Jenn spent much of her childhood traveling up and down the east coast from Canada to Florida in the back of her parents’ baby blue 1970s Econoline camper van.  While it might have been frowned upon by today’s standards (there were no seats in the back of that van, let alone seat belts!), her fond memories of days on the beach, hikes in the woods and nights spent around the campfire started her down a path toward environmental stewardship that she now hopes to instill in her own children and share with her community.

Jenn is a graduate of Duke University’s Environmental Science & Policy Program and the University of Chicago Law School.  She previously served four years on ACR’s Board of Directors, and was the Deputy Director of Austin nonprofit Families in Nature and an environmental law associate at the global law firm Allen & Overy LLP.  She sits on Austin ISD’s Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee and is active in the Cities Connecting Children to Nature Initiative from the National League of Cities.  Jenn founded Nature Playdate, a nature community for Austin families, and is active in several other local environmental and community groups. 

When she’s not out promoting the beauty of creative reuse, Jenn can be found chasing around her three wild kids and working on their old camper van with her husband, Kelly.  She digs travel, the ocean, cool mountain breezes and admiring the creativity of all the folks who pass through the doors at ACR. You can reach Jenn at execdirector@austincreativereuse.org

Jen is a Texas transplant who started at ACR in 2016 as a volunteer. She loves all things outdoors and was drawn to ACR for the conservation aspect. She also loves being immersed in the creative community. Hired on as the first employee of ACR, Jen is now our Center Manager. She facilitates and builds our community partnerships, oversees the operations of the creative reuse center, and strategies and plans new and exciting ways to get the word out about ACR.

In her spare time, you’ll likely find Jen hiking or fishing with her 2 kiddos or in the kitchen cooking. She enjoys camping, knitting and playing any board game she can.

Bianca is a west Texas native and has lived in Austin for over ten years. When she was young, she drew and painted on almost anything she could get her hands on and then it evolved into a variety of all creative things such as woodworking, photography, and sewing. Growing up with her family and a small lot of farm animals led her to a love for nature and all things living. With that, it gave her passion to want to live a sustainable life and be a part of any action that can reduce negative environmental impact.

Kat’s love for art and conservation began at an early age when she spent summers crafting, exploring, and gardening at her grandma’s house – a log cabin in the woods! A former disaster relief professional, Kat left her career behind in order to have more time for creative endeavors. She enjoys experimenting with mediums she has never tried before, either on her own or by taking classes and workshops. Kat spends her free time dancing, caring for her many plants, snuggling with her two pups, and going on adventures with her partner.

Kaysie, a recent UT graduate, is beginning her career in the nonprofit sector with a BA in Art History, a minor in Arts Management and Administration, and a certificate in Social Entrepreneurship and Nonprofits. A colorful tree-hugger from a young age, Kaysie focuses her life around art and conservation, and works to inspire those around her to live a creative and sustainable lifestyle. In her free time, Kaysie enjoys trail running in the greenbelt, making art and supporting local artists of Austin, and dancing the night away in the live music capital of the world.

Molly’s favorite pastime is relaxing at home with her two dogs, Archie and Murphy. Molly loves sewing, thrifting and listening to Smokie (the best band in the world). She can never pick just one project to work on at a time, and normally has a dozen different projects she’s either sewing, drawing or knitting at any given moment. She is also studying ASL Interpreting at ACC and loves any opportunity to use sign language. After 8 years of working for large retail corporations, Molly is honored to be a part of the ACR team and is excited to assist the Austin community become more eco-friendly!

Barb discovered ACR in 2016 as a teacher and artist, and she could not believe the variety and affordability that was available to her for her classroom and for her artwork. She quickly began volunteering once a week, and soon after joined the permanent team. As a career, she always felt that teaching was a calling to her, so naturally she brought her passion for education with her as we began forging a path for educators and education. She was born in NYC and raised in New Jersey, and moved to Austin many years ago. She is a mother, and taught in the local public schools after helping to start the children’s museum in New Braunfels and San Antonio, and she’s also the co-founder of Marmalade Skies, an art studio in Austin. She loves working at the center, and loves the community and collaboration that is fostered at ACR.

Deanna is fascinated with upcycled, reused, and vintage things. Her favorite kind of art is anything that involves items that have been reimagined for something other than their original purpose, and she uses them in the jewelry she makes as well. She loves hearing about the things our customers are making with the stuff they get at ACR.

Ericka has never met an art medium that they don’t like, so they’re always drawn to trying new things out! That’s how they came across ACR. A second hand art supply store? Can it get any better? They have a BFA in Art Education and conservation of the environment. In their spare time they like browsing through thrift stores, reading/listening to books, creating art, and watching their shelves mysteriously get more plants on them.

Mieke is a full-time fruit loop from South Africa, with a love for arts and crafts and a resolve to make more of it. Her favorite kind of art is that which takes something neglected or overlooked, places it center stage in a new context and, in doing so, gives it an altogether new lease on life. Would-be trash reclaimed and elevated to art.

When she’s not playing with paper and miscellanea, Mieke’s thinking about how to reduce the negative impact of her existence on the environment and increase the positive impact of her personhood on the people and animals around her. In particular, she’s probably thinking about how to counter the culture of dehumanization in prisons and psychiatric hospitals. She may also be thinking about cats and cows, dreaming of a farm where she’ll have an abundance of both.

Bee moved from Houston to Austin to attend school at UT for Studio Art. They have always enjoyed all things crafty and artistic, leading them to pursue their degree in the field. They love to try new mediums and spend their free time completing projects, gardening, and cuddling their two cats. Find them on instagram @biankahbear

After moving to Austin from Brownsville, TX in 2012, Blessing found this city an ideal space to grow their creative skills and meet fantastic people along the way. Outside of ACR, they can be found making jewelry, modifying clothes, thrifting, hunting for fossils, and standing RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

James Talon thinks it’s fun to make art by finding the most beaten up vinyls and painting on them, and that’s how he discovered the coolest non-profit ever: ACR! In the past he was Art Director / Producer for Furcadia, lived abroad in Poland, and has a Linguistics degree. He’s all about animals, meditation, puns, imaginary friends named Paul*, silly profile pictures, and not including any puns in his bio. His handle on instagram is james.talon.art if you want to see his work! *Note: He doesn’t actually have imaginary friends…just don’t tell Paul that.

Julia is an artist and collaborator. She loves horses, writing, making clothing and making friends. She has a clothing brand with her best friend called horse misterys and she just bought a Prius. 

Throughout her childhood growing up near citrus fields in the Rio Grande Valley, Marina learned to appreciate the transborder landscape, food, and botany of South Texas. Her Grandma taught her how to be crafty, sew, and cultivate a sustainable garden while also embarking on spontaneous cooking adventures in her kitchen – one of her favorite quotes she references states how “necessity is the mother of invention” and she still applies that sentiment to her daily life. A few years ago she uprooted from South Texas and set up camp in Austin to pursue an International Nutrition degree at UT, which led her on a journey eventually joining the ACR team!

Michelle started as a volunteer after discovering all the wonderfulness ACR has to offer. Michelle enjoys punch needle and tapestry weaving and has recently taken up crafting hanging planters out of leather pieces. When she’s not working, she’s either hiking, camping or laughing at her two kitties watching TV.

Lori is a self-taught artist, starting in the 80’s with collaging inside of the expired department store catalogs piled up next to her granny’s recliner. She thought that these were the only books in the world that she could cut up and use for her amusement, because the other books around the house were by Louis L’Amour. This inspired a lot of seeking. She would use any newspaper, can label, AVON packaging, or shoe box that had any potential for the little scenes she had playing out beneath the table lamp. Cut to many years later, and her frequent visits to ACR, still seeking. She loved digging through the super affordable rubber stamps, older lace and trim, doll parts, vintage crafting magazines, unique miniatures, and $1 material scrap packs (to name a few of her favorite spots). Overhearing the staff and customers excitedly talking about their projects was another big source of inspiration for her. She’s happy to be part of the everyday magic. 

Remy is a creative that works in Austin’s local theater scene most recently as an actress, seamstress, and stage manager. When she isn’t working, she enjoys pretty much every artistic medium and being outside in nature. Remy moved to Austin from Houston to pursue a career in theater and sign language interpreting.

Sabina moved to the Austin area from Sweden as a child. She’s long had a passion for various types of art, craft, and music, so Austin was a fantastic city to grow up around. Environmental science, the outdoors, and conservation have been a big part of her life for a long time, and after majoring in Communication Studies at ACC, ACR was a perfect fit. She’s an amateur crafter, always learning and improving various skills.

Born in Mexico, raised in Houston, and a long-term Austinite, Tanya is a humanist and an artist that seeks to reconnect with their community and their indigenous roots through various art forms. One of their proudest achievements is directing, producing, and starring in a concept music video for traditional folk song “La Llorona” which was selected to be screened at Cine Las Americas International Film Festival in 2019. Other interests include costume design, resin pouring, photography, all things spooky, video games, sewing, filmmaking, and drag. IG: @meat_bot