TGIF!

We are getting ready for the weeeekend around here.....and yes we are open til 9 tonight, and Sat 10-5, and Sun 12-5....come on over and visit! I just wanted to give a quick update on what is happening..... 

First off......we are honoring our ancestors this weekend-- by having a shrine making workshop tonight from 6-9pm, drop on in on our rock star staff person and artist Savannah Ford. She will be here making Pocket Shrines in the Design Center, so come on over and say hi and make one yourself! And tomorrow night at SEEDS- 706 Gilbert Street starting at 6:00pm....we are partnering with SEEDs and El Centro to produce a Day of the Dead celebration, with food, candles, artmaking, music and a celebration of those who have passed, come on out to this wonderful community celebration.

Also tomorrow--- we will be at the Whirligig Festival in Wilson . We will be there with Bryant Holsenbeck (one of our founding members of the Scrap Exchange who we LOVE to work with) helping the community honor Vollis Simpson and his AMAZING work. Closer to home at the Scrap Exchange we will be hosting Repair Cafe from 2-4, more details on our website. I was very excited to listen to Karl Wiel from a couple weeks ago at the Reuse Conference in Portland, and we did get some of his manifestos-- one of my favorite manifesto quotes is "if you can't fix it,you don't own it".

And to top it all off--- we have partnered with Be Active North Carolina and Jessica Hoffmire to help get the PlayPod concept working at the VERY first school-- Forest View Elementary-- we are working on the sign for the shed that holds the goodies at the school as we speak! Check out the PlayPod link for the activity that is VERY popular in Bristol England YEAH Jessica for introducing PLAYING back into our schools...looking forward to spreading the concept..we all need to play together more. Have a great weekend!

"Modified Multiples//Mundane Machines" Opens August 17

"Modified Multiples//Mundane Machines" opens Friday, August 17 in the Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange. This show features sculptures by Julia Gartrell that explore common consumer items and unexpected mechanical processes.

“Modified Multiples” is a series of sculptures using numerous repeating objects combined together into new forms. The repetition of items transforms normal objects into unusual creations and explores our need to collect, consume and discard. “Mundane Machines” is a group of home-made machines that perform useless or redundant tasks. These highly constructed devices subvert the idea that machine-made items are more efficient and/or modern, and explores notions of labor and specialization. The series of sculptures and machines work together to look at how we approach mass-produced items in a fast-paced and wasteful culture.

Julia Gartrell is a sculpture and installation artist from Durham, NC. After graduating from Kalamazoo College in 2008, she has been refining her sculptural practice through kinetic and interactive artworks. Gartrell’s work primarily explores the production and consumption of goods, specialization of labor and the relationships between art, artist and viewer. She is a 2010/11 recipient of the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council. Using the emerging artist grant, she traveled to Morocco to participate in the Ifitry Artists Residency program. Her piece from the residency was selected for inclusion in the 2012 Casablanca Biennale exhibition.

Gartrell was also a former store manager at The Scrap Exchange creative reuse center, and will soon begin a post-baccalaureate art fellowship at Kalamazoo College for the 2012/2013 school year. She has shown her work previously here in the Green Gallery, and also at the Light Fine Arts Gallery in Kalamazoo, MI, the Durham Storefront Project, Made in the USA in Raleigh, NC, and SPARKCon in Raleigh, NC.

"Modified Multiples//Mundane Machines" will run from August 17 through September 15. An opening reception will be held on Friday, August 17 from 6-9pm. The opening includes refreshments and live music, and marks the debut of a new Durham band, the Hillbilly Hipsters! The band features David Rogers and his nephew Patrick Rogers, who are backed by the drumming force of Steve and Dan Mullaney, and the deep tones of Rob Walpole’s washtub bass. Together, the Hillbilly Hipsters produce a rich blend of folk inspired music. Other bands performing during the opening include The Beauty Operators and Beloved Binge.

The Green Gallery is located inside The Scrap Exchange creative reuse center, at 923 Franklin Street in Durham. The gallery is open to view anytime during regular retail store hours. Admission is free. Green Gallery opening receptions are sponsored by PBR and held in conjunction with Third Friday Durham activities. For more information, call 919-688-6960.
 

August is Teacher Appreciation Month at The Scrap Exchange

Just to show our teachers how much we love and appreciate them, we designate every August as Teacher Appreciation Month at The Scrap Exchange!

All teachers receive a 20% discount off their retail purchases throughout this month with a valid ID. (Discounts do not apply to Artist Marketplace or Green Gallery items.) A current teaching ID must be presented to receive a discount. Homeschool teachers may present their orange card to qualify.

Are you a teacher AND a Friend’s Club member? Our teaching Friends will receive 30% off the purchase of any retail supplies! Find out more about our Friends Club program at   http://www.scrapexchange.org/join-us/be-a-friend/.

What can teachers expect to find at The Scrap Exchange? A lot of unusual and inexpensive supplies and resources! Our supplies include a wide variety of materials including paper products, matboard, folders, binders, craft paint, house paint, fabric, thread, trims, tubes, frames, electronic discards, cutaways, science supplies, labware, and much, much more.

So teachers, get those classroom supply lists together, grab your ID, and head on out to the Scrap. And please pass the word along to your other academic amigos! Teacher Appreciation discounts are available through August 31.

Scrap Exchange To Celebrate 100th Third Friday Reception!

Green Gallery Hits Milestone with Opening of “America: Lost and Found”

The Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange is getting ready to celebrate its 100th Third Friday reception, and the public is invited to join the party! The next exhibit, “America: Lost and Found”, opens Friday, July 20 and opening night festivities will include an All-American hotdog cookout to help mark the milestone.

“America: Lost and Found” is a tribute to the people who have unintentionally documented America and its culture through their discarded family photos. People's lives are filtered out through the mass of donations that pass through our doors daily, and many of those donations include family pictures and keepsakes. As we piece together found photos from 100 years ago until today, we build a narrative about the American experience that is simultaneously diverse and repetitive, anonymous and familiar. Through our collection of slides, family albums, prints and related ephemera such as vacation maps and postcards, we create an almost voyeuristic glimpse into what we value as Americans, and what we choose to document and save for future generations.

“America: Lost and Found” opens Friday, July 20, with a reception from 6-9pm. Opening night festivities will include free make-and-take activities, refreshments, grilled hotdogs, PBR beer and live music. "America Lost and Found" runs from July 20 through August 11.

The Green Gallery is located inside The Scrap Exchange creative reuse center, at 923 Franklin Street in Durham. The gallery is open to view anytime during regular retail store hours. For more information, call 919-688-6960.

"A Legacy of Thrift" Opens June 15 in the Green Gallery

Working at The Scrap Exchange is not simply a job for marketing coordinator and reuse artist Ruth Warren. It’s a chance to live a dream and indulge a passion for reuse that she learned as a child. In the next Green Gallery exhibit at The Scrap Exchange, Warren presents a retrospective of reuse spanning eight decades by examining the lives of the two people that influenced her the most – her parents. “My parents are no longer with me, but thanks to The Scrap Exchange I can celebrate their spirit of utilitarian and creative reuse every day. The Scrap Exchange feels like home and reconnects me with core values that I learned in childhood.”

Warren collaborated with two of her siblings, Lee Stadler and Lynne Mann, to create an exhibit that focuses on the life of their parents Raymond and Leola Glover. The exhibit examines how the couple incorporated concepts of thrift and reuse throughout their lives, and the impact that lifestyle had on their children and extended family.

“My parents both grew up with little money, and during the Depression they used the concepts of reuse as a means of economic and physical survival. They passed those skills onto their children. I was making Christmas ornaments from bottle caps and magazine pictures when I was a preschooler. My father salvaged wood and nails from old pig pen lumber to use while building the house I grew up in. My mother saved eggshells, matchboxes and used greeting cards to make intricate 3-dimensional diorama ornaments. My childhood paper dolls were cut from magazines and Sears Catalogs. When my sister and I played “grocery store”, we used real empty food boxes instead of imitation plastic ones. Is it any wonder that I developed into an artist who simply adores the ‘art of reuse’?”

Sisters Mann and Stadler also have strong memories of everyday reuse. Mann recalls, “One thing I remember vividly was Mom making lye soap by rendering down animal fat saved in a container from every meal. Another memory was Daddy saving every vegetable seed possible from his vegetable gardens – carefully spreading them out to dry for the next year’s crops and then storing them in mason jars, envelopes, or whatever was handy.”

Stadler has equally vivid memories. She reminisces, “I learned a great lesson from both my parents. Things will last forever if you take care of them. To this day, we can still take out Mom’s 1960s aluminum Christmas tree (from the original box) and remove all the limbs from their brown paper sleeves to set it up. Not one sleeve is torn or missing! And Daddy never put a shovel or hoe away dirty. He took care of his tools and machines. Things were bought with the intention of using them till every scrap of use was exhausted. Disposable just wasn’t in their vocabulary.”

The three siblings are bringing a wide variety of personal memorabilia to the exhibit, each piece serving as a detailed example of their parents’ life of thrifty reuse. Collections include boxes and small furniture handcrafted from salvaged wood, well-worn walking canes whittled from tree branches, family scrap quilts, World War II ration books, 1940s photos of a 6’x12’ structure that was “home” to Raymond, Leola and their three oldest children, trinket boxes made from greeting cards, Christmas ornaments created from everyday discards, and much more.

“A Legacy of Thrift” opens Friday, June 15, with a reception from 6-9pm. Opening night festivities will include free make-and-take activities, refreshments, PBR beer and live music by pianist Ronnie Capps. “A Legacy of Thrift” runs from June 15 through July 14.

"Re-used with Care" Opens in the Green Gallery May 18

mixed media collage and assemblage by EJ Greaves

“Re-used with Care" opens Friday, May 18 in the Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange. This exhibit features colorful mixed media collage and assemblage by Durham artist EJ Greaves. Greaves collects small everyday items and found objects, and then transforms them into fun and playful art pieces that invite the viewer to play the I-Spy game.  

Greaves has always been attracted to collecting, reusing and recycling found objects in his creations. He studied art at Florida International University in Miami, receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree before eventually moving to Durham.

"While in art school I created art for the sake of quantity and quality, while fun and creativity were stripped aside. My life as an artist withered and almost died after graduation, becoming a hibernating seed until my move to North Carolina. Now my work is at a deeply personal root because it is steeped in selfishly using creation as an extension of myself, without regard to what others think."

"Re-used with Care" will run from May 18 through June 9. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 18 from 6-9pm with live music and refreshments. Green Gallery openings are sponsored by PBR. Admission is free.

The Green Gallery is located inside The Scrap Exchange creative reuse center, at 923 Franklin Street in Durham. The gallery is open to view anytime during regular retail store hours. For more information, call 919-688-6960.

Come to Our Swap-O-Rama-Rama Clothing Swap on April 29

On Sunday, April 29, The Scrap Exchange will host Swap-O-Rama-Rama, a giant community clothing swap that celebrates creativity over consumerism. This public event will take place in the Scrap Exchange party room from 12-4 pm. To participate, simply bring a bag of old clothing and a $10 donation ($5 for Friend's Club Members), and add your clothing to the huge piles donated by other Swap attendees. You can then search through and take home as much clothing as you want! DIY stations will also be set up during Swap-O-Rama Rama where participants can experiment with altering clothes and redesigning old clothes to create new outfits. DIY stations will incude sewing machines, sewing notions and tools, an ironing board, trim and accessory supplies, fabric paint, and much more! Music will be provided throughout the afternoon by DJ Piddypat. This event will mark the 9th Swap-o-Rama-Rama event facilitated by The Scrap Exchange. Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a national program founded by Wendy Tremayne promoting reuse, creativity and community engagement through clothing swaps. For more information on the national Swap-O-Rama-Rama model, go to http://swaporamarama.org/ . Check out a few pictures from last fall's Swap!

Scrap Exchange Kicks Off 21st Anniversary Celebration Week

The Scrap Exchange in Durham has survived a turbulent year of change and growth, and is ready to celebrate 21 years as a pioneer and leader in the creative reuse industry with 10 full days of special events and storewide sales specials.

The celebration kicks off with a traditional Third Friday gallery opening and reception that includes a birthday party twist! Our next exhibit, titled "Friends and Family", opens in the Green Gallery on Friday, April 20. The opening reception is scheduled from 6-9 pm. "Friends and Family" is our annual open-hanging exhibit where Friends members, board and staff, and the community at large are invited to hang any work that incorporates strong elements of reuse. Artists of all ages, skill levels and mediums are welcome to participate. Our "Friends and Family" exhibit is a true community celebration of the creative spirit that lives in all of us. Opening night festivities will include free make-and-take activities, refreshments, PBR beer and live music by Saint Mattress. The reception will also include a party and cake to mark The Scrap Exchange's 21st birthday. "Friends and Family" runs from April 20 - May 12.

On Saturday, April 21, The Scrap Exchange will host its popular semi-annual fabric sale. Shoppers can fill a huge bag with the loose fabric of their choice for one low price. Fabric rolls, bolts, sewing notions, trims and sewing patterns will also be deeply discounted. Friends Club members can begin shopping at 8 am. Doors open to the general public at 10 am. Friends Club memberships will be sold at the door.

The 21st Anniversary Celebration Week continues with customer appreciation events. Customer Appreciation Days begin Sunday, April 22 and run through Sunday, April 29. Customers can enjoy free snacks and store-wide savings all week long. All retail store purchases will be 20% off for the general public, or 30% off for Friends Club members. (This discount applies to retail store materials only; artist items in the Green Gallery or Artist Marketplace are not included.)

The Scrap Exchange will also participate in Art Walk weekend Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29. As part of the Art Walk, The Scrap Exchange will join with other Cordoba Center for the Arts and Golden Belt artists to create a putt putt golf course weaving through the adjoining complexes.

The 21st Anniversary Celebration Week concludes on Sunday, April 29 with a Swap-O-Rama-Rama community clothing swap. Participants can bring a bag of clothes and a suggested $10 donation, and then swap and take home as much clothing as they wish from the community pile. DIY stations will also be set up where people can alter and redesign the used clothing to create new fashions. This event will take place in the party room at The Scrap Exchange from noon-4pm. Swap-O-Rama-Rama is open to the public. For more information, call The Scrap Exchange at 919-688-6960.

Brew Durham Homebrew Festival Returns to Benefit The Scrap Exchange

Beer lovers, mark your calendars. Brew Durham is returning to the Bull City! Brew Durham is a beer festival that showcases home brewers from Durham, NC and surrounding areas, and the beer that they make. This event is a fund raiser organized by local home brewer Keil Jansen together with the Scrap Exchange to raise funds for the nonprofit's expanding operations.

The festival takes place on March 31 at The Cordoba Center for the Arts, the new home of the Scrap Exchange located at 923 Franklin Street in Durham. Festivities will include food trucks, live music by local bands, and of course, home brewed beer tasting! The Triangle's finest home brewers are bringing over 60 types of beer for attendees to taste, enjoy and vote for their favorite.

Brew Durham will include two tasting sessions. Session 1 runs from 1:00pm-4:00pm. Session 2 runs from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Tickets cost $30 per session and can be purchased online at http://brewdurham2.eventbrite.com/.

Tickets are also available locally at The Scrap Exchange and Sam's Quik Shop in Durham. Want to attend the event with friends or family as a designated driver? Designated driver (no alcohol) tickets are available for $5. Proof of age is required for entry to the event.

Live music will feature the Rezurrection Blues band and Oyster Destroyster. Food trucks will include Pie Pushers, Chirba Chirba Dumplings, Monuts Donuts, BikeCoffee and LOAF. Brew Durham is sponsored in part by The Cordoba Center for the Arts, The Cookery, Wine Authorities, The Monti, Motorco, and Bull City Homebrew. A complete list of participating brewers can be found at www.brewdurham.weebly.com/.

Last fall's Brew Durham Homebrew Festival raised more than $5000 for The Scrap Exchange, and festival organizers are striving to raise as much or more this spring. For more information, call The Scrap Exchange at 919-688-6960.

"The Artful Robot" Opens in The Green Gallery

Green Gallery Exhibit:  "The Artful Robot", robotic-inspired art by local artists
March 16-April 14
Opening Reception: March 16 from 6-9pm

“The Artful Robot" celebrates all things robotic in this community exhibit opening in The Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange.  Come see how artists throughout the region use old computer bits, random metal, containers, canisters, buttons, broken jewelry, unexpected discards, and other detritus to make... robots!  The Green Gallery will be transformed into a fantasy world incorporating a wide variety of two-dimensional, sculptural, metal and interactive art that playfully explores our perception of robots from the past, present and future.

The opening reception of "The Artful Robot" is scheduled for Friday, March 16, from 6-9 pm.  Festivities will include free make-and-take activities, refreshments, PBR beer and music. Artist Sebastian Herdlicka will also lead a drop-in class titled "Tetra Pak Wallets" during the gallery opening.  The class takes place in the new Design Studio at The Scrap Exchange.  Students will learn how to create a wallet from empty milk or juice boxes.  The class fee is $7 and students can drop in and participate anytime from 6-9 pm.  Bring your own empty drink boxes or use one provided by the instructor.

"The Artful Robot" will run from March 16 through April 14. Admission is free. The Green Gallery is located inside The Scrap Exchange creative reuse center, at 923 Franklin Street in Durham.  The gallery is open to view anytime during regular retail store hours. For more information, call 919-688-6960.

“The Artful Robot” exhibit was inspired by robotic art created by local artists throughout the last two decades,including this “R2D2” robot that had been hibernating in the old Scrap Exchange warehouse for many years.

Store Closed for Remodeling March 4 through March 7

The Scrap Exchange will be closed from Sunday, March 4 through Wednesday, March 7 for remodeling work that will “flip” the orientation of the store layout.

The main store entrance will be moved to the opposite end of the building, closer to the CC&W parking spaces where we’ve been asking Scrap Exchange customers to park. We’re breaking out a wall for the main entrance door, rearranging inventory, shifting some offices and work space, expanding our Artist’s Marketplace, and much, much more.

When we reopen on Thursday, March 8, you’ll walk into the best Scrap Exchange shopping experience ever. We can’t wait!

"Leaving Liberty" Opens in The Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange

When the roof collapsed on the Liberty Warehouse in downtown Durham on May 14, 2011, it marked the end of the most recent era for the historic structure. During the previous 10 years, the Liberty Warehouse, a thriving tobacco auction warehouse from the 1940s-1980s, had shifted gears. The building became home to a growing number of art-related nonprofits and independent small businesses, including The Scrap Exchange and Liberty Arts. All were forced to move out abruptly once the entire building was condemned immediately following the roof failure.

The next gallery show at The Scrap Exchange pays homage to the art, creativity and community fostered on a daily basis within Liberty Warehouse during the last decade. "Leaving Liberty," which opens February 17 in the Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange, will feature artwork created and inspired inside those old warehouse walls by Durham artist Daniel Bagnell.

Bagnell has been the collections coordinator and warehouse manager at The Scrap Exchange for over 5 years. This show will feature work he created in the previous Scrap Exchange warehouse space made entirely from odds and ends gathered there. From ready-mades to kinetic sculpture to collections of unexpected like objects, the former Scrap Exchange warehouse space had inspired an infinite variety of aesthetic assemblage and visual delights. Come and see what all those scraps were up to in the far corners of the building while nobody was looking...

The opening reception of "Leaving Liberty" is scheduled for Friday, February 17, from 6-9 pm. Festivities will include free make-and-take activities, refreshments, PBR beer and live music. Executive Director Ann Woodward will also lead a drop-in class titled "Altered Sweaters" during the gallery opening. The class takes place in the new Design Studio at The Scrap Exchange. Students will learn how to alter old sweaters into new creations like scarves and hats. The class fee is $5 and students can drop in and participate anytime from 6-9 pm. Bring your own sweater or use one provided.

While The Scrap Exchange has left Liberty Warehouse behind, the organization continues to forge a strong path ahead to the future at it's new location in The Cordoba Center for the Arts on Franklin Street in Durham. This gallery opening will mark the beginning of new, extended store hours for The Scrap Exchange! Starting February 17, the retail store will be open every Thursday and Friday evening until 9 pm, allowing for longer shopping hours and expanded programming to serve the community.

"Leaving Liberty" will run from February 17 through March 10. Admission is free. The Green Gallery is located inside The Scrap Exchange creative reuse center, at 923 Franklin Street in Durham. The gallery is open to view anytime during regular retail store hours. For more information, call 919-688-6960.  Check out more of Daniel's work on his Tumblr page.

February Classes at The Scrap Exchange

Are you ready to take a class in creative reuse? Our events coordinator Jessica Moore has been busy scheduling classes to take full advantage of our new design center. You've asked for classes spanning a wider variety of topics, days and times, and we are delivering! Check out the February schedule of classes below and sign up for one today. You can register and pay for classes online; a dedicated registration link is provided for most classes. And stay tuned for even more classes to be offered in March and April.


How to Channel Your Creative Energy in 2012
Sponsored by Catherine Howard and Aaron Mandel
Thursdays, January 12-February 2
7:30-8:30pm
Fee: Donate what you can!
Registration: Call Jessica Moore at 919-213-1278

Many artists, writers, musicians and other creative people struggle to manage their time, to develop and narrow their goals. Despite having great ideas, fail to produce the output they desire and dream of. To be the artist you want to be, you must complete projects. Learn to achieve your career goals by setting interim benchmarks and achieving them.


Yoga for Kids
Weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning February 2
4pm-5pm
Ages: Tuesdays: Grades K-2, Thursdays: Grades 3-5
Instructor: Nataraja Healing Arts
Fee: Donate what you can!
Registration: Call Jessica Moore at 919-213-1278

Kids yoga promotes self-esteem, body awareness, self- control, and general well-being in a fun, uplifting, noncompetitive environment. Kids expand their self-awareness and social-emotional skills as they explore yoga breathing, poses and principles. In addition to developing focus, flexibility, strength, balance and coordination, they learn how to visualize and deeply relax. Kids yoga classes will incorporate, games, music and storytelling, and will include a hands-on art activity based on the week's theme. All donations are paid to the instructor.


Beginning Sewing
Thursdays, February 9 - March 1 (4-part class)
4-6pm
Instructor: Madeline James
Ages: 7-10 year olds
Fee: $65 for 4 sessions
Online Registration Link: http://scrapclass2012-10.eventbrite.com/

In this class students will make a basic tote bag using reclaimed fabric. Sessions are designed for students with little to no sewing experience.
Session 1- Getting to Know Your Machine
Session 2- Choosing Materials, Measuring, Cutting, and Pinning
Session 3- Sewing Your Bag
Session 4- Finishing Your Bag



Beginning Knitting
Wednesdays, February 15 & 22
6:30-8:30pm
Instructor: Andrea Stephens
Ages:16+
Fee:$35
Online Registration Link: http://scrapclass2012-03.eventbrite.com/

Have you always wanted to learn to knit? Learn the basic stitches in knitting as well as how to cast-on and bind-off in this two session class. We’ll cover the tools, vocabulary and basic skills, then you’ll be ready to begin your first project using re-purposed materials. Supplies included.


Altered Sweaters
Friday, February 17
6-9pm (drop-in anytime during class hours)
Instructor: Ann Woodward
All ages
Fee:$5
Online Registration Link: http://scrapclass2012-04.eventbrite.com/

Bring a sweater or two, and make a scarf, hat, or just change it up into your own unique, one-of-a-kind design. Special Third Friday drop-in class!


Sock Monkeys
Saturday, February 18
10am-Noon
Instructor: Dara McGinn
All ages
Fee:$10
Online Registration Link: http://scrapclass2012-05.eventbrite.com/

Learn how to make your own custom sock monkey from 2 old socks, left-over buttons, and filling. No prior experience is necessary. For kids and adults. Bring your favorite pair of old socks if you like!


T-Shirt Re-Make
Monday, February 20
3-5pm
Instructor: Madeline James
Ages:16+
Fee:$10
Online Registration Link: http://scrapclass2012-06.eventbrite.com/

Got loads of baggy tee-shirts that you will never wear from your school, dance squad, team building events, and all those other cool things you do? Learn to sassify your wardrobe with a t-shirt modification class. You don’t have to have a lot of sewing experience, but basic knowledge of how to use a sewing machine wil help. Bring a t-shirt that you would like to modify and a t-shirt or tank top that fits you well to use as a pattern. By the end of the class you will have one sassy T, and the skills to make many more.


Funky Pet Food Totes
Tuesday, February 21
6-8pm
Instructor: Madeline James
Ages:16+
Fee:$10
Online Registration Link: http://scrapclass2012-07.eventbrite.com/

Turn used pet food bags (or bird seed bags) into sturdy and attractive tote bags. All feed bags and other materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own. This is a fun and easy project, but some previous sewing experience is required.


Cape it Up: Discover your inner super hero
Friday, February 24
6-9pm (drop-in anytime during class hours)
Instructor: Sara McCreary
Ages: 16+
Fee: $7
Online registration link: http://scrapclass2012-08.eventbrite.com/

Fight crime, live in a magical world, or be an evil villain - the choice is yours when you learn to sew a cape and design your own super hero symbol. Show the world your inner powers! Special drop-in class.


Collage Cards
Sunday, February 26
2-5pm
Instructor: Rechel Harris
Ages:16+
Fee:$20
Online Registration Link: http://scrapclass2012-09.eventbrite.com/

Create a collage that reflects different aspects of yourself! This collage class, inspired by the process of SoulCollage as described in Seena B. Frost’s published works about SoulCollage®, will guide you through the process making an original picture using images from magazines, cards, calendars, and more. Each card you make will reflect an aspect of your inner self.

Green Gallery Opening: "Xiucutil: The Origin of Beautiful Species"

Discarded wood finds new life in the next exhibit in The Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange. "Xiucutil: The Origin of Beautiful Species," which opens January 20, will feature paintings and burned images on salvaged wood by Durham native Joe McDonough.

McDonough is a conceptual, performance, and visual-based artist, writer, and musician. He is also a comedian. He was born in Durham in 1981. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, McDonough has drawn experience for his art and comedy while living in cities across the US, including Providence, Baltimore, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, upstate New York, and various towns in North Carolina. He currently lives in Richmond, Virginia. Interested in the way time affects objects, McDonough works largely with found and discarded materials.

The opening reception is scheduled for Friday, January 20, from 6-9 pm, with free make-and-take activities, refreshments, PBR beer and live music.

"Xiucutil: The Origin of Beautiful Species" will run from January 20 through February 11. Admission to The Green Gallery is free. The Green Gallery is located inside The Scrap Exchange creative reuse center, at 923 Franklin St. in Durham. The gallery is open to view anytime during regular retail store hours. For more information, call 919-688-6960. To see more artwork from Joe McDonough, go to http://www.joemcdonough.net/.