The Artistic ReUse-A-Thon
Last days to see the Mystery Trash Remix!
Vote for your Favorite Sculpture!
People Choice Award Winner – Denise Lau
Exhibit runs Oct. 24th to November 8th Open Monday-Saturday 10:00 to 5:00
View art by 20 Artists made of trash!
Where: Flux Arts Building, 699 Lowry Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
A community event focused on ReUse!
Art to Change the World has received a grant from the Innovative Waste Reduction Grant from the Minneapolis Public Works to create this fun filled event.
What You Need To Know:
The main event took place on November 1st at the Flux Arts Building and will include a big family friendly party with three parts:
1) The Mystery Trash Remix- Art created by members from single use items.(more info below)
2) Make and Take Workshops with Reused Materials (details below)
3) Art Supply Swap- (see info below)
Mystery Trash ReMix
By Liisa Lê
ACW’s Artistic Art-A-Thon Presents:
Mystery Trash Remix – Creativity with a Twist!
- WHO:
Twenty ACW Members: Barbara Bridges, Layl McDill, Becca David, Liisa Lê, Catherine Palmer, Kelly Frankenberg, Laura Burlis, Candy Kuehn, Margo Butler, Sam St. John, Jillian Collins, Cyrus Carlson, Gerald Carlson, Margo Ashmore, Lauren Strom, Taylor Olesen, Alexandra Prince, Denise Lau, Frances Bates.
- WHAT:
Artists received a mystery grab container filled with single-use plastic items and other stuff destined for the landfill. Each artist’s mission is to turn trash into treasures! Each participating artist will be paid $200, with a chance to win gift cards and a People’s Choice Award of $500.
- HOW: Artists must follow these rules:
Grab a mystery bag on August 10th, open it, discover your materials for this project. Then, remix the contents into an original piece of art! You may use other items you have collected at your home – up to 10% of the final piece. Those items may be altered by paint, markers, dyes or other art materials. Utilize everything from your container, including the container. If you are one of the MTR artists needing assistants contact liisaleart@gmail.com - WHERE AND WHEN:
Deliver your artwork to the Flux Arts Building Hub 2505 Howard street, NE Minneapolis on Thursday October 23rd. The exhibition will run from October 24th to November 9th, with an opening reception, at the Artistic ReUse-A-Thon on November 1st.Main Event: November 1st, 10:00am to 5:00pm Join us for the Art Supply Swap and Make and Takes! Vote for your favorite sculpture! - DETAILS: You can find the MTR timeline in the MTR – Artist Call Submission.
Make and Take Workshops- Create 8 projects on November 1st- Free!
10:00 to 12:30 Eco Angels with Liisa Lê
Build a simple yarn doll that repurposes plastic bags and single use plastic wrappers. These dolls will then receive a symbol painted by its owner to help remind them about the need to recycle and reuse materials.
10:00 to 12:30 Paint Anything! With Megan Moore
Re-imagine single use packaging and other would-be-discarded-items with left over house paint.
Use single-use plastics to create your own wallet! Choose your colors to create “fabric” for your wallet then use colorful thread to sew it together.
10:30 to 1:00 Scrappy Wall Hanging with Becca David
Create a wall hanging from recycled/reused fabric scraps, beads, baubles , and bubble wrap.
1:00 to 3:30 Upcycled Necklaces with Kelly Frankenberg
Make fun necklaces out of single use items like plastic pieces and wine corks.
1:00 to 3:30 Socktapus with Denise Lau
Use fun colorful socks and single use plastics to make a stuffed octopus!
1:30 to 4:00 Fused Plastic Banners with Emma Crutcher-McGowan
Learn how to layer plastics to make fun colorful shapes! Create a banner that the light shines through!
1:30 to 4:00 Magical Waste Wands with Layl McDill
Use all kinds of “trash” to create a beautiful magic wand with a purpose that relates to reuse. Come up with a fun name for your magic wand like “Plastic Reducer Wand”, “Magic Melter of Materials wand”, “Invisible Waste Wand”. The goal is to have everyone realize that you can’t actually use magic to get rid of waste but you can use your creativity to have fun with it!
Questions: contact layl@claysquared.com
♻️ Get Expert Answers to Your Recycling & Reuse Questions! ♻️
Join us for a day packed with expert knowledge and creative fun! We’re bringing together the best voices in sustainability to help you master recycling and discover the art of reuse.
🕙 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Create Temporary Art with Reuse Minnesota!
Unleash your creativity! Join Reuse Minnesota for a hands-on ephemeral art project. Learn to make beautiful, temporary sculptures and take a photo to “keep” your masterpiece forever. It’s a powerful lesson in beauty without waste!
👉 Learn more: https://reusemn.org
🕑 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Solve Recycling Mysteries with Minneapolis Public Works!
Got burning questions? The Solid Waste & Recycling experts are here with the answers!
- Whatreallygoes in the compost?
- Why should youLEAVE THE LIDon your plastic bottles?
- And should you crush aluminum cans? (Spoiler: NO! Stop by to find out why!)
🕚 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Level Up Your Recycling Game with Hennepin County!
Chat with Mary Ann Knox, a Hennepin County Recycling Ambassador! Get the insider tips on what recycles, what doesn’t, and the reasons why. Become a recycling pro!
Don’t miss this one-stop shop to become a smarter recycler and a more creative re-user. ♻️ Bring your questions and get ready to be inspired!
Art Supply Swap
We all have a tendency to buy supplies with grand plans and then never get to it. Well now is your chance to clean out your closets, basements and garages and help all those great art supplies find the artist that will use them! At the Artistic Reuse-a-thon on November 1st, 2025 you will get a chance to give away your unwanted art supplies and get new supplies that are a better fit for what you are creating now!
WHO- All members of the public are invited to bring art supplies and get art supplies. You don’t have to bring anything to get anything. Everyone is welcome!
WHAT to bring- Any arts and crafts supplies that can still be used. Paint, canvas, paper, frames, mats, etc. If it is something you could buy at an art supply store or a craft store this is what we want! You can also bring display materials that can be used at art fairs or galleries. Tools that are used for art creation are also welcome.
WHEN and WHERE to Drop off your unwanted supplies– Bring your unwanted supplies to the Flux Arts Building at 2505 Howard St. NE, Minneapolis, MN from October 27th to November 1st at 10:00 am. The building is open 10:00 to 5:00 Monday-Saturday. There will be tables and shelves to drop off your supplies.
WHEN to get supplies- On November 1st from 10:00 to 5:00 You can come and pick out any supplies you want. It’s free!
Volunteers and Paid Assistants needed!
We have funds to pay for 2 hours of assisting for $25 an hour.We are also looking for volunteers that want to be part of this impactful project. Most volunteering will take place on November 1st.
Sign up on this form to help out!
Have any questions? Contact Layl McDill at layl@claysquared.com