Artist in Residence and Gallery Program

Creative Reuse is well known as a vital resource for Pittsburgh’s art community. Artwork incorporating materials provided by Creative Reuse has been featured in the Pittsburgh Biennial, Emerging Artist of the Year exhibitions, installations commissioned for the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and many, many gallery shows and pop-up exhibitions throughout the Pittsburgh region and beyond. In addition to our everyday support of artists through our retail shop and Project Sponsorships, we also support one artist a year with our Artist in Residence program, and several others through our gallery program. 

Past gallery shows have featured sculpture, found material collage, fiber art, and assemblage, and more. The themes of the work vary but often speak to environmental and social issues that affect our communities. Many artists relate strongly to the Creative Reuse vision of creating an accessible and welcoming art gallery for neighbors and community members who otherwise may not have easy access to galleries and museums. At our location at the intersection of Homewood, Wilkinsburg, and Point Breeze, we are grateful for the opportunity to promote artists and engage community members through our Artist in Residence and gallery program.

Interested in our Artist in Residence and gallery program? 

Read below for 2024 – 2025 season information, sign up for our newsletter (bottom of page), and follow us on social media for news, updates, and calls for applications.

Artist at work on mixed media projects set out on a large table. The artist is in focus as the surrounds are blurred.
quilts
Creative Reuse Executive Director awards Ada Cyrus the 2001 residency
Artist and guest look at a quilt
Art on view in the gallery
Artist works in the gallery
Reuse art
People looking at art
Artist Juliet Pusateri
Close up of stitched art
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2024-2025 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE INFORMATION

Diamond shapes filled with collaged images over a turquoise background, Text on the right side in dark green on yellow to orange gradient shapes.
Artist at work on mixed media projects set out on a large table. The artist is in focus as the surrounds are blurred.

We’re thrilled to announce the artist chosen for the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse Artist in Residence 2024 – 2025 is Darrin Milliner!

Darrin Milliner is a self-taught artist, designer, and archivist of printed materials based in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the founder & creative director of Social Living, a lifestyle brand that offers art for a new perspective. Milliner creates objects and images that distort and combine recognizable elements of commercial imagery to highlight the importance of the separate worlds that empower or limit each of us. He states, “At my core, I am really just an artist or someone who is meant to create, whatever that may be. I have always been creating and exploring how to produce things that aren’t already in existence. I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing that and I’m not sure if I ever can.”

Program Details

  • Don’t miss the chance to meet Artist in Residence, Darrin, during his demonstration days on March 11 and March 20, 2 – 4 PM. Drop by to watch him create his stunning art pieces, ask questions, and get an exclusive sneak peek of his latest works!
  • Plus, stay tuned for more information about the Artist in Residence Exhibit Opening on April 11, and the Community Workshop on May 15.
Dark green backgound with a manniquin-like form dressing in a blue flannel shirt, khaki pants, and boots falling down back first with a globe on its chest. White text down the left side and botton edges.

Art Exhibition and Opening Reception

Join us for the opening reception of our Artist in Residence gallery show, Hello New World by Darrin Milliner. The reception will take place on Friday, April 11, 6 PM – 8 PM right here at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse. The show will be on view until July 7, 2025, and visitors to the Center are welcome seven days a week from 11 AM – 5 PM.

“I’m excited to present Hello New World, my solo exhibition at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse. As the resident artist, I’ve spent the past few months exploring how discarded and repurposed materials can take on new meaning through collage, assemblage, and sculpture. 

“This exhibition is about transformation, experimentation, and play. Finding beauty in forgotten objects, reimagining their purpose, and constructing new narratives that blend self-reflection with modern cultural perspectives. Through layering found materials and imagery, I create works that feel both organic and surreal, encouraging viewers to rethink everyday occurrences, uncover hidden connections, and engage with their surroundings in new and unexpected ways. Hello New World also questions consumer culture and planned obsolescence, highlighting the creative potential in what already exists. I hope visitors leave inspired with a different perspective on their environment, which embraces the potential for new meaning in the everyday.”
Darrin Milliner
Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse Artist in Residence 2024 – 2025

Artist in Residence Timeline

  • Call for applications: December 21
  • Deadline for applications: January 4
  • Decision announced: January 18
  • Residency begins: February
  • February 1 – June 30: Full residency period
  • Demonstration Days: March 11 and 20, 2 – 4 PM
      • Free and open to the public, these demonstration days encourage conversation around art and reuse between the artist and community members. The artist will actively work on their pieces for the show in view of visitors to our center. 
  • Artist in Residence Gallery Show: April – June 30, 2025
  • Starting with an opening reception, this three-month gallery show will be on view and accessible at no cost to visitors to our center seven days a week. The placement of our gallery is such that all visitors to the center will see the artwork as they peruse the rest of our space. In this way, we disrupt the typical retail experience and encourage a thoughtful and unexpected engagement with local art. 
  • Community Workshop: May 15
      • The artist in residence will also hold at least one Community Workshop that relates to the art, materials, and processes used in the gallery show. The workshops will be offered for free of charge to encourage full participation by our community members.

Creative Reuse receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

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