Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village, Folk art environment in Simi Valley, California, US.
Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village is a historic art site in Simi Valley consisting of thirteen buildings constructed from discarded glass bottles, complemented by pathways and sculptures spread across a modest property. The structures were built between 1956 and 1972 and demonstrate how everyday waste materials were transformed into functional living and display spaces.
Tressa Prisbrey began construction of this glass bottle architecture in 1956 at age 60 and continued working on it through 1972. The site emerged during the postwar era when recycled materials offered both practical solutions and artistic possibilities.
The structures show how Prisbrey transformed discarded materials into artwork that was completely unconventional for its time. Visitors can see how she used glass bottles and found objects as an artistic medium, demonstrating an early personal commitment to reusing materials long before it became common practice.
The site is accessible to visitors through organized tours that provide insight into the buildings and their construction. It is a compact property, so visitors should wear comfortable shoes and expect uneven ground and narrow passages between structures.
The Pencil House holds a remarkable collection of 600 dolls and thousands of pencils that Prisbrey gathered during her years of collecting. This personal collection reveals how she viewed everyday objects as worthy of artistic arrangement and display.
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