ANN ARBOR, MI – It’s a frequently depicted scene from the Bible, but it’s never looked quite like this.
The cardboard donkey, the crib made of drinking straws and the detergent-bottle baby Jesus are a new take on the Christmas story, one that’s intended to make a statement on poverty.
Ann Arbor nonprofit International Samaritan commissioned Detroit street artist Chazz Miller to create ‘No Room at the Inn,’ the installation depicting poor conditions for millions who live or work near garbage dumps in developing nations.
The nonprofit calls the life-size Nativity scene the first of its kind, being made entirely of garbage and recyclables. It was unveiled Saturday on 803 N. Main Street, less than a mile south of the M-14 highway ramp. A grand opening is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.
Miller said the project took about four months of research, material collection and creation. Much of the trash came from his garage. The top materials used were plastic, paper and Styrofoam.
“I think we have to recognize our consumerism,” Miller said. “And try to be a little more conscious about the fact that this stuff has to go somewhere eventually. We can try to think more outside the box about how we create, how we make things and how we use or possibly even reuse.”
Miller used Styrofoam and plastic bottles to create the bodies and shredded paper - turned into paper clay -- for the faces. Each figure’s face features biblical passages related to their role in Jesus’s birth. Baby Jesus has different illustrations of him depicted on his face. The North Star is made of recycled water bottles.
The installation will be up until Jan. 5, 2020, the week of Three Kings Day and the Eastern Orthodox Christmas.
International Samaritan commissioned the piece to highlight its mission, which is to help communities that live near illegal garbage dumping sites in Central America and Ethiopia. The Ann Arbor-based nonprofit supports scholarships, school and clinic developments in those areas.
Mike Tenbusch, president of the nonprofit, said the art installation includes an alleyway that has three homes built in the same way they are in the communities they serve. Tenbusch said 40% of the world’s garbage is dumped at sites like that. Nearby residents in poverty often search through the garbage for recyclable materials to sell, but face hazards such as medical waste, speeding garbage trucks and even landslides. More than 100 people died in a garbage dump landslide in Ethiopia in 2017.
For Tenbusch, this month’s art installation is a way to demonstrate to Ann Arbor residents and visitors the magnitude of the problem.
“We wanted to also in this Christmas season, just do something to kind of share the joy of the Lord,” Tenbusch said. “Even in very difficult conditions anywhere in the world, God is still alive and still there.”
Wednesday’s grand opening will include tours of the installment, refreshments and Christmas carols. Guided tours will be available from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays, Dec. 5-20. Additional tours will be offered during Ann Arbor’s Midnight Madness from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6.
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Nativity made from trash conveys message on poverty, garbage dumps - MLive.com
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