Turning trash into treasures: Local art project aims to educate, inspire

Jeannine Luby grew tired of seeing litter scattered throughout Scranton and set out to make a difference.

After originally embracing the Swedish practice of “plogging” — picking up trash while out walking or running — Luby, a local comedian and businesswoman, wanted to expand her efforts on a larger scale and collaborated with Theresa O’Connor, director of the Artists for Art (AFA) Gallery, to develop the ReSTart Scranton initiative, which educates people about reducing waste and creating sustainable art.

Luby secured a $2,800 Lackawanna County Arts & Culture grant to move the project — which features 10 local artists turning “cool found items” from a community cleanup into creative creations — forward. Each artist receives a stipend and can sell their artwork at the gallery. The grant also allowed county residents to submit their own sustainable art for exhibition at the gallery for free.

Luby has been encouraged by the enthusiasm from community members regarding the community cleanup and two workshops geared around sustainability.

“I thought it would be cool if we could get more people involved,” Luby said. “We had people who saw us cleaning up asking about it and asking if we would do it again, and that they’d love to be part of it. The kids were having so much fun and it’s such a good message for them.”

The ReSTart Scranton sustainable art exhibition will be on display at AFA Gallery on Penn Avenue in the city from Friday through April 26 — coinciding with Earth Day. Additionally, during the April 4 First Friday, community members may participate in an interactive art installation — a bird’s nest created with found materials — where they can write a message to the Earth, Luby said.

Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Director Maureen McGuigan and Scranton’s Recycling and Safety Coordinator Christopher McClatchy also contributed to the initiative.

“It’s a really creative project that combines art with social awareness,” McGuigan said. “I think it gets people thinking about the trash we walk by every day. It’s using materials that already exist and creating something beautiful from them. Rather than sitting on the ground, they become part of an art exhibit. Suddenly you’re seeing something made out of Coke bottles, or other things, and how people creatively put them together. It’s a great way to get a variety of artists who all have different styles and aesthetics to use these found materials and showcase their work in a new way. It’s whimsical and fun. Nowadays there is a lot of talk about upcycling and repurposing as we learn how to be better stewards of the planet.”

Scranton resident Marleen Cloutier, an associate professor and the cataloging and metadata librarian for the University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Libraryl, welcomed the opportunity to participate in the project and support the mission.

“I find it really great that folks want to go out and help clean up our neighborhoods, and want to reuse things that get thrown away,” she said. “Sometimes found materials make really interesting art projects.”

Cloutier created a bird’s nest in a tree using items including trash bags, beads from a broken necklace, paper, foam and bottle caps, she said.

“All these things find a way to come together and make an interesting composition,” she said. “It was fun to see what everybody else was working on — everybody found different ways to use the materials in a unique way.”

O’Connor noted the variety of people participating will make for an eclectic exhibit.

“I always appreciate installation art when lots of members of the community partake. We have an artist who is 5 and we artists who are 70 — it’s all ages and demographics,” she said. “And not only are they creating cool things, but they’re cleaning up the community.”