Upcycling Into Functional Art At The Cultural Arts Gallery


Recycling takes many forms and is adaptable to many functions. Turning trash and waste materials into functional items is the intention of an exhibition on display at the Cultural Arts Gallery, Now – April 25. Entitled, ”Upcycle: Functional Art from Recyclables,” the exhibition, featuring fourteen artists, presents functional daily use items created from a variety of recycled mediums including paper, plastic, fabric, wood and metal.

Presented in collaboration with the Chatham County Recycling Center, Upcycle will feature such diverse works as handbags fashioned out of men’s ties, dresses from cheese cloth, netting and paper bags, mirrors formed from wooden frame scraps, jewelry designed out of bullet casings, folded paper and toothpaste tubes, clocks fashioned from plastic wastes found along the riverbank, and bowls from paper

Artists participating in this exhibition include: Angela Burson, Brian Mac- Gregor, Carolyn J. Ingram, Debi Prasetio, Ellen Wyatt, Emma Wieckowski, Garrison Marr, Harry DeLorme, Jessica K. Key, Laken Young, Lind Hollingsworth, Linette Dubois, Nanci Zabko, and Susan Brinson.

This show will challenge the audience to view waste in a completely different context. “My works include functional items made from found plastic objects, relief paintings and assemblages made with found post-consumer plastic found in local waterways,” says Harry DeLorme of his upcycled clocks.

Lind Hollingsworth uses papier mache as a sculptural component. “Inspiration for projects often comes from the material that is destined for the trash and there seems to be plenty of it, like used coffee filters, plastic containers and all of the paper we use in our daily lives,” says Hollingsworth.

“It is important to me to create unique and fashionable jewelry that has a greater purpose,” says Nanci Zabko. “Whenever possible, I reuse existing material; right down to the clasps and the jump rings.”

An artists’ reception is set for April 4, from 6-9 p.m. in conjunction with Art March. Cultural Arts Gallery is located at 9 W. Henry St. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Free off-street parking is available. For more information, visit www.savannahga. gov/arts.

All events are free and open to the public. Programs are supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency the National Endowment for the Arts.



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