Have you heard of SMART! I hadn't either until I was contacted last week. I received an e-mail from Kelli Monday, Project Manager. She had been following Art With Mr. E & my Pinterest boards, and thought I might be interested in hearing more. My student teacher & I were excited to hear the vision for SMART!...and to share ideas we had with her.
SO...WHO IS SMART! ?
It is a retail store for reused/recycled (scrap) art supplies created as a social enterprise under the umbrella of Progress Inc, a nonprofit organization that supports developmentally disabled adults. The scrap items will be donated from our community (you, friends, neighbors, and businesses) and will be processed by individuals we support for resale.
WHY?
Their mission is simple. They want to provide reused/recycled art supplies, at a low cost to the public while enriching the lives of the people we support at Progress Inc. with employment, learning job skills, and generating revenue to continue our mission of helping individuals to reach their full potential. In addition, their goal is to also provide inexpensive art supplies to the community, teachers, artists, and craftspeople while helping our environment by eliminating excess waste into our landfills.
PRETTY COOL, EH?!?!?! I'm excited for them to be a part of our community. Their goal is to open a place by March of this year! If you are in the Metro Nashville area...contact Kelli if you'd like to be a part in some way...or find out how you can be a part!!!!
k.monday@progress-inc.org
What an awesome idea! Wouldn't it be great if this idea spread to all 50 states? It would sure help reduce, reuse and recycle! Looking forward to see what kind of art projects you make with these wonderful resources, Ted.
ReplyDelete:)Pat
I'm not sure how much I'll use their services...but i'd like to help them collect. My school & church really have been wonderful about collecting things for me. Almost every week I go into the room where I teach sunday school...and there is a bag of bottle caps..or milk jugs...or whatever the newest crazy thing I'm askin' for is. :)
ReplyDeleteThere was a science surplus store in IL that I used to love. So much random fun cheap stuff. I wish we had a scrap place like that here. We have a free art supply swap every summer in our town which is super fun. But its only once a year.
ReplyDeleteCool idea... Hey the landscape project I did with my 2nd graders was based off of that third painting of yours. What a small world. I pinned that picture on Pintrest in the summer from another site... thought is was a great chance to teach landscape and watercolor. Had no idea it was yours. Very cool style. Hope it was ok that the idea was inspired by your own work. I will give you credit down below.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!
ReplyDeleteI just started blogging and want to than you for inspiration, Mr. E!