New Ideas for Used Materials

Art class designs Maryland Day installation from found objects.

By Sala Levin ’10 | Maryland Today

Looking for a set of ’70s barstools for a basement renovation or a crystal chandelier for your Victorian’s entry hall? A 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Hyattsville is a secondhand maven’s Disney World, filled with light fixtures, floor-model washing machines, vintage windows and even toilets. 

It’s the rare person who’d walk into Community Forklift and think: “Ah, here’s where I’ll find the materials for my next work of art.” But that’s exactly what a new class at the University of Maryland is encouraging students to do.

In “Paint on Site,” Assistant Professor of art Brandon Donahue-Shipp, with support from the nonprofit Community Forklift and the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), is teaching students to reuse unconventional materials to create works of art. Later this month, the students will unveil their creation on Maryland Day, where the obstacle course they’re working on will be open on Tawes Plaza to any curious passersby.

“The goal is to create a space for tactile, sensory play,” said Donahue-Shipp, whose work is part of the university's Arts for All initiative.

Over the last several weeks, the class has made trips to Community Forklift to comb through its wide-ranging and eclectic collection of home improvement and building supplies. The organization resells donated goods at below market rate at its warehouse located just three miles from campus, while promoting a green message of reusing instead of throwing away.

Read the full story in Maryland Today.