“I collect everything,” says Miles Huston. “Beanbags, wood, pins, paint, tape, dolls, rags, machines, tools, books . .. I want it all there, ready to use and ready to share.”

Miles, a BFA candidate at the Museum School, specializes in sculpture with an emphasis on restoration and innovation with found materials. For one recent work, he collected used AA batteries and attached them to a wooden box to create a huge battery-cube. “It looks like it could be an actual product: a giant 10,000-pack of batteries,” says Miles. “There’s some humor in it, but also commentary on corporate ideals and strategy.”

At the Museum School, Miles shares studio space with a rich community of like-minded artists. “Our whole group was hoarding things off the street:  trash, wood, bikes, all sorts of reusable materials,” he says. “Here was a group of similar people, working in similar media, who were given space and never-ending time to let things happen. It was an amazing gift.”

Miles hopes to take that community with him when he graduates. “The studio is just the beginning for myself and others,” he explains.  “Down the road, I’m envisioning a renewable and reusable materials education center that has facilities in all medias, holds classes, and focuses its energy on the community.”

But whatever the future holds for Miles, it’s sure to include collecting—and re-imagining—the stuff that other people throw away.