Scraponomics Episode 90: ScrapFest 2015 Follow-Up
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” — Colin Powell
So, ScrapFest wasn’t just a success this year. The auction more than doubled what it had made from any previous year. Over $22,000 was raised, a portion of which supports the artists who made the sculptures, while the other portion goes toward the revitalization effort of Old Town, Lansing.
On top of that, though, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked around. An estimated 2,500 people came to ScrapFest this past weekend to see the sculptures, visit the artisan vendors (many of which specialized in up-cycled art), listen to music, eat, see the activities for kids, and even participate in the auction. It’s hard not to smile when you can visibly see what is becoming Old Town’s first art festival come to fruition, which has been the goal for a long time.
It’s amazing, when you hear about sculptures made from scrap metal, your first impression might be one of mild skepticism. What exactly is artistic about scrap? But when you see what these artists create in a span of two weeks, especially if you see the before and after pictures, you begin to see the sculptures for what they are; serious artwork that you would find in any professional art gallery. I could see the people who came to Old Town this past weekend drawing the same conclusion.
To understand this, though, all you need to do is look around you. As I look around my house, I can’t help but marvel at other masterpieces. When you think about it, your washer and dryer are really works of art as well. After all, they, too, are made from scrap material, but rather an being up-cycled, they were re-melted into new products. Indeed, if your mind is a canvas, scrap is the paint.
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