I need your trash. To be more specific, I need some of your trash, for a very good cause, if you live within a reasonable proximity to Mobile, Alabama.
Bright and early on Jan. 6, Iwill load up my trusty etching press for the first of 19 school visits. As part of a wonderful outreach program sponsored by the Mobile Centre for the Living Arts, I’ll work with 900 third-through-fifth-grade students as they create collograph plates, ink them and pull their own original prints on the press. Young artists learn about printmaking history, explore textures and form… and have lots of inky fun.
The wacky cousin of the block printing family, a collograph can be made by inking and printing practically anything that can be safely glued to a plate and cranked through the press. These things can be cut, torn, and arranged in interesting ways to create unique designs. For our purposes, that means we will need a large pile — a small mountain, really — of the following things:
- feathers
- textured ribbon scraps, from gift wrap or sewing
- lace
- bits of burlap, felt, corduroy or upholstery fabric
- pieces of woven straw hats, straw purses or woven placemats
- textured mat board
- sandpaper
- paper doilies or other paper cut-outs
- coins or Mardi Gras doubloons
So, if you live anywhere in the Mobile-to-Pensacola area, and you have household trash that aspires to avoid languishing in the landfill by becoming art materials instead… please email me. Thanks!
valwebb.com 
hi val, i have 1000’s and 1000’s of wine corks i saved from my waitering days.
it is not on your list but i have them if you want them there yours 😉
Steve / Val:
Those wine corks, specifically the synthetic ones can be used by wood workers as sanding belt/disc cleaners. Works great, just hold against moving sand paper and they remove the wood dust to unclog the paper and extend the life of the sandpaper!
Dave.
If you don’t want or need all of the corks I would gladly take some as well.
Thanks
Oops, sorry, also meant to say that since I recycle weekly, most everything goes to them, but with Christmas not quite over for us, there may be some things still pop up in the next week or so. I will let you know.
I wish I hadn’t tossed out all my cockatiel feathers, but I may be able to mail you a few before the 6th, if they lose some. I had some nice ones, but had no use for them, so I threw them away. Maybe not for this time, but I’ll keep you in mind for the next batch. email me your address. cgardener52 at yahoo.