Recycled Arts & Crafts Contest
The Recycled Arts and Crafts Contest received almost 30 submissions, some including numerous similar works, from the crafty Brisbane community. The judges - Sustainability and Parks and Rec staff from the City, and Teresa Montgomery of SSF Scavenger Company - were impressed at the creativity and resourcefulness of the entries! Entries were judged anonymously based on their creativity and beauty as well as the material selection, with more points for using materials bound for the landfill or difficult to recycle.
With all the interest and wonderful submissions we received, we are planning to make the contest an annual event! The 2021 submission deadline is tentatively anticipated around Labor Day, with a goal of showing future submissions in the City Hall Art Gallery or at Day in the Park. We applaud the hard work of all the artists and thank everyone that participated; see you for next year’s contest!
The photo here is the Grand Prize Winner, Leesa Greenlee's "Fish Mobile". Leesa’s submission noted, “It is a mobile illustrating the plight of our oceans and the life within choking on plastic and trash. The entire mobile is made of garbage from my household and some donated by neighbors.” The judges agreed that her work epitomized the contest goals of turning trash into treasure and making a statement about the harmful impacts of waste. “This piece stands out for so many reasons. It utilized non-recyclable materials, is stunning to look at, and displays a creature negatively affected by our excessive plastic consumption and overfishing.”
Check out the other top projects below and see our gallery of all submissions here.
Runner up: "Recycled Scrap Quilt" by Cindy Rudolph
Our judges were very impressed by this “classic and beautiful” piece which turned hard-to-recycle fabrics into a usable everyday item. “Gorgeous way to use up textile scraps.”
Runner up: "Goddess of Takeout" by Madison Davis
Our judges were very impressed by this piece which showed imagination and was “so 2020.” “Great use of materials otherwise headed for landfill. Also, great way to make a statement about takeout food waste!”
Honorable mention: "Mermaid" by Sarah Fitzgerald and Dennis Lien
Our judges were very impressed by this “attractive, impactful piece which beautified a boring old retaining wall.” “I love the public art nature of this piece! Such a great way to contribute to the community and environment. The keys for scales are really neat!”
Honorable mention: "Plastic Fish / Birds" by Barbara Ebel
Our judges were very impressed by this piece made of broken mini-blinds, noting the “medium is possibly the most original.” “Really creative way to upcycle a material that usually goes to the landfill!”
What trash can you turn into a treasure? We look forward to finding out next year!
