Recycled Art Show Review

The Ninth Annual Recycled Art Show at the Coconino Center for the Arts is now open and runs through May 14th. I took my family to the opening night of the show because I couldn't wait to see it. I was so excited to see my art hanging in the gallery and to get inspired by all of the other pieces. It was hard to enjoy all of the pieces while toting two kids in a crowded gallery. Not to mention the fact that the kids were immediately drawn to certain piece and dragged me randomly around the gallery saying "mom, look at this one", but my first impression was that the show has come a long way since its beginnings. The last time I viewed the Recycled Art Show was during the first opening. We were living in Phoenix at the time and visiting my mother-in-law. She wanted us to see the sculptures that people had made out of car parts and scrape metal.
Back then there were so many pieces in the gallery that it was hard to navigate and physically walk around to see all the piece. You were taxed with finding the actual art amongst trash and looking past the garbage. Over the years the show has evolved and grown to the point where now you are taxed with finding the trash in the art even though every piece is made of at least 80% recycled material. The placement of the pieces in the gallery is thoughtful and organized so that each piece can be viewed as a true work of art. Matching the thoughtfulness of the artists in their use of material and technique.
The show gave certain pieces awards for special merit. The categories included; Elegance, Best Use of Materials, most useful, Most Humorous, Most Creative, Simplicity, and Best of Show. Those who attend the show can also vote on their favorite piece for the Peoples Choice award given at the closing of the show.
One of my favorite pieces was a garden with flowers made out of metal cans. The shape of each flower petal was carefully cut out of metal and arranged in clusters to make a beautiful allergy free garden scene that you could walk around and enjoy from every angle. Another piece that was done in the same manner was a sculpture of a bald eagle that won "Best use of Material". The entire body and supporting tree was covered in little feather shaped pieces of metal cans.

While some pieces did not stretch the imagination with there use of recycled materials (like building a box out of reclaimed wood) some were quit clever. A collection of nautical inspired pieces featured a paper mache octopus with bubble wrap used to simulate the suction cups on the underside of its arms. It makes you think about what other clever uses you can find for bubble wrap.
Pieces that used materials that have one use and are typically thrown away, because they are not recyclable, are my favorite. I also hold a special place in my heart for pieces that you have to look at the gallery tag to know what they are made of. One such piece was a colorful geometric pattern that looked like a quilt. It was made out of recycled coffee bags but the careful selection of color and placement would not give it away.

I my opinion all of the pieces it the show deserve an award specially crafted for their unique innovation with recycled materials. And I'm not just saying that because I have two pieces of my own in the show. Each piece transformed trash into treasure and garbage into works of art.
Whether you live in Flagstaff, AZ, visiting, or just passing through, stop by the Coconino Center for the Arts. The gallery is open Tues-Sat 11am-6pm. You can view the show for free or leave a donation if you like. On Saturdays the have special events and demonstrations. For a list of events and upcoming shows visit the Flagstaff Cultural Partners website at http://www.culturalpartners.org.