About
The EPA estimates that the average American throws away 4.9 pounds of solid waste every day, however those of us who have trash service can easily ignore this reality because our waste is magically whisked away and we don’t have the experience of watching it accumulate.
Craft for the Coast strives to bring awareness to issues of production and consumption and give litter a new life. By doing neighborhood cleanups and mining their own trash bins for upcycled art materials, people can prevent trash from going into our oceans and landfills. To take it a step further, the NEC embraces the idea that art is activism and has the power to influence policy and change the way we deal with waste as a community. Through works of art that are made using trash we can bring awareness to production, consumption, our societal notions of worth and usefulness, the flaws in our trash and recycling systems, and associated environmental degradation.
Craft for the Coast encourages us to recognize the possibility in what we may have once considered “waste.” Trash can become something beautiful, useful, innovative, and even powerful. We hope to transform our community mindset to see value where we couldn’t see it before, and know our actions create ripples. Viewing or creating a moving piece of artwork made from trash has the potential to create change within your home, community, or even the world.
Vote for your favorite trash art!
Visit this page to vote for People’s Choice Award.
Voting is open June 5 – 15.
1 vote = $1
Feel free to vote as many times as you would like and for as many art submissions as you would like.
All proceeds benefit the NEC’s cleanup programs.
Prize Categories
- People’s Choice Award (Receives the most community votes)
- Best Litter Creation (Submission created primarily from litter)
- Best Multi-Functional Creation (Can you wear your art or use it as a tool? Was your submission created with an additional purpose?)
- Youth Award (Submission created by artist 12 years and under)
Art Exhibit
Join us on for Arts Arcata on June 9th to view the artwork. The showing will be at Our Space, located in the Feuerwerker Building at 854 9th St. Arcata.
Sponsor This Event!
Sponsors will be prominently highlighted on the NEC’s social media, website, and monthly EcoNews publication. You can see a full breakdown of sponsor benefits below.
