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Plastic Bag Store pop-up to open in Ann Arbor’s 777 building

The Plastic Bag Store will be open Jan. 17-Feb. 5

A visitor in The Plastic Bag Store installation. (The Plastic Bag Store | Robin Frohardt)

ANN ARBOR – A new art installation is coming soon to Ann Arbor’s 777 building.

The Plastic Bag Store will take over the building’s unoccupied first-floor space on Jan. 17 and transform it into a colorful “grocery store” featuring products made entirely from plastic bags. The exhibition will run through Feb. 5.

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The pop-up is part of University Musical Society’s No Safety Net festival and is co-presented by the University of Michigan Museum of Art and the Graham Sustainability Institute. Its aim is to use humor while doubling as an eco-warning about how consumption and convenience -- and single-use plastics -- impact the environment.

A person "shops" at The Plastic Bag Store art installation. (The Plastic Bag Store | Robin Frohardt)

Visitors are invited to marvel at the thousands of original and detailed items sculpted by hand, including dry goods, produce, meat, toiletries, cakes and sushi rolls. All items are made from single-use plastics that were discarded in dumps and in the streets, according to a release.

As part of the installation, short films will play throughout the day that explore how future generations might misinterpret all the plastic waste we leave behind.

Oxford Companies is providing the space to UMS at no charge as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to support the arts in the local community, according to an official.

On Saturday, Jan. 21 and Saturday, Jan. 28, the installation will feature special family hours and children’s activities from 10 a.m.-noon.

Brooklyn-based film and theater director Robin Frohardt is known for her films, sculptures and puppetry which bring to light the trivialities of everyday experiences.

The exhibit is recommended for visitors age 8 and up.

Tickets are $30 for general admission and $12 for students, plus fees.

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.


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