Tora Lopez, The Pearl, 2010, Waste bundled with twine and encased in plaster, salvaged paint, wax and salvaged mica, Gift of the artist

Would you believe us if we told you this beautiful giant pearl was made out of waste? Artist Tora Lopez created this massive shiny sphere during her 30-day residency with the “Life is Art Collective,” where all of the artist’s trash went into this pearl. After the residency, the pearl was coated in plaster and finished with mica and salvaged paints.

This work by Lopez is currently on view at the Ogden Museum along with many other large scale sculptures and paintings in the BIG exhibition, which brings together works from the Museum’s Permanent Collection that are typically hidden from view due to their complicated size. BIG is on view until Feb. 17, 2019.  ⁣⁣