Trash is trash—smelly, gross, harmful to the land and plants and animals. But repurpose trash and transform it into art, and you’re not only removing destructive materials from the environment, you’re also able to make a powerful statement about consumerism, conservation, optimism, and creativity.

On two consecutive Saturdays this month, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC), along with the Connecticut River Conservancy and the River Gallery School, invites the public to participate in an exploration of trash and art. First, on Saturday, September 23, join a team pulling debris out of the river during the Connecticut River Conservancy’s 27th annual Source to Sea Cleanup. Then, on Saturday, September 30, join BMAC Lead Educator Kate Milliken at the River Gallery School for a Found Materials Sculpture Workshop using the plastic trash collected from the Connecticut River—cleaned and prepared to be used as art materials. The workshop is inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, “Aurora Robson: Human Nature Walk,” in which the artist uses plastic waste to create intricate, lyrical installations that she says take trash “out of the waste stream and turn its longevity into an asset.”

According to the Connecticut River Conservancy, the Source to Sea Cleanup, which happens at numerous locations along the entire 410-mile river, is not only an effort to pick up trash for a day, “it is also a catalyst for lasting change,” inspiring the public to think more deeply about recycling and upcycling waste, and working for legislative action that lessens trash in the first place. In 2022, more than 1,200 volunteers in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut participated in the Cleanup, collecting more than 34 tons of trash, including almost 12,400 beverage containers and nearly 8,000 pounds of scrap metal.

On September 23, join the Cleanup by checking in at the Retreat Farm or Vermont Canoe Touring Center anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and helping with trash collection for as long as you’d like. Walk the banks of the river or take a boat out onto the water and see how much you can find. The Vermont Canoe Touring Center will offer $10 off canoe and kayak rentals for this event.

Then, on September 30, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., head to the River Gallery School in downtown Brattleboro, where museum educator Kate Milliken will lead a sculpture workshop designed to inspire individual creativity and remind makers that art materials don’t need to be fancy or expensive. The workshop will connect participants to Aurora Robson’s work through experiential learning, according to Kirsten Martsi, manager of the BMAC’s Education and Community Engagement Programs. “We’ll take waste that would have gone to landfills and create art from it, generating new ideas for sculpture materials and design.”

For Milliken, the workshop is an opportunity for people to “see the many lives that ‘forever’ plastics can have, all while they explore their own creativity and self-expression through art making.” She will guide participants in building mobiles and wind chimes—to take home—with the hope that using “an ugly or unsightly piece of trash” in an art project “might inspire folks to find new ways to incorporate plastic waste items in their lives.”

The public is welcome to participate in the Sept. 23 Cleanup, the Sept. 30 sculpture workshop, or both. There is no charge to join the Cleanup. Admission to the workshop is $20 ($10 for BMAC members). Space for the workshop is limited and registration required. Register at brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124 x101.

Founded in 1972, Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday–Sunday, 10-4. Admission is free, courtesy of M&T Bank. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org.

BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.