From Trash to Treasure

This winter, after-school students in Enderly Heights Elementary School’s BEST program got a challenge from Boxerwood educators: Could they make works of art, useful objects, and even games out of only recycled materials?

Over the course of six weeks, the dozen children responded with an indisputable answer: Yes! In this “Recycled Art” Club, these young Buena Vista artists used their creativity to turn cloth scraps into dog pull toys, paper towel rolls into fantastic creatures, bottle caps and string into slithering snakes, egg cartons into mancala game boards, and a range of old objects into original sculptures. They became masters at using a range of creative tools, including paint, feathers, googly eyes, and even hot glue guns.

“It was so inspiring to see what these young students created out of materials that other people might simply label as trash,” said Boxerwood educator Ginny Johnson. “We provided the tools and opening guidance, but they took each of these projects to a level we couldn’t have imagined.”

As a culmination of their work, BEST Director Melanie Beard set up an exhibit for the Club at the Ramsey Education Center in downtown Buena Vista. “We hope the exhibit generates a sense of pride in these young artists,” said Ginny, “and perhaps inspires others to get creative with their own used materials!” 

The exhibit will be up at the Ramsey Center – 2062 Magnolia Ave in Buena Vista – from March 23-25th from 5:00-7:00pm each night.

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