In March and April of 2023, art will be displayed for the 14th Annual TrashedArt Contest at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch. Patrons will have a chance to view photographs of the artwork and vote for the “People’s Choice” awards in-person at each of the nine branches and virtually on the MCLS’ website. Winners will be announced at the TrashedArt Contest Reception at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch on Tuesday, April 18th at 6:30pm. The contest celebrates Earth Day by encouraging patrons to turn ordinary trash into extraordinary art.
The contest is limited to one entry per artist. Classes or groups may participate only if they register ahead of time. Please see https://mcl.org/events/trashedart/ for details. The library will accept artwork no earlier than Wednesday, March 1, 2023 and no later than Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Selected artwork will be on display at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch throughout the month of March and April. Adult patrons (ages 14 and up) who live, work or go to school in Mercer County are eligible to participate.
Entries must be original artwork, no larger than 2.5′ by 2.5′ by 2.5′ and no heavier than 10 lbs. Any art medium is acceptable, so long as a minimum of 75% recycled content is used. Some examples of recycled content include metals, paper, rubber, glass (but no sharp shards), plastic and cloth. A recycled item is anything that has been manufactured and would have otherwise been thrown away. Non-recyclable materials such as glue, paint, tape, etc. are permitted. For the purposes of this contest, natural materials such as rocks, dirt, bones and sticks are not considered recycled. The Mercer County Library System will not be held responsible for any damage, theft or loss to art entries.
Contest entry forms will be available online at www.mcl.org/events/trashedart starting January 2023. All accepted art entries will be publicly displayed at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library System. Photographs of the artwork will be displayed in person at each branch of the Mercer County Library System and virtually on the Mercer County Library System’s website. The photographs will be used for patrons to vote for the “People’s Choice” awards, and to create a virtual gallery which will be shared on the Mercer County Library System’s social media channels and website. To view past virtual galleries, please visit the Mercer County Library System’s YouTube Channel and search for “Virtual TrashedArt Reception Slideshow (2020),” “TrashedArt 2021 Virtual Contest Gallery,” and “TrashedArt Contest 2022 Gallery”.
Entries will be anonymously judged by local artists and representatives of the Mercer County Library System on creativity, originality and artistic merit. Judging will take place at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch before Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Grand prize winners in first, second and third place, will be awarded and announced at the TrashedArt Contest Reception at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch on Tuesday, April 18th at 6:30pm. Patrons will also have a chance to vote for the “People’s Choice” awards in-person at each of the Mercer County Library System’s branches and virtually through the MCLS website. Each branch will announce their “People’s Choice” award winners at the TrashedArt Reception as well. Please register online for the TrashedArt Reception at www.mcl.org.
For more information about the library’s programs and events visit www.mcl.org.
Featured photo: #TrashedArt 2018 Winners (left to right): Ashley Fried’s “Taking from the Earth” 1st place student winner, Michele Ben-Asher’s “April” 2nd place adult winner, Linda DuBrow’s “Manhattan Skyline and Brooklyn Bridge” 1st place adult winner, Connie Cruser’s “Spring Blossoms” 3rd place adult winner, Pritika Gulati’s “Pani” 2nd place student winner, Robert Caivano’s “Flint phone with mouse-cage charging station” People’s Choice winner, and Abby Kelvy’s “Earth” 3rd place student winner.
