The redemption of broken, ruined things, of waste products and ordinary objects subjected to revaluation and re-use in spaces far removed from "Western" centers of production and consumption-over the last decade this issue has been the stuff of serious analysis in Africanist art historical discourse. At its core is a guiding metaphor: the notion of Trash-Becoming-Treasure draws us back to the redemptive function of Art in colonized or neo-colonized spaces, and helps preserve "Art" as a special category of practice. It also neatly mirrors and reifies the polarizing conception of the "First World" colonizer as monolithic, industrial oppressor and the colonized "Third World" subject as resilient, industrious bricoleur. There's truth in this metaphor, but it doesn't address fully the diversity and complexity of such critical transformations as they unfold in African and African Diaspora contexts. To explore the matters at hand, we will explore three broad historical sites of object theory, perception and practice: the vernacular spaces on both sides of the Black Atlantic; the European discourses of colonialist encounter; and the fields of "contemporary" African and African Diaspora art. Estimated cost of materials: $50 or more, but less than $100.