Enter our creative-reuse festival by Jan. 11

 

If you've been procrastinating, now is the time for action! It's last-call time for "Hatch," The I.D.E.A. Store's first-ever creative-reuse art festival. The entry deadline is Friday, Jan. 11.

 

The festival will take place March 1-3, 2013, with activities planned to take place at various venues in and near downtown Champaign.

 

We are currently seeking creative-reuse artists interested in entering their work - either art or functional design - in the Hatch exhibition, which opens Friday, March 1, at Indi Go Artist Co-op. The exhibition will remain on view beyond the festival dates, through Sunday, March 17.

 

We also are accepting applications from artist-vendors interested in selling their work at the festival's art fair, which will be held Saturday, March 2, in the McKinley Fitness Center gym (former McKinley YMCA).

 

In addition to the exhibition and art fair, other festival highlights will include talks and hands-on workshops led by a visiting artist in residence as well as other activities. Stay tuned for more exciting news and details soon! 

 

Meanwhile, if you are a creative-reuse artist or designer, we hope you will apply for entry to the exhibition, fair or both today! And if you know anyone else who would be interested, please spread the word about Hatch. More information and applications are available on line here.

 

Transform transparencies into functional decor

One of the downsides to technological advancements is the waste that gets left behind as new products and platforms are developed and marketed. A good example: photographic transparencies, i.e., slides. As so many shutterbugs have converted to digital photography, old 

slides either are converted to digital formats or stowed in closets, drawers, basements and attics. Or ... shudder ... thrown away.

 

If you have old slides that you can't or won't ever use again, consider donating them to The I.D.E.A. Store. We routinely stock them, and they are put to good creative-reuse by our customers, who use them as focal points for a variety of functional-design projects. 

 

If you'd like to let the light in with your own picture-perfect art and design projects, check out some of the prompts below.

 

* Lamps, window treatments and more made from transparencies.

* More illuminating ideas - using photographic slides and other materials.

* Old slides put to good reuse as refrigerator magnets.

 

 

 

When Craig Rost began contributing his time to The I.D.E.A. Store, he was not so much a volunteer as he was volunteered. That's because, as General Manager Gail Rost's husband and right-hand man, he was well aware that he would automatically be drafted into service.

 

As it turns out, he doesn't mind. In fact, Craig - who began contributing his time, energy and talent to the store from the day it opened - rather relishes his responsibilities as the multi-hatted recycling manager, warehouse-overflow foreman and odd-jobber.

 

While the bulk of the store's donated material is destined for the sales floor, items that do not fit within the store's "acceptable" guidelines must be sorted, recycled or redistributed to other community non-profit organizations that can reuse them. Craig does much of that hauling and redistribution.

 

He's also the go-to guy on the receiving end when the store gets calls from local businesses seeking to donate cast-off materials that might otherwise go to the landfill.

 

"You might say I'm the shipping & receiving department," he said.

 

As the store's handy-man-in-chief, Craig also has replaced many a fluorescent overhead light; installed or moved countless shelving, storage and display units; repaired all things repairable; and completed sundry other maintenance assignments during his frequent night and weekend shifts. He's even initiated and completed a few of his own creative-reuse projects around the store - from building a coat rack using scrap wood and trophy parts to making a Christmas tree out of yo-yos.

 

All in all, Craig believes his work at The I.D.E.A. Store - and the store's overall mission - melds particularly well with his professional life. By day, he is the City of Champaign's Deputy City Manager for Development. He also teaches courses in economic development and planning at the University of Illinois.

 

"I see my role as contributing to what has become a valuable resource in our community, not to mention, an important part of the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation's earned-income enterprises. It's fulfilling to make The I.D.E.A. Store work - and to be able to do it on a shoestring budget, thanks to the invaluable contributions of so many dedicated volunteers and generous donors."

 

The Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation saw a need in the community to accomplish several things: 1.  Support the arts and arts education, 2.  Support environmental education in our communities, 3. Impact the environment by reducing the rate of waste disposal, 4. create a place for everyone to have access to quality materials and 5. Support itself in light of the difficult economic times.  So donate your discards and shop re-use.  Its about making a difference!

 www.cuSchoolsFoundation.org