One Artist’s Trash is Another’s Treasure

By buniverse ()

Installation artist PhoebeWashburn is best known for producing large-scale installation art that includes assemblages of garbage, cardboard, scrap wood, and, more recently, organic matter such as sod, plants, and snails. She scavenges cardboard boxes [...]and wood from dumpsters, sidewalks, and businesses near her Brooklyn studio.

As a result of the colossal size and labor-intensive methods she employs, Washburn creates installations with the help of assistants. Her work is architectural in nature, and the pieces are often jerry-rigged with chairs, ladders, and scaffolding. A process-based artist, Washburn says her work is reliant on gallery space.

Washburn holds a BFA from Tulane University and an MFA from New York’s School of Visual Arts. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Deutsche Guggenheim, and the Whitney Biennial.

Hosted by the College of Fine Arts on October 19, 2011.
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