Garbage trucks in Casa Grande are getting a trashy makeover, but not in the way you're thinking. Ditching the drab and the utilitarian, they're transforming into rolling canvases thanks to the city's "Traveling Garbage Gallery Art Program." In an enthusiastic intermingling of public service and public art, local artists Elizabeth Robbins, Susan Shivers, and Ashlynn Alvarado will see their artwork grandly displayed on these unlikely showcases, with the Phase II unveiling scheduled for, January 22, the city's website confirmed.
These trucks are bypassing the usual garbage route and heading straight into the community's cultural lane. Art adorns each side, turning the vehicles into a mobile gallery. The city's streets will transform into a live art walk, blending urban beautification with an anti-littering message. In phase two, the fleet will become an art exhibit on wheels, a project that began with a public call for artist proposals last October.
Sanitation Superintendent Ron Rouse shared with the city's news release, "It was a fun and unique experience for our department to participate in." The artists at the center of this program received a modest nod for their contributions, each walking away with a $100 gift card for their designs later printed and installed by Radius Signs, a nod to local businesses sticking together, and a comprehensive effort by the Public Works Sanitation Division, which relentlessly tackles more than 341 street miles and 39 alleyways, services over 21,000 residential accounts and hauls over 44,152 tons of trash on an annual basis.
Those looking to get more details or simply follow the city's cleanup art mashup can point their browsers over to the City Website or aim their social media compass to their Facebook and Instagram pages @CityofCG, for regular updates on this inventive aesthetic crusade.
