For Immediate Release

What you’ll see: Discarded trash turned into ‘Sunny Art’ inspired by mid-century sun wall art. The materials for the art (car parts, tin cans, rusty tools, pencils, bottle caps, straws, silverware, keys, broken jewelry, etc.) have been collected by Pittsburgh artist Carye Bye on her frequent trash walks and community clean ups.

Artist Show Statement: It's felt like a long winter and already a long year. This show is about finding joy and warmth in your community and day to day. We are lost and very wasteful. But we are adaptable, resourceful and creative. This is a wake up call to rise up and shine. --Carye Bye

TWO SPECIAL EVENTS

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 4:30-6 PM, Trash to Treasure Crafting, Commonplace Coffee, 1501 Buena Vista St.

Grab a coffee or pastry and hang out and sew a trash leaf and flower garland or wearable art with the artist. Fake plastic plants pieces are one of the most frequently found littered items. All supplies will be provided. Drop in, no need to sign up.

Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2-4 PM, Earth Day weekend Trash Nab with the Artist, Meet at Commonplace Coffee, 1501 Buena Vista St

Join Carye Bye and Allegheny CleanWays on a Trash Walk in the neighborhood. Maybe we’ll find some treasures and also enjoy a social outing pick up and talking trash, learning the environmental impacts, and how we each can do our part to keep our communities clean through mindful buying and volunteering to be street stewards. All supplies provided. Sign up on alleghenycleanways.org

About Carye Bye

Carye Bye, a Brighton Heights resident, started her interest in trash and waste earlier than she realized. Her mother wrote in her baby book in 1979, when the artist was 4 years old “[Carye] likes to collect things in bags and containers and doesn't want Mommy or Daddy to throw anything away and sometimes retrieves papers out of the garbage."

Bye has been an avid ‘Trash-nabber’ since the 2020 Pandemic when city services lulled and thrift stores closed. Suddenly the street needed cleaning, and the artist discovered interesting art supplies right out her front door. So she started going on trash walks for exercise, leaving her community better than she found it and dragging home the shiny or interesting lost and littered items that she couldn’t bare to throw away. The theme of waste, trash and litter now consume a new narrative in Bye’s life and work. Not only does this feature in her mixed media assemblage art but also in her writing and design projects including self published zines. Current in print titles include: Waste, Confessions of a Trashnabber, Litter Sampler, UR Trash: Collection of Trash Cans, and Zero Waste Everyday Tips. These publications will be available at Commonplace Coffee during the artist’s residency.

CONTACT: Carye Bye, 503-248-4454, caryebye@gmail.com