As part of Recology's Artist In Residence program, San Francisco artists apply for residencies in which they get studio space at Recology's Solid Waste Transfer facility near Candlestick Park, and full scavenging privileges at the dump and recycling centers. Voice of America just did a piece about current resident artists Michael Arcega and Ma Li, and about an exhibition of recent artists in residence that was just on view at the Voila Gallery in Los Angeles. (The show also appeared briefly in the lobby at 350/400 California Street this past winter.)

Li, who grew up in China, is working on a cool project involving plastic bottles that have been turned into wispy wind-catchers that will be brought to life by human performers and fans. She and the other two current artists receive a stipend as well as 24-hour studio space for four months.

Arcega has created a fictional tribe called the Nacerima (America spelled backwards), and he creates folk-art-like constructions out of trash that are meant to be the found artifacts of this people, as a comment on the wasteful American culture of today.

If you're an artist, the upcoming deadline for the Artist in Residency program is August 31, and applications will be accepted starting June 1. In order to apply you must first attend a tour of the facility, including Recology's huge, well equipped artists' studio, and you must be a Bay Area resident who lives within less than an hour's drive of the facility. Also, they are only accepting applications from career artists who are no longer enrolled in school.