Visual
I’m not ashamed to admit that, on more than one occasion, I’ve liberated items from my neighbor’s garbage cans.
Recently, in fact, I snuck across the alley a few minutes before dusk to rescue five rolls of unused wrapping paper, a silver plate hanger and a couple of really bad paintings on canvas—figuring I could give the latter to one of my artist friends for them to paint over and create something a little more attractive.
I’m not alone in my scavenging. This time of year, as countless college students divest themselves of their worldly belongings in order to better enjoy their summers free from the constraints of all their possessions, it’s easy to find usable items that shouldn’t be thrown away, but often are.
Allied Arts, in an effort to stem the ongoing tide of refuse making its way into local landfills, is doing something about it. At last week’s Art Walk in downtown Bellingham, the nonprofit arts organization debuted their new Allied Arts Reuse Thrift Store (AARTS).
Focusing on the concept of upcycling—wherein one person’s waste is made into something that has equal or greater use or value—the thrift store is taking donations every Monday, and will be open during regular business hours for those who want to find eclectic (and inexpensive) items for their craft or art projects.
“The goal of the store is to take objects that are seen as un-useful or trash, remove them from the waste stream, redefine them and demonstrate their value as art supplies,” read the press release for the grand opening. “AARTS will provide the community with new resources and materials to make art, more avenues to explore creativity and new conceptions of art.”
Found at the back of the gallery, behind a wall partition, shiny CDs are strung like wind chimes to draw attention to the AARTS. As I listened to an “incorrigible” older man tell the young woman helming the reception desk how beautiful her eyes were, I perused the many offerings populating the space.
A few things caught my eyes: superhero pins (two for a quarter), a random assortment of keys (25 cents), a leopard figurine (50 cents), decorative paper (a dime for each), bottle caps and wine corks ($1 per cup), vintage magazines (no Cosmopolitan here, sorry), powdered tempera (a full set for $9), fabric for $3 a yard, Monopoly money and paintbrushes (50 cents for the small ones, $1 for the bigger ones).
Since Allied Arts is depending on contributions from the community to keep AARTS going, they want people to know that in addition to the aforementioned items, they’re accepting both traditional (markers, stamps, canvas, paper, textiles, etc.) and non-traditional donations (buttons, beads, wire, laminates, flooring, feathers, sea shells, candles, wax, etc.). Be creative, but call ahead if you’re unsure if what you have is acceptable.
If you need examples of how artists use upcycled and recycled materials, look no further than Karin Mueller’s “Inside the Box” series currently on display at the Cornwall Avenue locale. Vintage tins made into clocks, old fabric sewn into collages and a bird shrine made out of used table legs are proof positive that unused items don’t have to end their lives at the bottom of a pile of garbage.
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