Recycle 2021

About

The Recycle show is back! Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) will present Recycle 2021, a national juried exhibition in which all the artwork is “upcycled,” being composed of discarded materials, excess inventory or found objects. The artists selected for this exhibition are presenting work that is sustainable, making a positive impact on the environment while creating something beautiful.
What makes the work in this show so compelling is its use of unexpected materials as texture, dimensions, and form, creating a complex visual language that is not commonly found elsewhere. The recycled materials take on a new life, transformed from their original state into something new and different.
Exhibition curator Renee Radenberg said, “We have artists from around the country exhibiting both two dimensional and three dimensional works that not only demonstrate a high level of skill in the handling of the materials, but illustrates the importance of conserving our limited natural resources.”
As in previous incarnations of the exhibition, the returning juror is John Cloud Kaiser, the Director of Education at Materials for the Arts (MFTA), one of the largest reuse centers in the U.S. and a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Kaiser has promoted and advanced the exhibition of repurposed materials in art museums, streets, and schools in New York City since 2000 through his work with his art group, Free Style Arts Association, and as Director of MFTA Gallery. His works have appeared in many museums and public art settings including PS1 MoMA, the NYC Parks Dept., and The New York Times.
“We are thrilled to see the creative ways that artists transform materials that could have ended up in landfills,” Mr. Kaiser says. “They are embedding the stories of their reused materials into the art through the history of the objects and their statement on sustainability. This exhibition proves without a doubt that discarded materials make fantastic art supplies.”
There will be an opening reception for Recycle 2021 on Sunday, September 12 from 1-6 pm at the BWAC Gallery, 481 Van Brunt St. #7, Red Hook, Brooklyn. The exhibit is open on weekends from 1 pm to 6 pm until Sunday, October 17, 2021, or by appointment for groups and collectors. The City of New York mandate (Executive Order 225) requires that proof of vaccination be presented to view this exhibition.

About Materials for the Arts
Materials for the Arts (MFTA) is New York’s premiere reuse center, providing access to free materials to thousands of NYC arts nonprofits, public schools, and city agencies. MFTA strives to keep valuable materials from entering the landfill by putting these materials into the hands of arts professionals, educators, and students across the five boroughs. MFTA gives unwanted items the opportunity to become something new through creative reuse, inspired education, and unlimited imagination. Better than new; it’s renewed. MFTA offers a wide variety of events, workshops, and classes to help people see and experience creative reuse up close. For more information, visit: https://www.materialsforthearts.org/