Art Week 2025 - Think Outside the Trash

Plastic Bags and Pepsi Cups become a magical mobile at dusk.

If you think the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce and the Grade to Gate Foundation are obsessed with trash, you’re right. For the better part of three years, we’ve spent many waking hours getting planters, benches, and trash receptacles installed and arranging for regular trash pick-up downtown. The point of it all is to enhance the appeal of our gateway to Yosemite by beautifying, or in the case of trash, “de-uglifying” our environment.

When Grade to Gate Foundation decided to tackle a trash pick-up on Old Priest Grade, the Chamber was already working with Delcie Cunningham on the official ribbon-cutting for her new studio, Dragonfly Dees, which offers stress-relief activities for all ages. Set for Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 am, Dragonfly Dees’ Grand Opening dovetails perfectly with the kick-off of Tuolumne County Art Week 2025.

What better way to launch this new business, inspire community engagement in Beautification projects, AND celebrate Art Week than TRASH? 

On Thursday, April 3, join Grade to Gate Foundation chairman Eric Voogd for a trip down Old Priest Grade to clean up what people have tossed aside (see flyer for details). The trash will be sorted and useful pieces cleaned up and delivered to Dragonfly Dees to be incorporated into artwork.

One Person’s Garbage is Another’s Work of Art

Animal Cookies and Apple Juice is a tribute to artist Shirley Horn’s granddaughter.

Following Dragonfly Dees Ribbon Cutting at 10:00 on Saturday, April 12 (see flyer), everyone is welcome to spend some time in the studio turning throw-aways into cool and fun artwork. What kind of artwork? Well, think outside the trash. A castoff laundry detergent container becomes a 2025 Family Time Capsule…toilet paper rolls become googly-eyed monsters…a milk bottle becomes a bird house…the sky’s the limit. For a $5 donation, take our trash and Dragonfly Dees’ crafty supplies and become the next Banksy!

But wait, there’s more! For a $20 donation, you can choose a beautiful manzanita branch wrapped in solar-powered fairy lights to make your very own Trash Tree. Your unique Trash Tree sculpture will be

displayed in one of our downtown ground planters throughout Art Week (April 12-20). Then, you can take it home and use it indoors or outdoors to hang seasonal decorations or if you prefer, to continue to display your beautiful garbage. Be there early to claim and get started on your personal piece of Trash Art.

Fairy-lit manzanita branches await your inspiration.

Don’t think you’re artsy enough? Not to worry! We’ll help you with ideas and tips. You’d be surprised what you can do with a bit of trash and some friends on a Saturday afternoon.