Transforming Trash Artist Reception: Selene Huff

Canadian sculptor Selene Huff, the first artist in residence for Olmsted County's new Transforming Trash program, presents her work at the Historic Chateau Theatre in downtown Rochester on June 15, with an artist reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and an artist talk at 6 p.m. The event is free to attend. Huff scours the metal piles at the Kalmar landfill, hauling scrap to a temporary studio at the facility where she converts hard industrial material into pieces that curl and twist into natural, organic shapes. An Alberta-based sculptor, educator and metalworker with a background in aerospace welding, she bends rebar into feet for a serpent and gives reused tire belts the texture of scales. The Transforming Trash program, launched with $20,000 from the county commission, promotes reuse and repurposing of would-be waste.