Old stuff,
new art
Repurposed Art Competition draws student
interest and donates to local charities
amara Pohlman hates to throw things away. She
really hates it. She believes that there are many
uses for items and materials that are routinely
discarded. Some of these uses are practical and some
are, if you will, more whimsical.
Pohlman feels that people can reduce and reuse so
much more than they realize, that she started a business
based on this belief.
Pohlman dedicates her time and energy to finding
like-minded individuals, with a strong creative streak,
and providing them with a space to share their work
with the people of Florence.
The Resto-Arts Gallery in Historic Old Town on Bay
Street is the manifestation of those ideals. It displays
work from local artisans that have reused discarded mate-
rials and turned them into practical or beautiful pieces
that are entirely different then the original manufacturer
intended.
This holiday season, Pohlman decided that she wanted
to expand her efforts and worked out a way to involve
Siuslaw High School students with SHS art instructor,
Kim Pickell.
They came up with an idea they hoped would inspire
students to look at their trash in a new light.
Pohlman says Pickell was enthusiastic about the idea
from the beginning and the two fleshed out the concept
rather quickly.
“Restorative art is my passion,” Pohlman said. “And
we have so many great artists here in Florence, I thought,
what about nurturing this creativity in high school so that
the students can grow into this, and maybe they will
rethink what they throw away and maybe think outside
the box artistically.”
The end result of the brainstorming session between
Pohlman and Pickell had a two-fold objective: First, a
competition that would reward participating students
with the opportunity to win some holiday spending
money,
and,
second, to develop their artistic skill set at the same time.
Pohlman and Pickell call ed their recycled brainchild,
“the first annual Repurposed Art Competition.”
The competition was open to all Siuslaw High School
students and awarded the top three entries a cash prize
and highlighted display space in the Resto-Art Gallery.
Pohlman added that this was important so the students
can complete the process of conceptualizing, creating,
displaying and hopefully selling their work.
“The reason I decided to give cash prizes is that
teenagers are not only really busy, but sometimes they
need a little extra motivation to do something extra cur-
ricular,” she said.
T
2 2 • C OAST
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
The criteria for
entries was simple.
Objects had to be pri-
PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
marily made from
reused materials and the Resto-Arts owner Tamara Pohlman displays the top three finishers in the first
work had to be turned in annual Repurposed Art Competition. Siuslaw High School students were award-
to the high school for ed cash prizes and will donate all proceeds from the sale of their pieces to local
charities of their choosing.
judging.
The response from
the students was encouraging and
many followed through on the
process, creating a wide variety of
artistic objects.
“Ultimately there were 10 pieces
entered into the inaugural
Repurposed Art Competition and
the judges had a difficult time
deciding on the three winners,”
Pohlman said.
Seven
judges,
including
Pohlman, Pickell and Siuslaw High
School instructors, judged the
pieces.
“The quality of the entries was
very high and the judges had some
hard decisions to make,” Pohlman
said. “Eventually I decided to add
two honorable mention winners,
just because the pieces were so
good.”
The young artists’ finished
pieces were than displayed in Resto-Arts owner Tamara Pohlman (left) and Art Instructor Kim
Pohlman’s gallery and immediately Pickell (right) present plaques to Jessalynn Keppol and Maya
attracted attention.
Howard, the second and third place winners.
“Benjamin Cahoon won first
Honorable mention went to Nathaniel Jones for a
prize and his piece sold almost immediately, which is
great. The customers that bought the winning entry were welded metal man sculpture and to Hayley Hensley and
really nice and agreed to leave it in the gallery to the end Hope Garcia for their dream catcher.
These pieces have also attracted some attention.
of the year so everyone can see it,” Pohlman said.
Pohlman believes that all the artists that entered the
Cahoon’s artwork was titled, “What Are You Waiting
For?” and featured typography, metal, clock and lamp repurposed event have learned a great deal from the expe-
rience. She looks forward to expanding the competition in
parts and an old picture frame. He won $250.
The second place winner of the competition was the future to include middle school and elementary stu-
Jessalynn Keppol, winning $150 for a copper wire tree dents and increasing the overall number of participants.
To view the winning entries in the re-purposed art
on a metal base, and third place went to Maya Howard,
winning $50 for a dragon sculpture made from tin from competition, stop in to The Resto-Arts Gallery at 1255
Bay St.
soda cans.
C ENTRAL • A r t s & E n t e r t a i n m e n t • J A N U AR Y 2 0 1 7