Maxine Leu

When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes is a nomadic installation that reminds people of the environmental problem of pollution caused by overconsumption and disregard for the environment. The mysterious litter-picking garden gnomes that I’ve created from repurposed materials pop-up randomly in public areas to clean up the streets and then they disappear. While each has a unique personality and posture, they are all activists, janitors, volunteers, and immigrants. No one knows where these mini-environmentalists come from and go to, but they leave the land clean for us.

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When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
The mini-environmentalists popped-up in a New Paltz, NY street.
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
The gnome doesn’t believe that throwing trash into a bush equals the trash disappearing.
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
We want to make Peter’s sidewalk look nice for his front yard.
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
30 minutes of work were required to clean 0.2 miles of the Southside Loop and South Road in New Paltz, NY
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
We can agree that a restaurant’s “pick-up” order service is convenient, but can humans also agree to “pick-up” their used napkins, empty soda cans, crushed cups, and dirty aluminum containers as well?
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
Students’ families always remember their boys’ first win in a football game, but they always forget to bring back their celebration utensils, too.
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
Trees don’t like decorations from you, errrr!!!
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
I found another piece of a paper bag stuck between two bricks! It smells like a cheeseburger!
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused material: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
I wished I could find the owner who lost this glove, she must be freezing! …Oh..I wonder if my granddaughter could use it as a hat??
When Gnomes Need to Clean Their Homes, Reused materials: foam, found objects, paper pulp, paint, 2020
The gnomes are sighted curbside in a residential neighborhood where they quickly whisk away all of the trash.

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