BA-NANA–nana-nana

How many bananas do you throw out every week?  Back after the wildfire in 2016, I had to clean out my refrigerator after 9 days without power.  When I opened the freezer door, the smell of bananas almost knocked me out.  I’ve always bought bananas, used fewer than I bought, then tossed the remainder in the freezer for banana bread that never materializes.  That ended the day I had to clean banana slime out of my freezer–until last month.  Now I buy 7 or 8 fresh bananas each week; we eat 2 or 3 fresh bananas each week.  With out newly re-discovered love for smoothies, I know throw my extra bananas into the freezer and re-purpose them later for smoothie.  If I lose power again for an extended period of time, I may revisit the banana ban.  We’ll see.

The idea of recycling and re-purposing materials and locations has been on my mind.  My family downsized a year and a half ago; then six months ago, an extra family member moved into our tiny home.  So, the dual use dining room / studio isn’t functioning so well with its view of the couch / bed of my 19 year old.  I’ve turned to my Instagram & Pinterest feeds for inspiration.  I am loving all the reading rooms with garden views and walk out basements with darkrooms, but that isn’t what I have.  My husband found an 10’x20′ abandoned storage shed with a Queen Anne roof line that had once been the workshop of a Native American woodcarver.  He passed away, and his family has declined the option to clean out his belongings.  The building owner is willing to foot the bill for the renovation for the tiniest of rents.  But in the back of my head, I am haunted by images of the big industrial studio spaces of movie and magazine spreads.  This is a running theme, right?  That we all fit in the same box, on the same path.  Where did I leave my smock & beret?

So, 2019 is the year I try to cut that out.  Join me?  I will repurpose the places & things in my life to suit my needs.  I will stop reshaping myself to fit the spaces in which I do not belong.  This next show is all about repurposed, recycled, or reused materials, and feels like a good place to start.  I like this venue, and as I mentioned last week, I am trying to spend the few dollars I have supporting the places & people & businesses that support artists.  This is one.  

Check out this Call for Entries from BWAC (Brooklyn, NY) for Recycle 2019.  Take advantage of a discount for early entry, a distinguished juror & significant cash awards. Take a look…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Recycle 2019 
from BWAC

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“Recycle, the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s national juried show of art crafted from cast-off, discarded & re-purposed materials, will be a celebration of ingenuity and imagination.” –from bwac.org

ELIGIBILITY: Open to U.S. artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all media that incorporate at least 50 percent of repurposed, recycled, or reused materials.

ENTRY FEE:  $50 up to 3, $6 ea. add’l (early bird) or $70 up to 3, $6 ea add’l after Feb 4

DEADLINE:  February 4, 2019 (early bird) or February 24, 2019 (final)

NOTIFICATION:  March 18, 2018

JUROR:  John Cloud Kaiser is the Director of Education at Materials for the Arts, one of the largest reuse centers in the U.S and a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Through art shows he curates at MFTA Gallery and his work with his art group Free Style Arts Association, he has been championing reuse‐themed art in the museums, streets, and schools of New York City since 2000.  These works have appeared broadly, from The Metropolitan Museum, to the NYC Parks Dept., to The New York Times. Kaiser graduated from New York University and is currently working on a series of temporary sculptures for Storm King Sculpture Center and Socrates Sculpture Park.

AWARDS: Best of Show Gold $1000, Most Innovative Use of Materials $500, People’s Choice $250, Curator’s Choice $250 & ten $100 Certificates of Recognition.

SALES: BWAC will retain a 30% commission on all exhibition sales.

For full details, Read the Full Call!