‘Waste’ becomes art at Holiday children programme

Sustainable Whanganui organised another art workshop for children at the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre, assisted by funding from Creative Communities. Art teacher, Esther Topfer, has been supported by adult helpers to lead the children aged nine to 14 to make art from ‘waste’ from 10am to 2pm each day for two weeks.

In a previous holiday programme, children had created the Sculpture Garden, which is worth stopping to have a look at, when you are disposing of your recyclables. These holidays, they have been creating new objects to place in the garden as well as creating murals to put on the fence between the Fire Station next door and the centre.

They were working on two murals – one of the Duncan Pavilion and the other of the fountain at Virginia Lake. The murals will be open to view from this Saturday, January 18.

There is a huge array of materials to work with. The Re-Use Academy has collections of fabric, cans, lids, wire, paint, glue, bottle tops and even polystyrene which Esther advises, “is great for drainage in pot plants, especially if the pot does not have a draining hold.” The children used it for succulent pot plants, with the plastic pots spray-painted with mosaic objects glued on. As Esther pointed out, “these make great gifts.”

Sustainable Whanganui volunteers explained to the students what can be recycled and the students were shown what was available. As Esther says, “It was up to them to find their treasures in the different rooms and create their own art pieces.” These ranged from robots through to a large lighthouse.

In the process the students learn a range of skills both creative and practical such as using spray paint, glue and electric drills.

Esther was trained at the Whanganui Polytechnic and UCOL doing the Foundation Art programme, the Diploma of Glass and a Bachelor of Fine Arts specializing in print making. She also completed a post graduate teaching programme at Massey University in Visual Arts and Social Studies.

After teaching in the art programme at UCOL, Esther spent four years teaching in London at the St Martin in the Fields school for girls, most of whom came from Jamaican/African origins.

River City Press 16/1/20