GLEAN 2021 Call for Artists

GLEAN is a juried residency program that gives five selected artists from the Portland area (Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties) access to the Metro Central transfer station to glean materials for creating art. The program will provide virtual studio visits, marketing support, interviews, a stipend, virtual group critiques, and culminate in an exhibition. One residency position is reserved for a student currently enrolled in an art program at a local college or university.

Five artists will have the opportunity to glean materials from Metro Central transfer station for five to six months. Each artist must create a minimum of eight pieces available for sale at the exhibition, with ninety-five percent of each piece created from materials gleaned from the transfer station. Each artist will receive a $2,000 stipend upon successful completion of the program and 80% commission from the sale of their art at the exhibition. Recology will retain one piece from each artist for its permanent collection; Metro will retain one piece from each artist to be publicly displayed for two years. Artists must be residents of Multnomah, Washington, or Clackamas county and are required to sign an artist agreement, attend safety training before gleaning, and be available for monthly meetings.

Applicants must submit 4-6 images and up to 1 video. The residency runs from June 2021 to November 2021, with the exhibition in January/February 2022. Important dates include May 7 for jury selection of eight finalists, May 14 for finalist interviews, and May 21 for safety training and orientation. Materials are available in other languages upon request.