By Jim Newell
Review Editor
One man’s trash is another man’s…masterpiece. Or at least a fine piece of creative artwork.
The Orion Art Center is holding its Re-Create Art Exhibit this month and the pieces will be on display until May 26 at the Anderson Street location.
The Re-Create show challenges artists to use recycled materials to build works of art.
The pieces in this year’s exhibit featured everything from license plate lamps, Boy Scout camps made from elements such as pine cones and cork, to re-used toys and garbage picked up off the ground to create the artworks.
Art Center Executive Director Janice Price said the Re-Create exhibit – which started in 2009 – is always a popular draw among artists and fans. This year, 15 people entered the show, with some exhibiting more than one work. Some of the pieces are also for sale, with a portion of the money benefitting the Art Center
“A common comment was that this was people’s favorite show to come to and that they liked the show very much,” Price said. “Most of the work we got was highly detailed. The pieces had a lot of depth to them and visual imagery.”
Local artisan Steve Leach was the judge for the Re-Create Art Show. Leach is a metal fabricator who has constructed such works as the butterfly art piece on the Art Center grounds and the Orion Twp. welcome sign at the corner of Brown and Baldwin roads.
The show was sponsored by Waste Management.
“I think it was a huge success. People really seemed to be enjoying the work. I noticed that people stood in front of a work for a long time studying it and appreciating it,” Price said.
The Orion Art Center has been in the community for 36 years.
“It’s the little house that could,” said Alana Hart, a member of the Art Center executive board.
The Re-Create show is at the Art Center headquarters on Anderson Street. Hart said there has been some confusion lately among residents that the Art Center is closing, which is not the case.
The Art Center moved its studio classes, camps and other activities to the Moose Tree facility earlier this year, but the Anderson Street location will stay open and regularly feature exhibits and shows.