Reduce, re-use, recycle: It’s the phrase students hear in science classes when they’re learning to minimize their carbon footprint. But what about repurpose? The upcoming Recycled Art Competition at the Eccles Community Art Center is all about transforming used materials into art.
According to the Art Center’s press release, the “recycled art competition is open to youth ages 12 to 21 years from public, independent, charter and home schools or community youth organizations are eligible to submit original creations made in class or at home from recycled or reusable materials.”
Submissions must be designed and created with all recycled materials, with the exception of adhesives such as glue and tape, which can be purchased.
The Art Center will be receiving submissions on Tuesday, April 18, from 2–5 p.m., and on Wednesday, April 19, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Additional information regarding submission guidelines can be found on the Center’s website: ogden4arts.org.
The Art Center’s webpage reads, “A reception for artists, friends and the community will be held on Friday, May 5, 2017 from 5–8 p.m. at the Art Center. Awards will be posted at the reception. The Recycled Art exhibit will be on display April 24 through May 5, 2017.”
Travis Pate, Saturday Curator at the Eccles Community Center, explained that six years ago the Newgate Mall sponsored the competition, and it has occurred annually ever since.
“Individuals said we have a lot of clever students,” Pate continues. He wanted an exhibit specifically for students to demonstrate their unique ideas and artistic abilities.
Students do not need a sponsor or to be part of a specific organization to submit a piece of art; they need only to adhere to the competition’s rules and regulations.
Thanks to the Weber County Recreation, Arts, Museums and Parks (RAMP) Grant, submissions are free of charge. For every ten dollars spent in Weber County, 1% goes towards the RAMP Grant.
Pate said that the past pieces have consisted of cardboard, laser and compact disks and other materials, like a bug-shaped radio that was crafted into an alien.
A few years ago, a “fantastic type writer” was on display, Pate said, that was made with a “spool of some sort and scrabble pieces for the keys.”
The Art Center hopes that by having a competition that revolves around the idea of repurposing materials, students will develop a greater understanding of recycling and focus on the potential for something — like scrabble keys — to be used for a totally new purpose, like typewriter keys.
“It’s about seeing art in other places,” said Pate.
