This gallery was constructed with the phrase “One man’s trash, is another man’s treasure” in mind. Based on the simple idea that every person has some object that might look like trash to an outside observer, but to the owner represents a story. A story of love or loss or nostalgia or any other number of things. This project has roots in a more modernist approach to art in that the artistic merit of something emerges from what it represents and not simply what it is.

The goal was to collect these items and stories from community members to present here for your viewing pleasure and consideration. As it turns out, asking people to give over their prized possessions and share intimate details about their lives can be a pretty hard sell; and thus, the collection you see before you was no small task to assemble. Representing a hodgepodge of items collected from friends and family, former coworkers, an ex-girlfriend, members of the university community and strangers. This collection comes together to weave an eclectic story of lives lived and the items that have been imbued with the stories of those lives. Each submission is just as unique and diverse as the person submitting. As you go through this gallery, I invite you to consider something of your own that might look like trash to the average person, but is treasure to you.