Recology has been a pioneer in resource recovery and is proud to have launched in 1990, the world-renowned Artist in Residence Program in San Francisco, California.
The Recology Artist in Residence Program was established in 1990 at the same time that curbside recycling was being implemented in San Francisco. Conceived by artist and activist Jo Hanson, it was the most innovative component of an outreach plan developed by the City and Recology San Francisco to educate people about recycling. Now more than twenty-five years later, the Artist in Residence Program has grown to include an Environmental Learning Center, an extensive tour program, a three-acre sculpture garden, off-site exhibitions, and has been nationally recognized and awarded as the only program of its kind in the country. Artists are provided with a stipend and a well-equipped studio to make artwork from materials they scavenge from the Public Disposal and Recycling Area ("the dump"). Artists speak to the more than 5,000 students and adults who annually attend the San Francisco garbage and recycling facility tours which focus on the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Modeled after the Recology Artist in Residence Program in San Francisco, GLEAN is a partnership between Recology Portland; Metro, the regional government that guides the region's garbage and recycling systems; and, crackedpots, an environmental arts organization. Launched in the fall of 2010, GLEAN's mission is to prompt people to think about their consumption habits, inspire creative reuse, and initiate larger conversations about the waste we generate.
