Creative from Home: Recycled Art

It is officially Spring, and we eagerly welcome the return of warmer weather and new life blooming around us. As we celebrate Earth Day this April, it is important to think about how we can work together to protect our Earth.

Recycling is a significant way we can take care of our planet. It is also a great way to make art! Recycling is all about giving used objects a new purpose. Usually, this idea makes us think of putting bottles and cans into blue bins for recycling, but many artists have turned the recycling process into art, and you can too!

Artist Michael Albert began making collages out of recycled cereal boxes in 1996, in a series he called cerealism. He began this work with a simple box of Frosted Flakes and expanded into incredibly detailed pieces, such as one that uses cereal box lettering to write out the 19th amendment. Check out his work on his website!

Albert’s work shows us that anything can become art if you add a little imagination and creativity. So for Earth Day this year, we are going to celebrate both art and our home planet by making a collage of recycled, everyday products.

Let’s get started!

Things you will need:

• Cardboard box with lettering on it (such as a cereal box!)

• Scissors

• Glue

Step One: Get supplies

We use so many paper products everyday without even realizing it. Rather than just throwing them into the recycling bin, we can reuse these products and give them a new life through art. You can collect toy packaging, Amazon boxes, or cereal boxes. Look for interesting designs, fun lettering, or even images. Get creative - anything can be turned into something new!

Step Two: Cut up your materials

Now we are going to cut up these boxes into designs that we like. You can cut out the letters, designs, images, or anything you find interesting!

Step Three: Arrange your pieces

Now comes the fun part! Arrange the pieces on another piece of cardboard any way that you like. A lot of boxes have letters so you can write out something like your name, your favorite animal, color, or even a phrase. The fun part about art is that there are no right or wrong answers! Collages can be a collection of whatever elements you like and be a representation of your self-expression and creativity!

Step Four: Secure your creation

Once you have arranged everything the way you want, now glue the pieces down so that they stay in place. It may help to take a picture of your design before you start picking up pieces to glue them, so you have a reference of your original design.

Step Five: Take pride in your art

Hang up your art somewhere where it will bring you joy or brighten someone else’s day. 

Don’t forget to share with us @arckboston on Instagram!