One Man’s Junk Is Another’s New Art

by Alison Loveday

September 24th, 2007 in Art, Careers, Companies, Creative, Detroit, Green, Newsletter, The Arts Issue

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Empty paper towel rolls, ticket stubs, pipe cleaners, cardboard boxes and packing peanuts. Perhaps the items you would find in your weekly trash. But an organization in Metro Detroit is giving new life to these treasures from the curb.

Arts & Scraps turns home recyclables and industrial leftovers into art projects and learning tools for area youth. Educational and environmentally friendly, the group recycles 28 tons of material annually and serves over 270,000 children through in-school and after-school programs.

With discarded objects transformed into creative materials, Arts & Scraps is able to offer a variety of programs. In addition to educational opportunities for young people as well as adults, you can stop by and pick up a project kit to make your own special creation at home. The materials are continually changing, but the staff is always willing to help brainstorm a new idea.

So whether you’re looking to donate, volunteer or work with the “creative engineers” to create your own unique project, stop in to Arts & Scraps for some environmentally safe amusement. And, as they say, “create fun with castoffs!” For more information, visit Arts & Scraps on the web at artsandscraps.org.