Something Old, Something New

The idea behind the old green slogan “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is pretty obvious. Reduce the amount of packaging and/or waste you consume. Reuse what you can, and recycle what you can’t reuse. Well, the Harris Park Art Cooperative is taking that idea one step further with its Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle exhibit, which opens today at the Harris Park Art Cooperative Gallery, 7287 Lowell Boulevard, in Westminster, and runs through April 11. (“Upcycling,” for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to taking waste materials and turning them into a fresh new product; it was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.)

So what can viewers expect from the exhibit? “We have one gentleman who does recycled paper,” explains HPAC’s Mary Lane. “He does a series of primarily portraits in pastels. He draws on his own handmade recycled paper that he makes from telephone books and junk mail and cardboard.” In addition to paintings, masks and jewelry, you’ll find Lane’s handmade grocery totes and other sewn products to help the environment. In addition, decorative boxes made by the artists from new, re-purposed and recycled materials will be auctioned off tonight in a fundraiser at the opening reception, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Call 303-319-5916.
March 19-April 11, 2009