The Cameron Gallery

inspiration. reuse. community.

on exhibit now

August 21st - September 20th 2026

Tying Up Loose Ends

curated by Bee Mangine

Close-up of a piece of colorful fabric with a printed design, overlaid with various metallic chains and a silver pull-tab, possibly from a soda can, placed on top.
A dress made of various fabric swatches and mirrored diamond-shaped pieces, with a green bow tie around the neck, displayed on a mannequin against a white wall with framed artwork.

Tying Up Loose Ends: Storytelling Through Creative Reuse is a group exhibition curated by our 2025 Trashion Show winner, Bee Mangine. Bee has brought together works from many of the people in her life to share space with her bold upcycled fashions. On display are her winning looks from the Trashion Show along with two new ensembles. Other works include accessories, collages, and fiber arts.

A statement from Bee:

Every item has a story. Whether it’s an old, well loved book, a can from a get together with friends, or a used guitar string from countless songs. What if, instead of throwing these items away, we found a way to write them a sequel?

RECEPTION: Friday, August 28th from 6-8.

There will be free reuse jewelry crafting in the gallery starting at 6:30. Light refreshments will be served.

our mission

The Cameron Gallery is a space where the creative spirit and environmental awareness meet. By showcasing artists that utilize secondhand and repurposed materials, we encourage dialogue that aligns with the larger The Scrap Exchange mission: rethinking our relationship to waste, reuse, consumerism, sustainability, and the circular economy.

Beyond just presenting artwork, The Cameron Gallery also serves as a laboratory; a place for experimentation, pushing boundaries, and investigating what is possible when we make use of abundant resources we would otherwise discard. Through projects like our burgeoning Artist-In-Residence program, we encourage innovation and exploration by providing time and space for reckoning with the ecological burdens of waste and consumer culture.

Sharing the artists’ creative process, and the resulting artworks, invites all Scrap Exchange visitors to rethink how and what they consume. We strive to offer an experience that will inspire both artists and non-artists alike, by sparking their creative spirit and helping them to see beauty in what they may have once thought of as trash.

artist-in-residence program

The Cameron Gallery’s Artist-In-Residence program offers a yearly, 3-month opportunity to one local North Carolina artist. It comes with a stipend, plus the use of our gallery and materials, in order to create their own laboratory for reckoning with and rethinking how, what, and why we consume. Selected participants are ones who present an expansive and unique approach to art making, exhibit a strong interest in experimentation, and incorporate topics like consumerism, waste, sustainability, and circular economies into their practice. All work will be new and created on site using our materials.

We are currently working on our call for proposals for our next residency opportunity, which will run from June 1st -August 31st 2027. If you are an artist who is interested in our residency, please check back here, or follow us on Instagram, to find out when applications open. If you are a patron of the arts who would like to know how you can support this program please reach out to gallery@scrapexchange.org.

about the gallery

Since our founding in 1991, The Scrap Exchange has been committed to supporting local artists and reuse creators. Originally called The Green Gallery, our new exhibition space was built and renamed The Cameron Gallery with funds donated by longtime benefactor and creative reuse artist Danny Cameron. Our gallery’s mission is to provide an accessible exhibition space for practicing artists in our community, advocate for the inclusion of reused materials in art, and inspire our customers to explore the infinite potential of reclaimed materials.

past exhibits

A handful of outtakes from nearly two decades of exhibitions across three locations

  • An art installation featuring vintage and eclectic items arranged within a decorative red and gold canopy frame, including a mannequin with a hat and netting, a small TV, framed pictures, fabrics, and various vintage objects, with a pink velvet rope barrier and a patterned rug in front.

    Amy Centner / Bits and Pieces - 2026

  • Fashion mannequin dressed in a black dress decorated with purple flowers and a purple sash, with purple fabric draped around the waist and extending to the floor.

    Owen MacRorie and Bee Mangine / Trashion Forward - 2025

  • An artistic display of a vintage wooden cart decorated with a collage of images and words promoting marijuana. The collage features a woman with butterfly wings, and prominent yellow text reading 'Marijuana Girl'. The cart is adorned with glittering rhinestones and a large decorative marijuana leaf at the top.

    Karen Stinehelfer - 2025

  • Corroded and burnt computer keyboard with blackened and melted keys and exposed wiring.

    Victoria Desanctis / Consumed - 2025

  • A detailed model of a blue, two-story house with dark trim and a steep roof decorated with moss and flowers, surrounded by various small decorative objects and plants.

    Derek Huss - 2024

  • Close-up of pink plastic gloves and pink teddy bear-shaped lollipops on a table, with a background of white brick wall, a window, and a black and white circular art piece.

    Julia Gartrell - 2012

  • A white brick wall with a window and a hanging art installation made of black and tan wires forming concentric circles and geometric shapes.

    Julia Gartrell - 2012

  • Indoor art installation featuring large blue and black mesh fabric draped from the ceiling, cardboard boxes on the floor, and a bicycle in the background, with walls painted white and ceiling fans overhead.

    Tom Dawson - 2014

  • A collage of eight surreal and eclectic album covers featuring various artistic and abstract designs, including portraits, animals, and surreal scenes.

    Jim Kellough - 2015

  • Christopher Kerney - 2014

  • Triangle Book Arts - 2014

  • A man with gray hair wearing a light-colored polo shirt and dark jeans looking at colorful abstract paintings in an art gallery.

    Caroline Crawford - 2014

  • An art installation with multiple old CRT televisions stacked against a wall, some showing static or distorted images, and a woman standing next to it in a gallery space with hanging decor.

    Devin Utah - 2014

  • Colorful scarves hanging on a wall display with three rows of scarves arranged by color.

    Katherine Soucie - 2016

  • Two women engaged in conversation in an art gallery. The woman on the left has gray hair, wears a black top, and gestures with her hands. The woman on the right has reddish hair tied back, wears a beige sweater and blue jeans, and holds a glass. Colorful abstract paintings are displayed on the wall behind them, and string lights are on the floor.

    Kimberely Cartwright - 2012

  • Mixed-media wall art featuring a large wooden mask with feathered and wire antennae, accompanied by two smaller primitive masks, one with googly eyes, displayed on a white gallery wall.

    The ABC's of REUSE - 2014

  • A small wooden birdhouse with a pitched roof and a door, mounted on top of a large, green, upside-down Texaco oil drum.

    Jefferson Garvey - 2016

  • Two people are observing colorful posters or artwork on a gallery wall, with one wearing a plaid shirt and shorts, and the other in a black sleeveless top and patterned skirt.

    Ron Liberti, Matt Hart, Daniel Bagnell, Galen Williams - 2013

  • Green neon sign in the shape of a clenched fist, mounted on a black background, with visible wiring and mounting hardware.

    Danielle James / Magical Thinkers - 2025

  • Colorful abstract artwork featuring a stylized bear face with a polka dot background, using bright colors like yellow, pink, red, blue, and purple.

    Ash Lorusso / Magical Thinkers - 2025

  • A bronze sculpture of a girl riding a dinosaur, with additional sculptures and artwork displayed on the white gallery wall behind.

    Jennifer Latham Robinson / Consumed - 2025

call for submissions

Yellow House Gallery

Submissions Ongoing

The Yellow House is our newest gallery dedicated to showcasing tiny art. If you create fine art on a micro scale, have a miniature installation in mind, or maybe one small showstopper that would fit into less than one cubic foot of space, this is the gallery for you! Exhibits run for 3-6 months depending on submissions, and will put your creations front and center in our lobby right outside the main gallery.

For more pictures of the gallery and info about how to apply follow the link below

Yellow plastic toy house with brick pattern, placed against a plain background.
LEARN MORE
Display of Halloween decorations including a Frida Kahlo-inspired doll, a skeleton with long turquoise hair, and a masked figure with a snake headdress against a black and white web-patterned background.

Monster Mash

Submission Deadline September 5th, 2026 by 11:59 pm

For this spooky-season open call we are looking for art that depicts monsters in all forms. Cute, scary, silly, angry, sad, symbolic; how you define “monster” is completely up to you! Art that includes reuse is highly encouraged, but not required. 

To learn more and apply, click the link below

CLOSED
A vintage-inspired display with pink and red draped fabrics, lace, and adorned with various decorative objects including a mannequin with a hat, a retro TV, and framed artwork, all enclosed by velvet ropes with gold stanchions.

Pitch Us!

Submission Deadline September 30th, 2026

We are now taking exhibition proposals for our 2027 season!!

Have a big idea that doesn’t fit any of our calls for art? If you have a solo exhibition you’d like to submit for consideration, or maybe a group show idea that’s looking for a venue, pitch it to us!

Follow the link below to learn more about the parameters for submitting your idea.

(image: installation by Amy Centner)

LEARN MORE

Please note that all accepted artwork must be delivered and picked up in-person. We do not have the capacity to handle mailed submissions.

HAVE A QUESTION THAT WE HAVE NOT ANSWERED HERE? VISIT OUR SUBMITTING ARTISTS FAQ PAGE