May 21–28, 1998

city beat

Garbage In, Art Out

One person's trash is now fodder for the new Please Take Museum.

by Deborah Scoblionkov

		"We know it's not a real museum with rare and usual things—these are found objects and other treasures from the trash that may inspire artists," says Miss Jenna Dohrmann, a Dumpster Diver who will manage the Please Take Museum.

Philadelphia is about to gain a new artistic institution, but in contrast to most of the city's venerable cultural establishments that showcase bona fide works of art, the Please Take Museum will feature society's dregs and dross—or just plain trash.

As the name suggests, there will be no permanent collection, just an ever-changing display of found objects and raw materials. Pieces of neon, mannequins and plaques are among the goods available for sale, for barter or in exchange for something that might appeal to other members.

Like the proverbial inmates taking over the asylum, at this museum, it's the artists themselves who will be running this show. The Please Take Museum is a joint venture between the Creative Artists' Resource Project (CARP), a non-profit arts and environmental organization, and the Dumpster Divers, a loose network of local artists who, in the spirit of Marcel Duchamp, work with recycled materials (i.e. trash) to elevate the mundane to marvelous.

CARP was founded last year by cdavid hall-cottrill, a veteran theatrical prop designer and working artist. His purpose was to help build a sustainable arts and cultural community in Philadelphia by creating a clearinghouse of information with his monthly publication, the Artists Resource Journal. His motto is: "Making rubbish regal!!!"

		Up For Grabs: Inside the Please Take Museum. photo: Adam Wallacavage

"I call it sustainable art because it utilizes recycled materials," explained hall-cottrill. "It doesn't deplete resources and it sustains artists at the same time."

Inspired by a New York City waste reduction/reuse program called "Materials for the Arts" (MFA), administered jointly by that city's Sanitation and Cultural Affairs departments, hall-cottrill had dreamed of creating an "artist materials exchange" in Philadelphia. He envisioned a "resource canal"—a river of salvaged, reusable materials that would flow between mainstream businesses, cultural and educational organizations and individual artists.

Then he discovered the Dumpster Divers, whose need for affordable raw materials and storage space dove-tailed perfectly with CARP's mission.

Earlier this year, the 2,000-square-foot basement space at 12th and Callowhill streets was leased from Dumpster Diver Charlie Szoradi and the Please Take Museum was born.

"This is a great grassroots collaboration," commented hall-cottrill, who will serve as Resource Czar for the Please Take Museum. "Carp are, after all, bottom feeders and so are the Dumpster Divers."

Membership is open to all area artists, designers and/or collectors. In addition to having unlimited access to the materials exchange, members can register for the Resource Finder Network database, which helps locate specific materials needed by individuals, and submit slides to a registry available for public perusal.

"We know it's not a real museum with rare and usual things—these are found objects and other treasures from the trash that may inspire artists," says Miss Jenna Dohrmann, a Dumpster Diver who will manage the Please Take Museum. "I don't profess to be so much a curator of art as a curator of trash and neat stuff. It's a certain type of person who will appreciate these things—someone who likes going to garage sales and rummaging through thrift stores. Otherwise, one might think he or she is lost in a landfill."

Hall-cottrill has also mobilized the CARP Strike Force, a team of volunteers who will mobilize to collect large donations from businesses, building demolitions and even from theaters—any place that might otherwise send salvageable materials to landfills because of lack of storage space or inability to find organizations or individuals who could put their junk to good use.

Already the Please Take Museum has received donations from various companies throughout the Delaware Valley simply through word of mouth. Base Camp stores have provided the museum with display cases and fixtures; State Farm Insurance Company has given shelves. All such donations are tax-deductible.

"We think of this as 'pre-dumpster diving,'" said hall-cottrill.

The Please Take Museum is planning a fundraising gala on June 10 to celebrate the opening. The "ground floor event"—or basement event as it may be—will feature speakers and a slide show presentation.

The climax of the evening will be an auction; among the offerings will be works of art by local artists who use recycled objects in their work, including Dan Rose, Neil Benson and other members of the Dumpster Divers.

Dress will be (what else?) "thrift store chic."

The Please Take Museum is located at 340 N. 12th St. Call cdavid hall-cottrill at 739-2583 for information.