reflect on body-positivity, self-love, perception, and the unrealistic standards for perfection that exist in today’s society.

Asunder

Susan Finkelstein

“Asunder” tells many stories; each pane has its own mysterious tale, although these are fluid and often inscrutable. My aesthetic is mostly dark, sometimes humorous, and always colorful. This piece includes many objects collected from the streets of Utica, but other items found in other places literally around the world. The window frame itself is born of trashpicking, one of my very favorite activities. I encourage the viewer to interact with “Asunder” both as a whole and with its individual parts. 

Home Security

Marc-Anthony Polizzi

“Home Security” explores the fragility of safety. Crafted from discarded objects and trash found throughout Utica, NY, this piece utilizes steel packing material, an old bookshelf, clapboard siding, and a toy gun. “Home Security” highlights the precarious nature of what we consider protection.

Sophia Bot Getting Ready for a Date

Ginny Pry

By picking up garbage in East Utica I came across a turntable, cassette, CD player
that was thrown out. The outside of my robot is the case for the player. I also
found a small CD cassette player. Most of the parts on the robot came from the
insides of the player that I took all apart. I have a habit of saving any unusual
metal pieces that are thrown out, so some of the parts came from there. The top
was formed from a piece of wood and the whole thing was spray painted silver.
The curlers were thrown out by a friend so I used them for my project. Eye lashes
are made from wire and the eyes were from a thrown out clear Christmas
ornament, and the nose from an old faucet.

Sea of horror/Sea of Hope

Lori Mackey

On one side is an ocean polluted with cigarette package waves, and a ship with a big exhaust pipe spewing black exhaust smoke.


On the other side is an ocean with clean waves, made from the cigarette package cellophane, and a ship with a smaller exhaust pipe, with much cleaner exhaust smoke. And of course, a happy whale!

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