10/08/2026
The Meaningless Monster
Forrest Lounibos, 2026 TRASH Artist
"During my first day scavenging at the Recology Recycling Center, another artist spotted a broken skateboard and gave it to me for my art project. Looking closely at the graphic, I recognized it as the exact one a friend used to have. I jokingly texted him a photo of it along with, “You broke your board?” I was shocked to find out it actually was his—stolen from him three weeks earlier while it was still practically brand new.
The pile at the Materials Recovery Facility is massive and is constantly shifted and cleared throughout the day. So, finding it was wild--it was like finding a needle in haystack. We were in the right place at precisely the right moment. Now, it's being given away again as the "The Meaningless Monster.”
The sculpture of a monster giving away his prized possession, a skateboard that is a reflection of himself, shows that items that are damaged like the skateboard with a crack through it are considered useless in society when actually they have value. Though there’s an idea that broken or discarded things don't have value, it merely depends on how a person perceives the item. Every discarded piece of trash has worth, even though it seems ruined. Though the monster is made of trash, it has value in its new form--regardless of how it looks."
Beautiful TRASH
The Beautiful TRASH exhibit features amazing artworks from six students who participated in a seven-week art residency program.
On view through December 11, 2026
Herold Mahoney Library Gallery
SRJC Petaluma: 680 Sonoma Mtn. Parkway, Petaluma
For more information about the Herold Mahoney Library Gallery, visit: https://libraries.santarosa.edu/mahoney_gallery
