Erin Kollar

Ode to the Decomposer Series, 2026

Art is a way to bring light to the unseen

At IslandWood (Bainbridge Island, Washington), I led a playful art project celebrating the mighty work of decomposed bugs – tiny recyclers that turn old matter into new life. Students studied insect shapes and functions, then imagined themselves as decomposers transforming trash into bug sculptures. We explored how creativity can mirror natures’s talent for transformation, using discarded materials as our building blocks. The process was joyful, a little messy and full of curiosity about waste, ecosystems, and the miniature world beneath our feet! Over one week, I made bugs alongside 100 visit students from around Seattle, sharing my enthusiasm for reimagining both trash and insects.

Trash Story Dome, 2025

Art is a way to face the overwhelming emotion of how much trash is in our world.

This is another artist residency at IslandWood (link to the program). Over the span of two weeks, I worked with more than 200 Seattle students to transform conversations about waste into a collaborative art experiment. Together we built a growing dome made from discarded plastics – turning single-use trash into the raw material for imagination. Each session explored how plastics is made, processed, and where it goes after we throw it away. Student teams designed panels for the dome. The finished structure lived on campus for three months (and kept growing!), inviting visiting school groups to step inside, reflect on waste, and add their own ideas to the evolving artwork.