Art Material Rescue At YuCanDu
Just step inside and you will fall in love with the way this
hands-on art studio rescues ordinary things and turns them
into art materials. What others toss aside Yucandu Art Studio
turns into creative works of art and unusual store displays.
Cardboard, old windows, doors, broken china and glass—all
of it affirms the old adage “one person’s trash
is another person’s treasure.”
Kim Harris and Holly Smith, co-owners, can be found dumpster-diving
for one-of-a-kind items to be turned into masterpieces by
their students in Yucandu’s After-School Art Club
or Summer Art Camps.
Harris and Smith like to use interesting objects that otherwise
would be discarded. “We love it when customers do
a double-take when examining our samples.” They often
hear, “Well, I guess I’d better stop throwing
away just about everything!” Last year, Kim and Holly
rescued a dozen ledgers from Blanner Electric in Old Webster.
Harris says, “they were literally in the dumpster
out back, right on top—we could not believe they threw
them away. They were so old, dating back to the 1930’s,
and the entries were handwritten in pencil. We knew our
customers would love it in their collages.”
This summer Yucandu Art Studio is planning several “rescue”
art projects for their summer art camps. Old trophies they’ve
been collecting for 2 years will become armatures for clay
Family Tree sculptures. Donated windows and doors will turn
into wooden and glass canvases. An old fence will become
dozens of bright painted signs, and years of collected “junque”
will be turned into clocks.
“We collect all kinds of unusual items, confident
that we’ll come up with the creative idea later, sometimes
as long as two years later!” Before discarding anything,
Yucandu recommends that you take a good look at the shape
and texture, looking for artistic possibilities. For example,
at the clay project table, there are many unusual items
that make great texture on clay--the tire from a child’s
wagon, broken seashells, an old piece of metal screen, a
golf ball and so on…
Yucandu Art Studio specializes in adding art to your life
by providing all the stuff and teaching all the steps you
need so that “yucandu” the art! Creating art
is an entertaining family activity, a therapeutic way to
spend an afternoon, and a simple way to make or give something
personal.
Environment Friendly and Creative Tips that “Yucandu”
Reuse Materials
1. Telephone books—pages are great for cleaning grout
on mosaic projects and for cleaning glass.
2. Shipping boxes/cartons—cut down into placemats
for art projects .
3. Magazines—use a workspace when making cards and
books. Once the workspace has glue on it, simply turn the
page for a new clean space.
4. Broken dishes and tile—Yucandu Art Studio accepts
donations and in turn, the customers break and use them
in their mosaic projects.
5. Look for resourceful projects. For example, there is
an actual air hardening clay that you can make from dryer
lint— (See recipe)
6. Unwanted treasures—incorporate all kinds of things
into art projects. Below is a list of items that Yucandu
Art Studio will accept.
7. Bottles—reuse glass bottles as a base for a mosaic
or decoupage project.
8. Use film canisters to hold glue or paint. They’re
air and water tight and hold 1 oz. of liquid.
Yucandu Art Studio
20 Allen Avenue. Webster Groves MO 63119
314.963.4400
art@yucandu.com
www.yucandu.com
Dryer Lint Clay
2 cups of dryer lint, firmly packed
1/3 cup warm water
6 Tablespoons white glue
1 Tablespoon clear dish liquid
Measure ingredients into airtight plastic bag and knead
thoroughly.
Items Yucandu is currently happy to reuse for you:
Trophies
Game parts, boards, instructions and score sheets
Cool labels from cans, tea and candy bars.
Junk jewelry
Broken or chipped china, preferably in bright colors
Nuts and bolts
Recipe books
Children’s books
