Contributed by Terry Matteucci Koch
Valley Community for Recycling Solutions Art Piece Unveiling
7/8/2017 – 12PM
Valley Community for Recycling Solutions
9465 E Chanlyut Circle, Palmer
FREE Event, Donations Accepted
Three arrows, three tails, for a total of six pieces - and yes, I added that up without a calculator, using only my fingers. Give six local artists each a piece, each with a different talent, very few rules and see what happens. When completed and assembled, it will cover and 8’ X 8’ area and create an identifiable object.
“What is that object?” you ask. I’m not going to give it away, but it will be hung on the Community Recycling Center in Palmer and unveiled on July 8th between 12pm and 2pm as part of Valley Arts Alliance Second Saturday art walk.
Hint: There’s a hint hidden in that last sentence!
If you don’t know where the recycling center is, congratulations – you have reduced and reused to the point where you have no unwanted waste left to recycle. Since that’s unlikely (I’ve been trying for years and have been unsuccessful), I am assuming you are currently not a recycler or that you have recycling pick-up service and have no need to visit us. Whatever the case may be, you are invited to come to our Second Saturday event in July and see what we’re all about.
Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS) is a non-profit organization (see us in the non-profit listing in this publication under Conservation), serving the recycling needs of the Mat-Su Borough and surrounding areas. We provide a community service as a drop-off facility, accepting clean, separated household recycling: paper, plastic, metals and more. To learn more about recycling, visit www.valleyrecycling.org. Although recycling is free, we graciously accept donations of any denomination; we do not discriminate.
We are located next to the animal shelter, which is next to the Central Landfill. Follow the smells. You will see a big green building at the end of E. Chanlyut Circle, that’s us. And soon there will be a large, artistic symbol on the building, but you’ll have to come to see what that is on July 8th, between 12pm and 2pm. Sorry, no more hints.
Now I’m all riled up – it happens when I start talking about recycling, which is important, but I think before we recycle, we need to reduce and reuse first. I think reducing is really the most important R of the three Rs. Saying no to single-use plastics is the easiest place to start. Use it once and throw it away? Absurd! Wasteful! Unacceptable! Right?
Try carrying your own travel mug and reusable water bottle, don’t accept plastic straws or plastic cutlery, and bring your own sturdy reusable grocery bags when shopping. Plastics are polluting our earth and our oceans. Even though some of these plastics have a recycle symbol on them, they are not all recyclable. And very few of the ones that are able to be recycled actually make it to a recycling center. They are thrown away and end up in the landfill where they never, ever go away.
But I digress. This was really about that artistic object (symbol) thing with the arrows that will be hung on the recycling center. Did I say no more hints? I meant it. So see you July 8th. It’s a surprise!
Participating Artists -
Nicolene Jordan, Colleen Wake, Carole Henry, David Dinkel,
Sandra Cook, Carmen Summerfield and myself.
