The Good News Magazine

Thinking Outside the Box for Holiday Giving

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir. And an uncontrollable uptick in your buying habits.

No, it doesn’t exactly fit the image, does it? The custom of purchasing presents en masse this time of year often works against an otherwise environmentally sensitive celebration. Nevertheless, with roots that reach deep into both secular and religious communities, holiday gift giving is a practice that will surely persist. One solution to this predicament may lie in choosing gifts with environmental integrity. Of the many sustainable gift options available (beware of those which are merely green-washed http://sinsofgreenwashing.org/) a few stand out. Among them, found object art. The Mid-Shore is home to a host of residents whose creations feature repurposed and recycled components. In highlighting the work of a few, perhaps more people will be encouraged to think outside the big box store when selecting this year’s remembrances.

Unique and whimsical “Wacky Windchimes,” by Sandy Thomas, make use of repurposed everyday objects.

Relatively new to the scene of found object art is Sandy Thomas, of Hillsboro. Three years ago, Sandy visited an art gallery on North Carolina’s Outer Banks where she saw wind chimes made from old teapots and silverware. Inspiration was born. Back home, she replicated a similar chime to give as a gift and her budding business has grown from there. Trained in graphic design, Sandy worked for the Maryland Pennysaver for 20 years. Now between jobs, she creates wind chimes from recycled materials as an outlet for her creativity and also to generate income. She visits yard sales, thrift stores and auctions like Crumpton (MD) Auctions to find components for her “Wacky Windchimes.” Except for monofilament, beads, and dabs of Superglue, Sandy’s chimes are made entirely from repurposed objects.

Every wind chime has a name. Sandy explains, “Sometimes they name themselves - for instance, I planned to make “Blades of Glory” before going out to find the ice skates I used in one chime.” Other times, a name comes to mind while the wind chime is in construction. “I’ve used old skeleton keys to make “All Keyed Up,” and salt shakers for “Salty Dog,”she remarks. Occasionally, Sandy makes custom chimes for people who have their own idea in mind, acknowledging that these can be more challenging. Regardless of theme, Sandy enjoys giving new life to objects that would otherwise end up destroyed.

Growing up in progressive, rural California and Oregon, Karen Gaillard O’Dowd learned the value of recycling at a young age. Likewise with artistic role models, Karen credits her childhood, in particular her grandmother, a lifelong oil painter and creative spirit who taught herself to paint with her left hand after suffering a stroke at the age of 72. Nine years ago, Grandmother Gaillard gave her art books to Karen. That, in conjunction with a similarly timed retreat on the art of assemblage, was a turning point for Karen. “For the retreat,” she explains, “we were asked to bring whatever we wanted to assemble. Most people brought paper and book-making supplies or collage materials. I brought stuff like old comics, and a vintage Barbie doll. I was the only one who was making art with those sorts of things.” Karen had discovered her niche.

By creating “Colors,” Karen O’Dowd gave new life to carpet samples and recycled roofing tin.

She notes that over the years, the environmental aspects of her work have been enhanced. “Everything in my art - even the backing and the frames - is now repurposed,” Karen explains, “and I’ve begun incorporating more of the sustainable philosophy into my everyday life, as well.” Coincidentally, after relocating from Portland, Oregon to Royal Oak, Karen found herself living just down the road from Dotti Heimert, one of the Eastern Shore’s most well respected found object artists, and the former owner of the Bellevue Store Gallery.

Karen elaborates, “Shortly after I moved here, Dotti introduced me to a few ‘tricks of the trade.’ She and Helaine White, another established found object artist, took me along on a trip to a regional recycling center. I still visit there once a year or so. There is such a wealth of material – it’s like Christmas shopping for me!” Like Sandy Thomas, Karen also frequents second-hand stores and yard sales, and she benefits from the awareness of others. Karen says, “About a fourth of my materials now come from people who think I might be interested in something they’re getting rid of.”

For some of the environmentally conscientious, found object art represents the ultimate in waste management, by employing what is known as upcycling. Coined in the 1990s, the term upcycling is described as a form of recycling in which products of increased value or quality are created from waste materials. It is the opposite of downcycling, the more familiar system of producing new materials from used ones in which the resulting products are of lesser value (for example, converting print paper to toilet paper). In creating treasure from trash, the found object artist gives renewed value to the components she uses. In choosing to give found object art for the holidays, the gift-giver has an opportunity to change the energy-consuming habit of buying new products while maintaining the tradition of giving. And, according to Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer, giving is good for us. She says, in a 2009 Huffington Post article, “Giving increases the bond between us and the person to whom we have given something and provokes mindfulness in us.”

Howard and Mary McCoy reconnect people with nature through their found object installations.

Mindfulness is at the heart of the found object art created by Howard and Mary McCoy, of Centreville. Alongside their individual art, the couple has been creating art together since they married in the 1980s. Much of their recent collaborative work has been featured in biennial installations at Adkins Arboretum in Ridgley, where the two have created outdoor sculptures along the preserve’s wooded paths. This year, for the first time, they opted to use only what nature provided, save for some bits of wire. The entire show, called “Second Sittings,” was formed from what they found in nature. Of the eight original pieces, one was destroyed during Hurricane Irene, two were disassembled so that their wire supports would not hinder the continued growth of partner trees, and five are left to return to a natural state. The McCoys believe that an increasing separation from nature is at the root of much of our collective distress. “Humans are a part of the web of life,” Howard elaborates. “Molecularly, we’re not so different from the leaves or the trees. We’re all connected. It’s important to us to try and communicate that message in our work and to give people a reason to reflect on their relationship to nature.” Mary notes, “We’ve come to see the spirit in nature, and in the objects we use. Making art with them feeds us and helps others do the same.”

Along with their woodland sculptures, the McCoys also assemble what they call “Apothecary Jars.” Into repurposed jars, they insert objects, such as seeds, bits of fur, or butterfly wings, that they find along riverbanks or in fields. Mary, a former art gallery critic for the Washington Post, then adds a label to each bottle telling a brief story of the contents in a simple, compelling way.

With all found object art, the brilliance lies in its ability to cause the viewer to pause, to invite him to see the ordinary from a fresh perspective. In a season during which the gift giving convention sometimes compels us to forfeit our ideals, it is uplifting to consider that things of beauty are waiting to be discovered all around us.

Found Art
Found object creations by these and other talented artists are available throughout the Mid-Shore. Contact regional Arts Council offices:

Caroline County - 410-479-1009
Dorchester County - 410-228-7782
Kent County - 410-778-1149
Queen Anne’s County – 410-758-2520
Talbot County – 410-310-9812

And visit the following merchants:

The Foundry - 401 Market Street, Denton
Island Arts - 321 Love Point Road, Stevensville
Joie de Vivre Gallery - 410 Race Street, Cambridge
Green General Store - 31 North Harrison Street, Easton
Textures Gallery - 6202 Rock Hall Road, Rock Hall