Enter the Trash Collective: The WasteShed’s Artist-in-Residence Program
The WasteShed’s Trash Collective Artist Residencies focus on visual art to promote environmental justice and creative community. Our network of artists have an existing “upcycle” focus in their work, and a Chicago focus or strong local connection. The program helps artists make new connections with other artists, youth, and members of the public interested in making sustainable culture part of their practice.
Our first two Artists-in-Residence were funded in part by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund.
Gregory “Goyo” Diaz
Our first Trash Collective Artist-In Residence was Gregory Diaz, a self-taught artist working primarily in wire and found objects. During his residency in The WasteShed’s classroom space in May and June of 2024, he worked on an evolving installation in the large classroom window that is visible from the Bloomingdale Trail, a popular biking and walking path and park.
Diaz also created two exterior flower planter boxes to frame the workshop window, using discarded crates from the tile company where he works.
Diaz was born and raised in Humboldt Park and has strong roots in the area, a majority Black/Latinx neighborhood which is subject to intense pressure from gentrification. Diaz generally works on his small, vivacious wire characters during his CTA commute to work, and he was excited to expand a primarily pocket-sized art practice to the larger scale and almost unlimited materials available through The WasteShed’s artist residency.
Via Diaz, “I would like to leave my footprint in and around the space, looking to get some community involved with the graffiti artists across the street and working off the 606 Trail.”
During his residency, Diaz had art displayed in two local exhibits; “It’s All Love for Humboldt Park,” a fundraiser for Humboldt Park Magazine, and “Home Not Home” at Pilsen Arts and Community House. He also represented The WasteShed and the Trash Collective Artist Residency at the Logan Square Art Fest, a 3-day event that attracts thousands of visitors every year, and which The WasteShed’s small team didn’t have the bandwidth to table at without his assistance.
Video by Tanya Bermudez of Greg Diaz’s wire art workshop
Diaz hosted a wire face pin workshop, to teach people how to apply his wire character construction techniques to a small wearable art piece. This workshop was attended by several teachers who were interested in introducing his techniques to their classes; Diaz’s playful, cartoony work is accessible and very engaging for children.
He also taught a workshop for families to create a shadow box diorama from a cigar box for Fathers Day; two local families attended. We extended his residency through August to allow him to teach a few more classes, and to show his finished work at our partnership with Battle 4 the City 2024, a street art event and block party that took place next to The WasteShed’s Kimball Ave location, running a pop-up art table along with our outreach volunteers.
Greg Diaz showing off his work and his Trash Collective shirt at Battle 4 The City
“Gregory was very loose in his instruction allowing each student to truly create a unique piece. How refreshing! He still took time with each and every student while creating a piece of his own, working along side us. He offered various media for us to use and encouraged us to make a piece entirely our own. I’m proud of my wire piece and intend to make more.” -Gloria, workshop participant
"Greg's first workshop (wire pin faces) was WONDERFUL! I'm trying to rearrange my schedule to go to [his August workshop] too!" -Anna, workshop participant
Norma Diotzinantzin Rios-Sierra
Norma Rios-Sierra (right) with some pleased workshop participants
Norma Rios-Sierra, our second artist-in-residence, moved into the residency space in late November. Rios-Sierra’s work consists of stained glass and mosaics and is often inspired by her experience as a Mexican immigrant. Rios-Sierra grew up in the Humboldt Park/Logan Square neighborhood, and her art, activism, and cultural sensitivity reflects her upbringing and heritage. Rios-Sierra’s most recent work embodies community, unity and the idea that we all belong and deserve to feel welcome and safe.
“The Wasteshed has been an instrumental part of my journey as an artist. When I first started teaching, sourcing materials from The Wasteshed made it possible for me to provide affordable classes to my community. I am always grateful for the space to share my skills and love partnering with The Wasteshed to provide fun and creative experiences.
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Rios-Sierra’s first workshop made traditional Mexican Nichos, a Central and South American “diorama” that evokes spirituality, and dates back to the Spanish colonial period. Traditionally, nichos are made from upcycled and repurposed household items; this workshop used aluminum soda cans. As she instructed participants on how to craft a nicho, she also described the cultural significance and impact that nichos have on creating sacred spaces and protecting one’s self and family.
Rios-Sierra’s also led a demonstration of how to craft repujado ornaments. “Repujado” meaning ‘embossed” is another traditional folk art practiced in Central and South America using scrap tin and aluminum. Because tin is light and easily manipulated, it can be used to create intricate relief patterns and shapes.
“I appreciated the learning curve for this workshop. Often, I find that arts and crafts workshops could be either really too easy or highly specific and difficult. This one was a good combination of new and interesting while still being accessible.”
-Katie, workshop participant, Repujado ornaments
Our artist residency and low-cost workshop programs are supported by fundraising and donations!
Donate today to help us continue these programs!
Reviving Radical Mending as a Community Art Practice
Radical Mending book stored in The WasteShed book library
Completed visible mending project - embroidery technique
Welcome to The WasteShed’s Mobile Mending Project (MMP), a revived, hands-on mending experience where we rethink the way we approach our clothes, our wardrobes, and our impact on the world. This creative and empowering workshop series invites participants to learn the art of hand- and machine-mending, turning repairs into opportunities for self-expression.
But, this is more than just sewing. Together, we'll dive into conversations about the fast fashion industry and the growing problem of overflowing landfills, explore how our clothing choices shape the world around us, and rediscover historical fashion techniques in upcycling and repurposing, transforming what was once "worn out" into something that feels personal and new.
Workshoppers work on mending projects at the previous WasteShed location
Workshoppers enjoy some beers while "diagnosing" a sewing conundrum
Whether you're stitching up a beloved jacket, reimagining an old dress, or simply curious about sustainable clothing, Mobile Mending welcomes all skill levels. Join us in creating a more thoughtful, creative, and conscious approach to what we wear—because every stitch tells a story, and every repair sparks change.
Mobile Mending: Threading change into the fabric of your fashion!
Revived image from "Radical Mending" workshop series in 2014
Event Dates
Click the date to be linked to the Eventbrite registration page! We hope to see you there.
Chicago
Evanston
Thursday, October 24th, 5:30 to 8:00pm:
Introduction to Embroidery + Sashiko
Tuesday, November 12th, 5:30 – 8:00pm
Introduction to Mending
Sunday, October 6th, 1:00-3:30pm:
Introduction to Mending
Tuesday, October 15th, 5:30-8pm:
Introduction to Embroidery + Sashiko
Thank you so much for your continued support! The WasteShed is thrilled to be reviving this mending project, a brain-child of Eleanor’s (Executive Director and Founder of The WasteShed). To contribute to this work and to help The WasteShed’s art education arm keep oiled, consider donating to our 10-year Anniversary Fund.
Trashy #TBT: The WasteShed's first 4 years (2014-2017)
In observance of The WasteShed’s 10th Anniversary, here are some things we did in our first 4 years:
We opened for business in Humboldt Park, with some beat-up Ikea shelves and a hand-painted cupboard door for a sign, a couple of volunteers with no idea what they were getting into, in an old corner store with no real ceiling, no real floor and murderous front steps.
Opening day 2014
ReuseConex 2014
We travelled to Austin, Texas for ReuseConex, the biennial conference for the international Reuse Alliance. We met with representatives of many reuse-oriented organizations and companies, and compared notes with the leadership of creative reuse centers from San Francisco to Durham, NC. There are so many of us, and more all the time! Our ReUSA map illustrated all the creative reuse centers in the US at that time.
The ReUSA Map with every creative reuse center marked with a googly eye
That winter we hosted monthly Radical Mending, dyeing and wreath-making workshops, and tried to keep warm. We started our VolunTuesday volunteer parties.
The Young & The Reuseless
We started a meetup group to check out Chicago-area reuse businesses, organizing tours of sites like The Plant, Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse, Random Acts of Flowers, Repurposed Materials and the Chicago Mattress Recycling. We recently rediscovered the Y&R tumblr(!)
That summer we hosted knitting and stencil-making workshops, and finally made enough money to hire our first employee, Francesca Dana.
OG WasteShed crew Eleanor Ray and Francesca Dana
We celebrated turning 1 and gathered some friends
Remember the time we got in 400 plasticore signs from White Castle?
We made so many weird things out of them
We got our first few small grants from Chicago Community Trust’s Young Leaders Fund and the Lagunitas Community Foundation. Much love also to the small business and DIY scene friends who raised money to support us in these early lean years, including Archie’s bar, Cafe Mustache, Pinky Swear, The Stabettes and many more.
By the time we’d run out of space and decided to move to a bigger facility in the summer of 2017, we had diverted 36,000 lbs of materials from the wastestream, were receiving over 500 visitors per month, and had hosted over 60 volunteer events, music shows, workshops, and field trips. Most of this was self-funded by sales (a whopping total of $57,000 in 2017).
Stay tuned for Part 2 of The WasteShed’s Trashy Memories!
If you are impressed by or nostalgic about any of this, please donate to support our 10 Year Anniversary Fundraiser!
The WasteShed is turning 10: Celebrating a Decade of Decay!
In the 10 years of The WasteShed’s existence, we have become a vital part of Chicago’s creative ecosystem…rather like a fungus.
The WasteShed: Embracing Entropy Since 2014
The WasteShed serves hundreds of schools and nonprofits across Chicagoland and beyond
Hear us out! Creative Reuse Centers like The WasteShed perform a vital and unglamorous role in their local creative community. Materials and resources that are released from local businesses, artist studios, schools, craft rooms and other arts organizations, are absorbed, processed and made available to other entities in the artistic and educational biome.
Like fungi, the true scale and impact of a creative reuse center is difficult to perceive, and even harder to measure. Materials that have passed through The WasteShed have permeated to the furthest reaches of the city and far beyond; our low-cost materials quietly sustaining the art closets and afterschool programs of hundreds of cash-strapped schools, helping small businesses cut costs for necessary items, brightening summer festivals and winter holidays, and providing an unending source of surprise, curiosity and even mystification for our visitors.
What you see on the surface (a thrift store full of art supplies and related items) is the momentary, ever-shifting manifestation of thousands of relationships, collaborations, collections, inspirations, frustrations, visions and sometimes delusions — the dreams of the city, a living, dying, shifting mass, at once beautiful and overwhelming.
we love to rot
🍄
we love to rot 🍄
And us! We’re the folks on the forest floor, resolving an uncountable number of curious and mundane tangles (176 tons to date) into re-consumable form (an estimated $3.5 million worth of cool stuff not landfilled). We are continuously creating new systems in response to new input and new demands, hosting and organizing many dozens of accessible creative programs every year, building programs and innovative partnerships with like-minded local organizations. And we are doing this… on a shoestring budget as thin as a mycelium filament.
Help us keep blooming into our second decade!
The WasteShed is living proof that it is possible to be a Chicago institution, a hidden gem, a pillar of our community, and utterly precarious, at one and the same time. We are asking our community to help us raise $30,000 by September 30th. Please donate today to support our work, and help us operate from a place of abundance, as we create abundance for those around us.
Thank you for being there for us all these years.