Photo: Phipps Center for the Arts
Every spring in Hudson, Wisconsin, as the ice breaks and the river begins to peek through again, a particularly charming creature begins to reappear around town. He’s become something of a local folk hero. His name is Scrappy, and he’s made of garbage.
Not metaphorical garbage, mind you. Scrappy is an art project composed of actual trash pulled from the St. Croix River.
More than a decade ago, Scrappy was created by Twin Cities sculptor Mary Johnson for St. Croix RiverFest. Since his birth, he’s evolved into an annual community art project—part sculpture, part environmental statement and part neighborhood mascot. Each summer, volunteer artists comb the riverbanks, gathering bottle caps, lost sunglasses and any other mysterious items that might present themselves. After that, it’s a process of sorting, scrubbing and transforming those items into “Scrappy scales.”
The result is a pretty amazing sculpture that reflects both the creativity of Hudson and the impact this community has on its local environment. If you see Scrappy around town this spring, give him a wave. He’s made of trash, but he’s got a whole lot of heart.
Ben Thietje serves as the executive director of the Phipps Center for the Arts. Learn more at thephipps.org.
