2013 Another Successful Year for “Trash-2-Art”

“Trash-2-Art” Results

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - - - Trash to Treasure of Florida (T2T), Broward County’s “open to all” creative reuse center, is pleased to report that our Opening Celebration held on December 6th, in conjunction with Studio 18's monthly open house, was a huge success.  The event, free to the public of all ages, included light refreshments, raffle prizes, artist recognition awards and live music from the South Florida Chamber Ensemble, Laura Sue - The Silver Nightingale (flutist) and jazz musician, Steve Haley.  

The exhibition will continue to run through December 27, 2013 at Studio 18 in the Pines at 1101 Poinciana Drive, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33025. T2T’s Trash-2-Art Exhibit has grown into South Florida premier reuse, repurpose and recycle art show with exhibits created with at least 75% scrap materials.

According to Executive Director Nanette Saylor, "Every year people of all ages are delighted and inspired by the creative energy featured at our Annual Trash-2-Art Exhibition. Call this by any name -- upcycling, recycling, re-purposing-- it's innovative, fun and entertaining. And, on a more serious note, once you've seen these amazing creations, you can't help but have a new appreciation for your trash. You'll definitely be re-thinking how to make better use of what you've got and reconsidering how much stuff you really need."

Judges George Gadson, Robin Haines Merrill, and Casey Eckles, had their work cut out for them trying to decide on the winners selected from over 60 entries.   Category winners were announced in the children’s brackets (K-5th Grade, Arabella Max/Rockets Red Glare, 6th-8th Grade Mango City/Scale Summer Camp Group, and 9th-12th Grade/Santiago Fajardo/Mixed Media 2) and for adults (Amateur Artist, Lisa Max/Star Shining Bright and Professional Artist Melanie Kane Brewer/Nest Study II).  The “People’s Choice” award, based on voting at the celebration, was given to Girl Scout Troop 10414/Let’s Sea. Artwork is still be available for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefitting South Florida Reuse & Recycling Institute, Inc., d/b/a Trash to Treasure Creative Reuse Center, a Florida registered 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization.

In addition to the support from the City of Pembroke Pines, funding for this project was provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council. Corporate sponsors included Drawing Conclusions LLC, Emerald Isle Recycling, GreenScene Consulting and Whole Foods.

Ongoing Partnership opportunities, including volunteering, are available on a continuous basis for organizations hoping to reach our creative, socially conscious, environmentally focused audience. A volunteer core helps to curate and organize this event and others throughout the year and additional support is always welcome. You can find more information on volunteering on the T2T website here.

Trash to Treasure began in May 2007 and is a division of South Florida Reuse & Recycling Institute, Inc. a 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization. T2T operates a Creative Reuse Center, located at 1100 NW 53rd Street in Fort Lauderdale, which is bursting with potential treasures which would have been thrown away by businesses and residents, ending up in our landfills.  Current items available in the Center’s warehouse include scrap metal, tile, glass, art supplies, varieties of paper, yards of rich fabrics, wallpaper, books, computer disks and CDs, costume jewelry, buttons, tiles, caps, beads, and so much more.

Please visit the website at http://www.trash2treasurefl.org or the FaceBook page to learn more or call 1-888-828-8242. Email questions, comments or suggestions to info@trash2treasurefl.org.