World Report: November 20, 1998 Vol.4 No.10
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
From Trash to Treasures
Look closely at the miniature furniture at right. The chairs and tables seem to be made of a fancy new metal. But they were crafted from flattened and carefully cut bottle tops.
For centuries, people all over the world have been turning their trash into marvelous artwork and toys. They twist wire into a tiny bicycle or shape sheet metal into a floating boat. The results are more wondrous than the latest high-tech gadgets in toy stores, and each is one of a kind. Now, more than 800 such treasures from nearly 50 countries are on display in a show called "Recycled, Re-Seen: Folk Art from the Global Scrap Heap." It is traveling to museums across the U.S.
The exhibition began at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Museum director Charlene Cerny was inspired by the tradition of tin-working in her state. Finding new toys and tracking down their creators, she says, "was a fantastic mystery." Folk-art pieces are passed down through so many hands that it's hard to discover the original artist.
Simple Pleasures
In poor countries, trash may be the only material artists and toymakers can afford. But as the exhibit proves, a rich imagination makes up for poor materials. A toy film projector from Pakistan, made of cans and machine parts, really works! Shoe-polish cans and bottle caps became a train in India. Some toys offer clues to what life is like for kids in troubled lands: there are tanks, helicopters and machine guns.
The show is now in Palm Springs, California, and next year will move to Morristown, New Jersey. It includes a workshop in which visitors can make their own art from tin cans or old yogurt containers. Sydney Williams leads the workshop in Palm Springs. "Kids really get an understanding of how other cultures value materials," she says.
While the exhibition shows us that recycling involves more than tossing trash in a bin, it also reminds kids and adults of the simplicity of playtime. Says Cerny: "You don't have to have a big expensive toy in order to keep yourself entertained."
