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November Volunteer Spotlight: Sister Smalley and Sister Barton
What motivates you all to volunteer? As missionaries for our church we are here to serve people, and community service is a big part of what we do. We love having the opportunity to brighten peoples’ day and help in any way!
Why ACR? We like volunteering at ACR because we meet so many people, each with a unique background and story. We love the people we volunteer with and the people we volunteer for! We also think ACR is one of the funnest places you could be in Austin, and it makes us happy to be there and to see what kinds of crazy things we find.
How long have you volunteered with ACR? Sister Smalley has volunteered with ACR for about three months and Sister Barton has been here for about one month, but missionaries for our church have been volunteering with ACR for about a year.
Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why? We love the arts aspect! It’s so fun to see the amazing creative ideas people have and the things they are able to create, and we also love finding and buying our own treasures. The conservation aspect is really great too; we love seeing people being conscientious of the earth and its resources. We love that ACR is a mixture of both of these things.
Where else have you/do you volunteer? We volunteer all over the place as missionaries, but some of the fun places we have served are the San Antonio Food Bank, the Central Texas Food Bank, various assisted living/nursing homes, humane societies, Community First Village, and anyone that we meet that needs help with anything (we do a lot of yard work, helping people move and dishes)!
What do you enjoy the most out of volunteering for ACR? Our favorite part of volunteering for ACR is meeting different people and learning their stories. We love that everyone is so different and unique, and it makes us happy when we can help other people be happy!
Do you have any interesting or funny stories about something that happened while you were volunteering at ACR? Sister Smalley: One time I was sorting through photographs, and there were dozens of photos of one man in random places around the United States. It was really funny because he was in the same position in every single picture; hands awkwardly hanging at his sides, just standing there with an awkward half-smile on his face. I named the guy Richard and made up stories about him and his adventures.
Sister Barton: I love that seemingly mundane things can bring a lot of happiness and joy to people. One of my favorite things is the fact that so many different items bring back so many random and fun memories from my past and the pasts of others. It is an awesome way to get to know and understand humanity a little bit better.
Thank you so much, Sister Smalley & Sister Barton, for all that you do to help Austin Creative Reuse grow! Stay tuned to see our next Volunteer Spotlight, and please visit the Get Involved section of our website if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer.
November Artist Spotlight: Carmen Rangel
Carmen Rangel
Portrait of @ladivina.latina , local latinx activist, model, and body positive advocate• made from repurposed paint swatch cards from previous murals and from @austincreativereuse
October Volunteer Spotlight: Tish McKernan
Tish McKernan
What motivates you to volunteer?
While volunteering, I get interact with amazing folks in my local community. I share my talents and skills in numerous ways in the places I volunteer. There are so many wonderful opportunities in ATX to get involved…. anytime we get a chance, our family gives back in terms of resources or volunteer time!
Why ACR?
I’ve enjoyed visiting, volunteering, and attending workshops at reuse centers all over the US for many years….. When we moved to Austin in 2011, I eagerly watched the beginnings of ACR and couldn’t wait to support their efforts! I love the way ACR educates the community (individuals and businesses) to recycle, reuse and re-purpose those things in their daily lives….so much opportunity in this area!
How long have you volunteered with ACR?
I am going on my 2nd year as a Core Volunteer with ACR!
Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why?
Both! I am a mixed media, textiles/collage loving artist who finds so much inspiration amongst the treasures at ACR. I am also thankful for a place where I can donate items I no longer need that will be well loved by others. I value ACR’s mission to support educators by offering them inexpensive gently used classroom supplies (rather than buying new) and sharing projects using reuse materials in our local classrooms…
Where else have you/do you volunteer?
My family volunteers with our local school events (band, PTO etc.!) By far our favorite agency to volunteer with is the Central Texas Food Bank as well as their upcoming ATX Empty Bowl Project. We are huge supporters of local agencies advocating for children in Foster Care and encouraging/supporting those who Adopt.
What do you enjoy the most out of volunteering for ACR?
I have to admit I love finding new materials each week to feed my creative pursuits…. ACR is always bustling with excited shoppers. I love asking our customers what items are giving them inspiration or what they plan to use the materials for that they are purchasing…… Getting to pick up donated materials from businesses in our community allows me to share the vision of ACR too!
Do you have any interesting or funny stories about something that happened while you were volunteering at ACR?
Not that I can think of 🙂
Thank you so much, Tish, for all that you do to help Austin Creative Reuse grow! Stay tuned to see our next Volunteer Spotlight, and please visit the Get Involved section of our website if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer.
Austin Reuse Weekend 2019
Love shopping 🛒? And saving money 💰? And protecting the environment 🌎?
Join us for Austin Reuse Weekend from October 18th to October 20th.
All you have to do to participate is donate your unwanted goods to one of the participating organizations/businesses. After donating, you’ll receive a super cool I ❤️Reuse sticker, which you can use to earn discounts when you shop at other reuse businesses and organizations throughout the weekend.
Here’s how it works:
1. Clear out the clutter by donating your old clothes, household items, and even bikes to any of the participating businesses or organizations
2. Receive an “I Love Reuse” sticker
3. That sticker can be as a used a coupon for 20 percent off (or other special offers) when you shop at most participating locations
With Austin Reuse Weekend, you’ll be able to get rid of the things you don’t use anymore and earn a coupon to shop for things that are new-to-you. Now that’s what we call a win, win, win!!
Why is reuse so important?
Austin residents are estimated to dispose of $11 million in reusable items annually. A 2015 study showed that an estimated 6.6 million pounds of textiles are going to the landfill each year from Austin Resource Recovery’s curbside customers. That’s 18,000 pounds of clothes going in the trash every day rather than being reused or recycled!
For a full list of participating locations (and the deals they’re offering) look through the list below:
Mail and More on Brodie – 20% off of shipping from FedEx and UPS
Austin Pets Alive! Thrift – 20% off
Texas Thrift – 30% off
St. Vincent de Paul – 20% off
Austin’s Yellow Bike Project – $5 bike frames
The Salvation Army – 20% off
Austin Creative Reuse – 20% off
Austin Habitat for Humanity ReStore – 20% Friday only
Want to learn more about how you can support the local reuse economy year-round? Check out the Austin Reuse Directory at AustinReuseDirectory.com .
Austin Creative Reuse Turned 4 This Year!
Thanks so much for coming out to celebrate with us!! We hope y’all had as much fun as we did at the center Tuesday October 8th!
Big congrats to our raffle winner, Alex! He won two tickets to our next workshop, 2 free Buckets AND a $10 Gift Card to the center! Woot Woot!
What an amazing four years it’s been! On our first Saturday, we just hoped someone (anyone!) would find their way to our “not so easy to find” center. To our delight, 33 of our supporters showed up to shop and celebrate with us. In those first months, we were open to the public six hours a week and averaged a few hundred shoppers per month. Today, we welcome our community 40 hours a week to shop, plus an additional 20 hours to volunteer.
If you have been in the center on a Wednesday or Saturday (or any day it seems), you know we have steadily outgrown our current location. We will soon bring our community a new, bigger, better center complete with expanded shopping and a dedicated workshop/community space. We will offer more programs like Art of Reuse, Craft Nights, Kids Art Workshops and Educator Professional Development.
Look for more details on our move very soon!
We want to send a sincere THANK YOU to our entire community. We can not do this without you!
Job Opening at Austin Creative Reuse
We’re looking for creative enthusiastic people to join our team!
Clerk Position Details here
We review applications on a rolling basis, so it is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible.
We will not consider applications without a cover letter tailored to this position.
Please submit your resume and tailored cover letter online to info@austincreativereuse.org
October Artist Spotlight: Jane Burson
How did you start doing art and what is your preferred medium?
I loved to draw as a little kid and just kinda kept at it. My parents are also both makers – I think that nurtured my natural inclination to want to tinker around and try to figure out how to make the concepts in my head reality. I’ve dabbled in a lot – pottery, jewelry making, leather-working, weaving, knitting, painting, graphic art – but these days I mostly work in illustration (both digital and traditional) and as a ‘geek couturier’ – designing, patterning, and sewing outfits inspired by fashion history and geek media.
What drives your creative spirit these days?
Community! At the beginning of last year I was in a terrible art rut, then I won the Her Universe Fashion Show with a look inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle at 2018’s San Diego Comic Con and got to design a Marvel Avengers Endgame capsule collection for Hot Topic as part of the prize. I’ve met such incredible people through this experience, and really, being part of a community of encouraging, supportive, passionate people makes it easy to keep the creative spirit fed.
How does reuse play a part in your art?
Reuse comes in a lot when I’m working on a fashion piece in particular – I’ve always been uncomfortable with how much negative impact the fashion industry has on the environment and the communities exploited by the first world’s demand for cheap clothes. Using secondhand materials is my small part in mitigating that. It’s also a lot easier on my bank account – people who don’t sew are often surprised that even a relatively simple outfit can require hundreds of dollars’ worth of materials!
What compels you to donate to ACR?
I hate wastefulness, and I hope that if I’m not using something to its full potential, someone else might be able to.
Do you have a favorite ACR find? What did you do with it?
Oh man… how to pick! I’ve found so many incredible fabric deals – bolts of silk dupioni, Italian wool gabardine, changeable taffetas – for only a few dollars a yard. Most of the projects I’ve sewn this year – my Captain Kirk, Captain Marvel, Golden Snitch, She-ra – have been made predominately from ACR Fabric. I also love scouring the fine art section for paints and drawing pencils at a steal.
Where can we find out more about your art?
I’m currently most active on Instagram as @JaneMakesStuff
September Volunteer Spotlight: Deedy Woolard
What motivates you to volunteer?
An opportunity to do something positive for individuals who need help and causes I feel strongly about.
Why ACR?
Since I was coming in every week to shop, a staff member suggested I might want to volunteer. Since I was retired and had the time and when you volunteer you get to shop early, it sounded like a good idea!! The fact that the goal of ACR positively effected the environment was a bonus.
How long have you volunteered with ACR?
I think 2 to 3 years. Some times when the fabric donations have piled up, it seems like a lifetime.
Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why?
Both. By buying a large percentage of my craft supplies and creating projects based on items I find here I’m feeding my art aspect and at the same time I’m able to conserve and help the environment.
Where else have you/do you volunteer?
I have done the same Meals on Wheels route on Tuesday for 14 years. I love it and hope to continue for another 14 years.
What do you enjoy the most out of volunteering for ACR?
The people. The staff and fellow volunteers are great. I feel like we are one big happy family.
Do you have any interesting or funny stories about something that happened while you were volunteering at ACR?
About a year ago a volunteer started helping us with fabric on Monday mornings. At first game of the UT volleyball season there she and her husband were sitting a few seats down in the row in front of us. We discovered we all had had those seats for several years but didn’t know we were ACR volunteers.. Small world?!? Also if anything UT shows up at ACR, staff and many of the volunteers immediately let me know.
Thanks Deedy for all you do to help keep our center looking so great! <3
Find out more about becoming a volunteer here
Annual Report FY2018
ACR 2018 Annual Report
Click the (pdf) link above to read all about what we’ve been up to!
September Artist Spotlight: Stephanie Page
How did you start doing art and what is your preferred medium?
I grew up loving clothing-as-expression and was a professional international model as a teen, so my brain has always been into fabric & fashion. I started sewing after college, and as I settled into who I was, I expressed myself by the clothes I was making and dabbling in other mediums and layering them on with my sewing. If it involves fabric, I’ve probably worked with the technique. It took me a long time to call myself an artist, but as I started to share more of my work via costumes for performers, on Instagram and in shows, I felt comfortable with that term now.
What drives your creative spirit these days?
COLOR & PRINT is always on my mind, but I’m very much driven by the supplies I have on hand. I collect special fabric from my travels, ACR, and do some of my own surface design – so fabric will inspire my sewing choices. For the last few years, I’ve been very focused on sewing apparel exclusively, but I am branching out now with larger scale fabric collages and painting – again based on the supplies I’ve ended up with.
How does reuse play a part in your art?
In addition to collecting supplies from ACR, I’m always scouring goodwill for high quality clothing to refashion via painting. Honoring & extending the life cycle of an item is important to me, so I visibly mend my clothing. Visible mending extends the life of an item, but also honors the stories the clothing holds by putting a spotlight on the wear and tear, plus it pushes back against the perfection of capitalism and subtly reminding others to do the same. On a fun note, I just repaired a pair of shoes that were falling apart and refashioned them by adding fur – I get so many comments on them!
What compels you to donate to ACR?
Space! I have a small studio in my backyard and there’s only so much room, so the occasional purge of items that no longer speak to me is necessary!
Do you have a favorite ACR find? What did you do with it?
It’s hard to pick a favorite – I have used so much fabric from ACR in various projects over the last few years. My most recent project with ACR materials was a wide stripe home dec fabric and a wild Ikea print that I used to make a backpack for a very exciting trip I have soon.
Where can we find out more about your art?
@vividvoltage on IG and www.vividvoltage.com
