The 6th Annual
Recycled Art Exhibition
Flagstaff's Junkiest Art Show!

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Thanks to our gracious sponsors:

"Sons and Brothers gave me one of those rare musical memories I'll always cherish - the incredible experience of seeing a band (with no expectations) and being totally blown away. It's something I'll never forget."

Saturday, April 19
7:30 P.M.

Coconino Center for the Arts
2300 N. Fort Valley Road
Flagstaff, Arizona

Tickets are available ONLINE
and at Arizona Music Pro in Flagstaff.
Tickets: $22/advance, $25/day of show



Traditional Ties is presented in partnership by Flagstaff Friends of Traditional Music (FFOTM) and Flagstaff Cultural Partners.  Both are non-profit organizations.

Recycled Art Exhibition Open Thru April

Greg Mason is the quintessential recycled-art artist.  Using second-hand items to create works of art known as "found object assemblage", Mason exemplifies the recycled art movement.  Despite his large collection of trinkets and antiques, he's is always browsing thrift stores and garage sales. 

In his work, he uses a combination of old keepsakes and random collectibles.  With these miscellaneous items he keeps in his garage workshop, he creates coherent and mostly functional pieces, often in a series, such as his clocks or coffee urns.


Mason has been making this type of artwork for six years.  With a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Art History, he's always had an interest in art.  Mainly, however, his craft comes from a desire to work with his hands.  Having lived on a farm in Kansas, Mason has a love for working with farm tools and machines.  Some of the materials he uses in his art pieces are scraps from his old farm. 

"We were recycling before anyone used that word," Mason says about working with machine scraps on the farm.

He lived in Santa Fe, NM, for 10 years working in art galleries, but he wasn't interested in practicing traditional or conventional art such as painting or drawing.  Working in art galleries, Mason realized that he needed to make art, but his own kind of art. He also wanted to create something that would outlast him.  With a renewed interest in collecting second-hand items, and a desire to begin working with his hands, Mason began creating.  He says it was a "natural progression" because he "always had an edge for looking at items together". 

After buying a book on found-object art to see what other people were doing in the field, he began building sculptures out of his collections.  Though he says some people don't consider found-object art to be "real" art, he doesn't care.  He says, "I just want to use my hands and be creative".  To make his pieces special, he will hide little pins or symbols inside clock batteries, where owners won't see them until they have to change the batteries a year later.  He says he doesn't like to be taken too seriously.

At the same time, Mason is very passionate.  In many of his works, he will convey a political message.  He made a large cross that featured 3000 toy soldiers and a figure of President Bush, criticizing the Iraq War and representing soldiers who have died for the cause.  He is now working on a piece that will feature a toy gun attached to a mirror, so when you look at it, the gun points at the viewers head.  He hopes to convey a message about gun control.  Mason says, "I like to make people stop and take a second look, [as well as] raise the issue a little bit."

He is also planning to make a light-up figure using an antique microphone wrapped with barbed wire to send a message about big media controlling the information we receive.  The clocks that Mason makes regularly serve two purposes.  First, they are functional, representing his practical upbringing working on the farm.  Second, he likes to poke fun at our society's obsession with time, or a perceived lack of time. 

Ultimately, Mason likes to make found-object art to share his love of antiques and collectibles with the world.  Dedicated to collecting, Mason has an extensive assortment of items.  A lot of his collection features items from his childhood.  Instead of tucking these mementos away, he incorporates them into new sculptures.  He says, "I have trouble letting go of things from my childhood, so it's nice to remake them into new things and release them into the world."

Getting ready for the Recycled Art Exhibition which opens on April 5th at the Coconino Center for the Arts, Mason is creating two pieces.  One will be a clock sculpture, the other will feature an antique piano figurine. 


If you would like to see more of Greg's artwork, please visit his website.  If you would like to contact Greg, call him at 928.527.0248.

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Flagstaff Cultural Partners' programs are made possible in part by a partnership with the City of Flagstaff, with funding from the Bed, Board and Beverage (BBB) Tax.