Campus Gallery Invests $50,000 in 'Trash Art', Older Trustees Question 'Progressive' Investment

          The campus' Art Gallery has always prided itself on its extensive modern art collection ranging from Picasso and Rothko to Pollock and Bacon. The art is a huge asset, used by professors to teach students about many different forms of cultural expression. Over the weekend, an installation labeled "Trash Art" was put into the museum. 
          The contemporary artist Hugh G. Rection assembles trash in one-of-a-kind installments for different galleries and museums. His method of construction includes emptying trash cans from around the gallery onto the floor, signifying the reclamation of what was lost... and now is found. An Environmental Studies class recently visited the exhibition. One student remarks, "It's a commentary on what the upper-class sees as a one-way street when it comes to consumption and waste. It really opened my eyes to the false paradigm of the separation of gallery space from environmental concerns."
             The recent purchase by the gallery, however, has stirred some controversy. Older Trustees and Board members are confused by the investment. They cannot see the justification for this $50,000 investment. One trustee commented, "We could be buying 50 brand new laptops for students who really need them, and instead we're paying for some schmuck to come in and make a mess in our nice gallery. (sighs) I guess I just don't understand modern art." 
          Professor and students alike are rapt in attention to the absurdity of this exhibit. It has provided a much needed point of discussion for classes and will likely remain in the gallery until the end of the year, despite its ever intensifying smell.