Work by Colin Kippen, GLEAN 2021 | Photo credit Mario Gallucci

Mission

GLEAN is a juried art program that taps into the creativity of artists to inspire people to think about their consumption habits, the waste they generate and the resources they throw away.

Every year, five local artists chosen by a jury of arts and environmental professionals are given access to the Metro Central transfer station for five months to glean discarded materials to make art. The program culminates with an exhibition of their works in the summer at a local gallery.

Launched in 2010, GLEAN is a partnership between Recology Oregon Recovery Inc., an employee-owned company that manages a variety of resource recovery facilities, Metro, the regional government that manages the Portland area’s garbage and recycling system and crackedpots, a nonprofit environmental arts organization.

History

In the fall of 2010, Recology, an employee-owned company that manages a variety of resource recovery facilities, Metro, the regional government that manages the Portland metropolitan area’s garbage and recycling system, and Crackedpots, an environmental arts organization, got together to create GLEAN.

The GLEAN program’s goals are to prompt people to think about their consumption habits, initiate larger conversations about the waste we generate, and inspire creative reuse. GLEAN takes its inspiration from Recology San Francisco’s renowned Artist In Residence program.  Over the years, GLEAN too has flourished and has received critical acclaim for the creativity of its artists. Many of its artists have seen their careers blossom and been deeply impacted as a result of their experience.