It is a challenging thing to appreciate beauty in the items we typically throw down the garbage shoot. This common contempt of the ordinary is what the Koken Art Factory at 2500 Ohio is trying to obliterate with its latest exhibition, “Trash to Art.”

With exclusively found objects, the exhibiting artists created works in the categories of sculpture, collage, assemblages, furniture, et cetera. The contents of one’s garbage can are not merely glued to a canvas. Rather, the exhibit aims to, “represent sophisticated artwork that challenges the viewer to observe and the artist to create and explore the depth of creative process.”

Here, the role of traditional artistic tools is being tested. By eliminating the use of high-end materials, these artists are leveling the artistic playing field. Works cannot be judged by their component parts but by their artistic integrity. Pieces composed of garbage are arguably as visually appealing and thought-provoking as those that are made at cost, perhaps even more so. Dryer lint is not a typical medium, nor is yarn or spare car parts. These works are striving to transcend medium.

The show is as much a challenge to the viewer as it is to the artist. The artist must create within these unconventional confines, but the viewer must choose to either accept or reject what is being presented. This is not the art of the past and for some, that is a difficult pill to swallow.

People often discredit art that tells no story and is not reminiscent of the work of the great masters. The problem with the skeptics is that they are seeking a narrative that simply is not there. Not every piece of artwork tells a story. Some are studies in color and form and beyond explanation. They are meant to evoke an immediate, visceral reaction.

So, is “Trash to Art” successful in its endeavor to elevate garbage from to the gutter to the gallery?

Not entirely.

While it makes a valiant attempt to trick the viewer into forgetting the origins of the materials used, it is difficult to transform a soda can from anything other than a receptacle for Coca-Cola. Still most of the pieces shown are surprising, both in aesthetic appeal and inventiveness.