One of the best events of the year in SW Washington is the Recycled Arts Festival in Vancouver at Esther Short Park. This year’s festival is Saturday, June 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, June 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 120 artists will be featured. Here is the ZEST blog post from the 2010 Festival.
Remember, this is recycled text so some of the Web sites previously listed have been removed because they no longer exist. But the Festival will be creative and fun, nonetheless, with LOTS of vendors. See you there!
10 Lessons Learned at the 2010 Recycled Arts Festival
Rebar. Plastic bags. Gasoline cans. Art? This weekend, there were dozens of artists at the Recycled Arts Festival in Vancouver who have transformed the rusted, the plastic and the bound-for-the-landfill into collector’s items. Esther Short Park was lined with more than 80 vendors displaying remarkable reuse talents. Thank you Clark County Environmental Services for a great event! A few lessons stood out:
1. I don’t have to feel guilty about those (now rusty) garden tools I left in the rain.
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- Rusty tools can create great yard art
2. Plastic bags can become a thing of beauty.
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- If you can crochet, you can create beautiful bags and rugs from plastic bags
Lots of products available through Molly J Walter
3. Those splintery chopsticks from my favorite Chinese restaurant can have a new life.
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- Who knew that chopsticks were so versatile?
There are lots of choices to purchase at Kwytza Chopstick Art .
4. The bowling balls I have been collecting are just begging to be beautified.
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- Way more interesting than Victorian gazing garden balls
Visit Ta-Dah Handmade about artwork and classes.
5. My collection of out-of-style sweaters could become in-style, felted hats.
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- These sweaters look great as hats!
Visit Sweater Heads for a great selection.
6. You can teach an old, red gasoline can new tricks as a dog.
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- Low maintenance pet – perfect for empty nesters
7. A cigar box wants to make music.
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- These cigar box instruments can even be amplified
Alan Matta at Hammered Frets has the details on his instruments at hammeredfrets@gmail.com
8. Wine bottles recycled into jewelry can be way more interesting than gemstones.
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- Beautiful glass beads made from wine and beer bottles
Learn about hand-torched, glass bead jewelry at Late Night Lampworks
9. Vases, light fixtures and other glassware can become stunning, luminescent statues for the garden.
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- These glass art pieces will never stop blooming in your garden
10. Every nut and bolt deserves another chance.
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- Nuts and bolts start new lives
More work available at Fairy Forge.
Got stuff? Avoid the landfill. Get out there and start re-creating!
