SustainableCreativity Guide

www.anew.org

Artwork using recycled materials started as early as the 1900s with Marcel Duchamp’s famous urinal turned art titled “Fountain.” The movement continued into the ‘40s with modern artists finding new and unique ways to interest viewers. Louise Nevelson created large box structures of a single color, often including small nick-knacks that were reinvented into art.

According to the Oakland Museum of California, crafty people and artists have been using recycled materials to create art for many years. While creating their “Hello Again” exhibit during the late 1990s, they discovered a woven purse made by Laotian hill people using telephone wire used for covert operations during the Vietnam War. Art using recycled materials causes the viewer to take a new look at everyday items and to also look at art in different ways.

Most people are familiar with the mantra of the waste hierarchy, “reduce, reuse and recycle.” While it is simple for consumers to regularly reduce and recycle their waste, it can be hard for consumers to come up with creative ways to reuse their plastic bottles and tin cans. You can gain inspiration or motivation for turning your recyclables into art, “Anew”

“I decided to start ANEW, to strip away what I had been taught.”

Georgia O’keeffe

PET

*PET is Polyethylene Terephthalate, which is a thermoplastic polymer. It can be re-formed by heating. After heating process, it becomes more stiff, rigid, durable and glassy. It becomes even stronger and crystallized when perforated.

“My aim is to substitute with labor and artistic value the characteristics that the material loses during transformation.”

Gülnur Özdalar

Artist Gülnur Özdalar creates elegant and unusual looking bowls transformed from PET bottles. She calls this process “upcycling”. Her aim is to substitute with labor and artistic value the characteristics that the material loses during transformation, thereby obtaining a product of higher value. The collection is named Tertium Non Data (translated from Latin means: the third is not given) and is an alchemic term which refers to the process of combining two disparate elements to create a new, third element.

Through the years, artists have begun turning recycled art into a movement of sorts, to correlate with the “green” movement taking place in popular culture. Artists started finding ways to show their concern for the environment within their art and encourage others to reuse, reduce and recycle. Bernard Pras, a French artist, piles up unwanted trash to create a one-time-only sculpture to photograph.

Collect old newspapers to use as your canvas and discarded containers to use as the molds, like cardboard boxes, plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Plan your paper mache newspaper art design by getting creative with your molds. Glue or tape containers together to create the basic shapes you’re looking for. Regular balloons work well for spherical shapes, but you can really get creative with the special “modeling” balloons often used by clowns and other entertainers to make animal balloons.

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Create a paper mache mixture out of three parts flour to one part water in a large container. Stir well until blended.

Tear your newspaper into thin strips. Dip each one into the paper mache mixture, saturating it completely. Drape each strip over your mold until it is completely covered with one layer of newspaper. Work out any bubbles and smooth out the edges.

Let the first layer of newspaper dry completely. Then repeat the process three more times, again letting it dry completely in between each layer. Remember to smooth out all bubbles and edges.

Tear the copy paper into strips. Dip into the paper mache, saturate and add as your final layer to your newspaper art. You’ll get a much better effect with your paints if you have this white surface to work with instead of the newsprint. Again, let it dry completely.

newspapers

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It’s a lot more fun and interesting to turn your own trash into treasure. Why not make newspaper art?

They stretch, they hold things together, they bunch up, they come in many colors and they can be spotted.

rubberbands

Rubber Bands may be considered by some to be mundane because they are used for all sorts of everyday things. They stretch, they hold things together, they bunch up, they come in many colors and they can be spotted these days being used in lots of unconventional ways. There is a round up of some of the unusual rubber band findings including jewelry, vessels or containers some beautiful artwork!

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Clean your chosen items with warm water and dish soap.

Allow the items to dry thoroughly before beginning any painting or gluing. Plastic and aluminum items may require a base or primer coat to prepare the material for a creative top coat of paint or adornments.

Search the internet for creative trash to treasure ideas.

“Green” living, recycling and upcycling themed blogs and websites often feature “How to” directions for saving discarded items from a landfill. Websites that feature upcycled projects by artists and crafters offer inspiration. Slice toilet paper rolls into sections with scissors, paint and form them into a daisy-shaped wall hanging. Aluminum cans make great outdoor lanterns and plant hangers.

Sort your trash for potentially useful art materials.

Items such as toilet paper or paper towel rolls, plastic cans and bottles, aluminum cans and cardboard cartons gain new life through recycling or upcycling art projects.

Give new life to old furniture and light fixtures to showcase your own individual style.

A lamp slated for the local dump or yard sale becomes a creative work of useable art. Acrylic craft paint is safe for use on wood, glass, plastic and fabric lamp shades. String beads to dangle down the sides of the light to create a chandelier type design, turning a plain looking light into the focal point of the room. Paint an old dresser in vibrant new colors and add stencils or decorative clings to turn an old and scratched piece of furniture into a work of art.

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InstructionsHow to Recycle Trash Into Art

Discover the many uses for empty cardboard cereal, packaged food and drink containers.

Save money on gift wrap and boxes by making your own. A glue gun and scrap fabric turn a seemingly useless empty box into a custom gift package. Embellish the box by adding bows made from scrap fabric or pieces of shiny snack food bags. A strip of self-adhesive hook and loop fastener closes the decorated cardboard box until you present it to the recipient with a gift inside.

OPEN UPTHE CREATIVE MINDS

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES IN OUR IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT.

LOOk AT AN EVERYDAY OBjECT AS ART

Recycling trash into art is an earth-friendly and inexpensive way to adorn your home. Trash to treasure art and decorations also make great gifts for birthdays and Christmas. “Upcycling” describes the process of re-purposing discarded or damaged items into a useful new object. Recycling otherwise worthless materials into an attractive work of art is so simple that children can help with the projects and begin learning the importance of recycling seemingly discarded items into something worthwhile.

Recycle Trash Into Art

SustainableCreativityGuide