A creative nonprofit in Charlotte, North Carolina, is working to keep art supplies out of landfills and provide affordable art materials to local creatives. With a mission to "foster creativity, learning, and sustainable behaviors," Upcycle Arts is making a difference — one tube of paint at a time.
Per a WCNC Charlotte report, Upcycle Arts began in August 2020 with pop-up workshops across Charlotte. The eco-minded nonprofit wanted to give local artists a space to connect and create using donated art supplies.
As awareness of the innovative concept spread, so did artist interest and donations. In March 2024, the nonprofit opened a Charlotte storefront, enabling the community to shop donated items. The brick-and-mortar location also allowed the nonprofit to host more events, including senior craft days and volunteer sorting events.
Upcycle Arts receives donations — both gently used supplies and new unwanted items — from community members and art companies. The nonprofit accepts donations of fabric, paint, thread, paper, stickers, ribbon, beads, canvas, markers, crayons, yarn, and so much more.
Upcycle Arts documents the weight of donated items to track the nonprofit's environmental impact. In one month alone, the organization reports it diverted 4,051 pounds of art supplies from going to a landfill.
"We have kept over 100,000 pounds of materials out of the landfill since Upcycle has been around," board member and Upcycle Arts volunteer Rachel Busby told WCNC Charlotte. "It's unbelievable how inspiring other artists are about reusing supplies."
Art supplies, though essential for creativity, can be extremely wasteful if not used mindfully. Supplies like solvents, pigments, adhesives, permanent markers, and similar products — which often contain toxic chemicals — are especially important to use consciously and fully due to their hazardous contents and environmental impact.
The Museum of Modern African Art reports that art materials can negatively impact the environment through resource extraction for pigments and metals, energy consumption in manufacturing, and waste generation of unused products.
For any artist, it's important to be mindful of the items you consume and the waste you produce. While some of this waste is unavoidable when creating, using secondhand items in your art is a great way to curb your impact.
🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
🔘 Giving me money back 💰
🔘 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕
🔘 Making it as easy as possible ⚡
🔘 Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Upcycle Arts hopes to encourage artists to think about their individual environmental impact and tackle art-based waste as a community.
"Our landfills are going to get very full if we don't do something," Busby told WCNC Charlotte. "And why not give your brain some challenges and reinvent things? That's part of art. That's how we can be creative. It just makes your mind grow a little bit."
To learn more about Upcycle Arts and how to donate to the creative nonprofit, check out the organization's website.
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