We are in the midst of moving after 30+ years. Trying to purge of anything we no longer need. My daughter and I both studied art, mostly printmaking. I have tools and supplies for etching,sculpting clay,carving wood etc and several kinds of paper I will no longer be using. I put it on Craig's list but since it is rather specialized stuff I haven't had a response. Donating to Salvation Army or the like doesn't make sense as they would probably not be able to sell it either.
Any ideas? We are moving next week. Piles of stuff has gone to Salvation Army,Goodwill etc. I just am stuck about this stuff.
Overall Rating: votes
-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
As an art teacher...I BEG of you :)...Please donate it to a local art college, school art department or public recreation center! Often if you call them, they are so happy to get it that they will pick it up. We are always on the look-out for specialty art items that are not allowed in our budget...often paying for it out of our own pockets. It would be SOOOO greatly appreciated and used forever!!! Just contact the above institutions and ask to speak to one of the art teachers :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thank you . I did try to contact a woman I know who teaches at a couple of colleges and at an art center but she hasn't returned my messages. I was thinking of calling the high school. I will continue that route. Thanks.
Both my daughter and I are having issues letting go of some materials. And letting go of work we have done. Even when it isn't great stuff it is difficult to throw it in the trash.
How do you decide what to keep of your work? Sometimes it is just one little part of a drawing or print or whatever that...makes me happy?...hardly a reason to hang on to it. ugh. We are trying so hard to turn over a new leaf...forge ahead into the future! or something.Posted 1 year ago # -
In the offchance that you may live near of these places, there are some organizations that specifically collect and reuse art supplies:
http://www.scrap-sf.org/creative-reuse/creative-reuse-resources
Posted 1 year ago # -
@nana2much...it IS difficult to let go of creative works! Mainly because you have put a piece of your heart into it :) I give the works to the school or rec center to use as examples for the students. Often they will use these as decoration in the classroom as well. Could you collage the bits of the works that you like? Make it into one big artwork that you can keep as a usable piece of hanging art? I have done this...it's kind of like an "art-quilt" of your work, its progression, and your process.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'd start with the middle schools and high schools, then move my way up. If you live in a city, choose the poorest district.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Use some of your old art to cover the insides of cabinets. Who looks at the bare wood or metal of the door? In my classroom I have posters, student work, clippings,etc taped to the inside of cabinets. They can open for display if I need to use them or just be there to surprise me a little when I open a cabinet I don't use much.
I would also use randon bits of art to make into notecards. I love to scrapbook, so even small parts of a design are lovely, mixed with bright papers and an inked border.
Posted 1 year ago # -
When I cleared my craft room, I used these steps-
Start with the UFO's. Be harsh. Either finish it or ditch it. I finished a lot of odd ball things, stuck a low-ball price tag on them, and got rid of them all at the next craft show. I just had one table of misc.Get serious about what old projects and crafts you've lost interest in. If you haven't touched it in two or three years, why keep the supplies?
For the projects you are still doing - how much of the supplies are still there that you don't really love? I had mountains of fabric, much of it given to me. Some of it was tragically, incredibly ugly. (The 70's polyester manufacturers have much to answer for.) I admitted I was never going to be that desperate for craft supplies and donated bags full. 30 gallon lawn and leaf bags full. Sounds like you're there with the paper you said you wouldn't be using, but look at all of it. I sorted through each and every piece of fabric. It's time consuming, but it was well worth it at the other end, especially when the stuff I did save took up sooooooo much less space in my new place.
Up cycle the old projects whenever you can. If you like it, but don't like it enough to display it - change it into something else. Think gift wrap and note cards for prints, perhaps?
It took me a while, but I've also learned it's okay to pitch the goofs, no matter how educational they might have been. It's okay, really, you can throw them out!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Oh I so sympathize. I've been struggling with this kind of thing myself for so long. Remember, materials are replaceable. If you aren't actually on the breadline, you can always replace them if you ever have the time and space to make that kind of art.
The other thing is, that restricting your choices can actually help your creativity - more focus, limits - like a form in poetry. We have too much choice these days - we want to do 'everything'.
is there an actual art school near you, a university/college one? Or just highschools?
As for work, I agree - ditch the UFOs as much as possible. The rest: can you get it all in one place and see how much space it actually takes up? What storage solutions would you use? You might find that the most suitable storage for your pieces will hold a certain amount, so you don't want to be throwing things out BEFORE you investigate those options. You might find that you don't actually need to cull much; but otherwise, having an idea of how much space you need versus how much space you can reasonably allot, will help you choose.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks so much! Some of these ideas have been floating around in my mind in a vague sort of way. A bit of a push and all of these specific suggestions are a huge help.
At this point I have to just shove everything in boxes since we are so near to moving time. I had hoped to find homes for these things before we moved. We are in Pittsburgh..there are many schools of every description in the area. Also I forgot about Construction Junction which accepts art supplies as well as building materials etc. If I don't get them to a school I will ask specifically what Construction Junction will take in donations.
Thank you thank you. Uncluttering often just takes a little positive nudging.
"It's okay to let go of that..."
This process of moving is over-whelming...but finally getting rid of stuff has been cleansing and freeing for all of us. Our kids don't live here any longer but they still had a lot of belongings here. Especially my daughter who is also an artist. She has no storage space at there small rental. Thank you all again for your advice and many solutions.Posted 1 year ago # -
I just went through the heartache of getting rid of art supplies/work myself (hard for me to accept that "I'm not going to be a fine artist.") I didn't have much success with high schools either- leaving messages didn't seem to work. I ended up donating a lot of items to an after schools program at my nearby cultural alliance. Some other suggestions: community colleges- they'll have art programs throughout the summer. You might also want to art museums- a couple near me have programs. Since you have such specialized (i.e. expensive!) materials- I'd try the colleges directly.
Posted 1 year ago #
Reply
You must log in to post. If you do not already have an account, you can register here.
