createplenty.org

The End of Single-Use Plastics!

Cre8plenty — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:12:15 +0000

Our 2012 International Plastic Quilt Project in Schools exhibit opens on Friday, May 4, 2012 from 4-7 PM. It will remain until May 31st at the Gallery at Port City Development, 2156 N Williams Ave in Portland. Visiting hours are Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The inspiring participation of this year’s project has been a true microcosm-level demonstration of how plastic pollution is meeting the beginning of its end. Volunteer organizers from schools like those in West Linn, Wilsonville (click for article) will integrate the International Plastic Quilt Project into their Earth Day activities and invite their local communities to recognize the single-use nature of their daily lives. Artist volunteers like Cynthia Caudill in Hood River (click for Cynthia’s blog entry and art images), Oregon will lead students in creating artwork out of single-use plastic. They hold a local exhibit of the project at their local library. Outside of Oregon, teachers, artists and others who are savvy with the “reduce, reuse, refuse plastics” message and brimming with creativity will add their own creative reuse talents to the Plastic Quilt Project, much like Trinity School in Columbus, Ohio. Take a look at the students at work!

These stories in addition to the experiences by youth at KIPP Raices Academy in Los Angeles, California (click for our blog on this site) will be another stepping stone. More youth will participate in meaningful ways to re-create ways of living that support and work in accordance with the life systems that give us clean air to breathe, nutritious food to eat and spaces for play.

In Portland, the International Plastic Quilt Project will reach more students than the past two years combined through after school programs like those at Lynch View, Faubion and Woodmere Elementary Schools. Teachers and artists will work together tailoring the Project into their classroom as they did at Winterhaven Elementary, Trillium Charter High School, and the Oregon School for the Deaf. Student volunteers like those of Sarah Morgan and Amy Steel at Portland State University will spend a class period helping students to recognize single-use plastic, learn about its effects and engage in making squares for the upcoming art exhibit, like at ACCESS Academy at Sabin Elementary School.

Our community will continue to help us to grow with donations to make our event complete with prizes, food and drink. Thanks to Spielworks, Goldrush Coffee Bar, Pine State Biscuits, Alberta Cooperative Grocery, Salt and Straw Ice Cream and Candy Babel.

The more youth who actively participate in recognizing and reigning in our single-use plastic consumption and working with creative reuse to increase interest in and examples of practical reuse, the less we’ll cave into the fleeting value of our throw-away culture. Sound like a good plan?

California (Plastic) Quiltin’

Cre8plenty — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:42:26 +0000

Are you a teacher hoping to join the Quilt challenge but worried how to fit it in the curriculum? Art teacher Suzi Stasica of the KIPP Raices Academy in East Los Angeles advises, “start small, build knowledge and empathy, and watch the project grow to affect more of the school community.“

Like Suzi, you may have done found art projects in class, and had your students participate in beach or river clean ups or outdoor education programs. By utilizing the reflective writing prompts in the Create Plenty curriculum, Suzi notes that the Quilt Project’s focused framework moves students closer to making personal connections to the plastic pollution problem as they identify where their own trash goes.

Third grader Denise writes, “I might tell my friends about the pollution. I might text my family members and remind them where things go when you throw them away”

Pedro promises, “I will recycle everything. I will use less plastic trash”

We are thrilled that some of their single use disposable plastic will be diverted from the landfill and made into quilt squares destined to Portland for posterity in our growing collaborative quilt square project. I can’t wait to see the artwork produced from these young students who are drawing inspiration from watching excerpts of the movie Wasteland and studying the work of Joseph Cornell and local artist Simon Rodia (Watt’s Tower) who reused trash in their art.

It’s not too late to join the project. We have many curriculum materials that you can use to jump start your program. Pick and choose the modules that work for you. We hope to see your students’ work at our May event in Portland, Oregon.

We’ve begun!

Cre8plenty — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:52:51 +0000

Thanks to a grant and some fundraising, we’re off to the best start ever for the International Plastic Quilt Project In-Schools 2012. We have three artists leading the way in three locations in Northeast, North and Southeast Portland. Vicky DeKrey started in January, Bridget Benton starts later this month and Tim Combs began this week—using their talents as reuse artists and educators to provide a cohesive experience for students in both elementary and high schools.

A few weeks ago we held our first volunteer training for parent volunteers and teachers who are bringing the project to their schools. Thanks to these volunteers we are spreading our reach to at least four more Portland area sites, reaching nearly 200 students in our messaging about plastic pollution and linking it to much needed arts experiences in schools. Each schools adapts our resources to their particular needs, exhibits art at an Earth Day exhibit at their school and contributes the same work to our combined public exhibit to the Gallery at Port City Development on May 4, 2012.

Why plastic when there are so many other issues? It’s tangible. It’s a problem we can see and something we can do so many different kinds of creative and fun things to fix. The production of so much plastic also contributes to climate change (nearly 8% of total emissions come from manufacturing plastic, not to mention collection and recycling).

Sound like good fun with a great many possibilities? Want to bring the project to your school? Email cheryl[at]createplenty.org to schedule an orientation! We’ll get you started.

We will soon be publishing photos and anecdotes from our artists and volunteers right here at this blog. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, some sample artwork from our artists-in-residence. Enjoy!

Plastic Lid Lamp Art by Bridget Benton

Quilted art by Vicky DeKrey

"Circle Meets the Square" by Tim Combs