By David Chesanow, JTNews Correspondent
You are cordially invited to a wedding at The Evergreen State College in Olympia….
What’s more, it’s a Jewish “ceremony,” with bride in white and groom beneath a chupah, a rabbi officiating and more than 90 guests holding hands and dancing the horah around the room. It’s “White Trash Wedding,” a one-room installation/show by local artist Diane Kurzyna and friends. And before you get your hackles up, know that the title of the work is tongue-in-cheek rather than in-your face: The “trash” in question is not intended to disparage — the figures are in fact made of…well, trash. Old socks pulled over plastic soft-drink bottles to form bodies. Shopping bags (for clothing), juice bottle tops (for kipot), cassette tape (for hair). Twist ties, telephone wire, plastic bread tags and the myriad other remains of our days.
“My work incorporates the detritus of contemporary American consumer society,” Kurzyna, 43, explains. ” ‘White Trash Wedding’ is word play—the trash being the recycled materials that I use, white being the predominant color, especially for the bride.” While Kurzyna acknowledges that white trash in the title “conjures up certain images and scenarios for people,” she points out that “the installation is actually about a classy Jewish wedding using recycled materials. I am not putting down or making fun of ‘low-class’ people. I come from a blue-collar, working-class family. I am not in the position to be looking down at others—no one should.”
Making art from what one would ordinarily throw away is Kurzyna’s forte. With a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning and design from Rutgers and a B.F.A. from the University of Washington, she has exhibited in group shows in the Northwest since 1984. Other installations include the Bellevue Art Museum’s “Celebration: Especially for Children” (1988 and 1994), “The Art of Recycling” at the Everett Center (2000) and “Olympia Through Artists’ Eyes” at the State Capital Museum in Olympia (2000).
Going by such aliases as Ruby Re-Usable and the Dumpster Diving Diva, Kurzyna was awarded the title of Washington State artist-in-residence last year. She conducts the popular “Trashformations” workshops for visiting school groups at the State Capital Museum and has led children’s art classes using recycled materials at Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, where she is a member.
If the medium is her message, Kurzyna has much to say. She believes that utilizing waste to create art — thereby maximizing use of natural resources — is an act of tikkun olam (healing the world). She notes: “While making art from recycled materials isn’t going to solve the world’s waste problems, it is part of the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ process.” Religious-school projects have included constructing the animals of Noah’s ark and bees (made from film canisters) for the temple sukkah.
In addition to the materials employed, another interesting aspect of “White Trash Wedding” is the exhibit’s inclusiveness: It’s a collective effort. While Kurzyna fashioned the wedding party that forms the centerpiece of the installation, most of the wedding “guests” that go round the walls are the work of groups under Kurzyna’s tutelage. Participants include Temple Beth Hatfiloh kids, members of Arts Olympia, Thurston County Master Recyclers and 30 or so students in The Evergreen State College Trash Program, in which the relationship between trash and society is studied. According to Sonja Wiedenhaupt, a psychologist-professor who teaches in the Trash Program, recycling for many people means little more than sorting materials before a garbage truck hauls it away.“What we learned this year [in the program] is that actually sorting is only half the equation—that making use of those recycled goods is the other part, closing the loop.
“Doing an activity like we did with Diane,” she concluded, “is a way of saying: ‘What is there of value in what we throw away?’ ”
“White Trash Wedding” is a fun and memorable affair (“I create art that is full of joie de vivre!” Kurzyna exclaims), so stop in and witness the nuptials—no formal attire or gift required. The guests form a picturesque and whimsical crowd: Some have photos of their creators where their faces would normally be; others have mirrors. You may find that many bear uncanny resemblance to people you know: Say, don’t those two look like Uncle Moe and Aunt Sylvia…?
“White Trash Wedding” runs through May 3 in Gallery IV of the Library Building, The Evergreen State College, Olympia. Admission is free. (Note: The gallery is noncommercial space, nothing is for sale and no one receives any payment.) Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Call 360-867-5125 for information.