The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 marked the start of a new era of environmental activism and a new approach environmental issues.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this historic day, ReStore is taking the month of April to share the work of local crafters and creatives who incorporate used goods and materials in their projects. By diverting waste to creative purposes, our featured artists and craftspeople spread awareness about pollution and keep that waste out of landfills.
At ReStore, we believe this work is essential. Every year our organization diverts thousands of tons of quality home goods and building materials from landfills. We are proud to provide home improvement goods to our community at affordable prices, to support a great cause. ReStore is also proud to be a part of Habitat for Humanity, which utilizes green building construction practices for all new homes.
Our reuse crafter list will be updated every few days with a new reuse innovator who lives or works in the Bay Area – so check in often or follow us on Facebook or Instagram @HabitatEBSVReStore
If you know any reuse artists or salvage crafters in the Bay Area, send us their information so we can check them out.
4/15 Ashley Cousin
Utilizing the radiant colors and unique shapes of vinyl fragments, Ashley Cousin creates eye-catching jewelry, among other things. With only used vinyl, wire, and sometimes paint, Ashley crafts earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and mixed-media art pieces.
Support Ashley’s work at AshleyCousin.com
4/16 Suzane Beaubrun
Suzane Beaubrun is an Oakland artist focusing on jewelry and multi-media sculpture. In admiration for the concept of up-cycling, she transforms common discarded materials into art to wear and treasure. Support Suzane’s work at SBeaubrun.com and @SuzBeaubrun on Facebook
4/17 Glenda Mahoney
Glenda Mahoney is a scientific illustrator who is deeply concerned about plastic pollution. Glenda’s collages are created with plastic collected from beaches and focus on some of the animals most affected by pollution. The first image is of a sea turtle, created with plastic pollution collected from the Brisbane River and coastal islands near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The second image is of mother and calf humpback whales, created with plastic pollution collected in Half Moon Bay, CA, and Puerto Vallerta, Mexico, locations that these whales visit often.
Support Glenda’s work at GlendaMahoney.com
4/18 Habitat Volunteer Sis
Today’s reuse crafter, Sis, is a member of our Habitat for Humanity Women’s Crew. In addition to being a resourceful home construction volunteer, Sis is also a ReStore shopper and reuse enthusiast. The Before and After shots above show the transformation of an end table purchased at ReStore Concord.
This was Sis’s first ever re-finish project, which she sanded and stained, then painted with sample paint leftover from another project.
4/19 Jeff Hantman
Jeff Hantman collects materials that are dumped illegally to create found art sculptures and assemblages. Jeff combines woodworking, painting, drawing, printmaking, laser cutting and CAD to create curved structures that hang on the wall, and freestanding sculptures.
See more of Jeff’s work at JeffHantman.com
4/20 Chad Moore
Chad Moore’s work seeks to address questions about consumerism through sculptures and installations created with the leftover packaging of consumables and related materials of all types. This includes plastic shopping bags, shampoo and water bottles, various cords, cable and tubing. Chad uses a wire framework and attaches the materials on top of one another.
See more of Chad’s work at ChadwickHeathMoore.com
What’s your next creative reuse project?
Find amazing used items and materials for your next project when you shop online with ReStore Oakland and ReStore San Jose. Schedule your hassle-free pickup today.