Tiverton art show is just garbage

TIVERTON, R.I. (WPRI) - "One man's trash is another man's..." ...work of art, a Tiverton man might reinterpret the old saying. Russ Smith is now showing off several art pieces made from old garbage.

The exhibit is running at the gallery of Sandywoods Farm, an arts and agricultural community in Tiverton. Smith is a resident of the community.

Smith isn't the first to create art from trash, or "found objects," as many call it in the art movement. But his works have at times over the recent past tended to veer toward the politically motivated, as his web site shows from previous shows, "Fallujah Blues," and "One Morning In Haditha," both designed to be anti-war.

These days, his found objects are coming from not just trash heaps, but scrap yards and secondhand stores provide inspiration as well.

Sometimes he doesn't have to do much to create art from the everyday machinations of society. One piece, "Thing Two," consists of a cast aluminum housing of an outboard motor. Not quite Dr. Seuss. But putting such items on display, with the ravages of time, nevertheless creates a concept to ponder.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 28, at the gallery at 63 Muse Way in Tiverton.

Click here for Sandywood’s Gallery Information