Creative ReUse was conceived in response to a call by the Community Engagement Lab which posed the question, “The Earth is speaking. How do we respond?” Our project addresses the waste stream and its connection to climate change while creating a lake-inspired mural built of materials destined for the landfill. Our challenge is to question what kind of landscape we want to inhabit and leave for future generations. We have since worked with Old North End participants at the Integrated Arts Academy and the Sustainability Academy as well as The Janet S. Munt Family Room and the Champlain Senior Center to host community art making events. Our partners at Chittenden Solid Waste District supplied educational materials and training regarding the nuanced waste process in our county.
Through Creative ReUse art-making events, we have had honest discussions with participants about improving our waste habits. Garbage is the great equalizer. We all create it. So, how do we deal with it? We want to do the right thing, but the right thing isn’t always clear. Creative ReUse focuses on experiential learning, by providing opportunities for active engagement so participants can learn through doing and absorb new information effectively. Even within a crisis we are still creating waste. How can common recycled materials become building materials, art inspiration or creative tools as we explore what we have around us at home? Through our project, we plan to explore the answers to these questions. Our goal is to learn as a community how to repurpose the materials around us so that we can reimagine our future by building connection and resilience in a time of crisis.
Alissa is an artisan, designer and educator creating and teaching in Burlington, VT. After graduating from Alfred University in 2009 with a degree in sculpture and a focus in hot glass, she worked in glass studios throughout Maine, New York and Oregon before settling in Vermont. Alissa directed a Burlington Kids Afterschool Program for three years before leaving to focus on teaching and creating her own artwork. She continues to teach all ages in a variety of community settings. Alissa loves the balance of creating art and facilitating creativity in others. Much of her artwork is directly influenced by teachable moments and student questions. Alissa’s sculptures and installations are about interacting with each material. She wants viewers to see the fluidity of hot glass, feel the texture of clay and see the vibrancy in natural materials.
Born in Morgantown, WV and raised in Southwest Pennsylvania, Renee began working as a non-profit administrator in 2006 after receiving her Masters degrees in both Communication and Theology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She lived in Pittsburgh for 11 years, creating and managing programs for low-income communities, as well as photographing the people and places impacted by these services. In 2015, Renee completed the Photography Intensive Program at Pittsburgh Filmmakers before moving to Burlington, VT where she now works as a photographer and educator. She envisions the practice of photography as a means of communication; a dialogue between light, memory and the meaning of making an image.
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