Donate Your Old Keys to Art at SMoCA

Take a look at your key ring. Do you even know what half of those keys are for?Probably not. But you hang on to them anyway.Keys are oddly intimate items. The unique tools allow access to secured areas -- places that we value enough to protect. Maybe that's why it...

By Lilia Menconi

May 17, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Take a look at your key ring. Do you even know what half of those keys are for?

Probably not. But you hang on to them anyway.

Keys are oddly intimate items. The unique tools allow access to secured areas -- places that we value enough to protect. Maybe that's why it feels so wrong to just throw them in the garbage.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art has a guilt-free solution: Donate your keys to art.

New York-based artist Jean Shin is known for acquiring monumental collections of "junk" and turning them into labor-intensive art pieces. The artist is asking Valley residents to donate their keys. Scheduled for an exhibition at SMoCA this fall, Shin will work with architect Brian Ripel to create a large-scale art installation.

So take a load off (literally) and drop off those extra keys at SMoCA or Orange Table during their regular hours of operation. You can also send your keys to the artists (email them for mailing instructions at [email protected]).

Oh, in case you haven't guessed, don't expect your keys to be returned.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.