Artists honored for recycled work

Artist Melissa Gregory's piece "Throne of Queen Mel" was named "Best of Show" in the Recycled Art(icles) Contest and Exhibit in the Western Nevada Community College Gallery.

The honor, presented during a reception Thursday evening, included a $100 check.

"My husband is asking me what I'm gonna buy him, but I don't think he's gonna see any of it," Gregory laughed.

Her piece is a life-size chair made mostly of toilet paper rolls. She said she came up with the original sketch about three years ago, around the time she first submitted a piece to the contest.

"It was kind of intimidating to think how many toilet paper rolls it was going to take," she said. Her 8-year-old son Griffin also used rolls for the piece he submitted, a locomotive called "Recycled Express." He won an honorable mention.

At first they saved and used their own rolls, but as the April 10 deadline neared Gregory asked friends and neighbors to collect as well.

"I actually found that people were really excited to have something to do with them," she said.

Gregory said the eighth-annual exhibit and contest featuring recycled materials is a great idea.

"It's really important to me as an artist. I use a lot of recycled materials."

Throwing things away is easy, but to reuse items takes a little effort, she said.

"It takes creative thought to figure out other things to do with it."

She was impressed by the other artists who contributed to the exhibit, especially Tony Heilman for his piece "Blend-Whacker." He won first place in the "Most Useful" category and a $75 award.

Heilman used a weed-whacker motor to power a broken blender.

"It was interesting to meet the other artists," Gregory said. "It was surprising to see the piece and the person who created it. They're sometimes incongruous."

Judges for the contest were artists Sharon Rosse and Loren Staley and Environmental Control Officer Deborah Wiggins.

Wiggins, of Dayton, has developed Carson City's Earth Day Celebrations, America Recycles Day and the "Trash Talk" program.

More than 30 area artists are featured in the Recycled Art(icles) show which asked them to illustrate the phrase "One person's trash is another person's treasure."

If You Go

What: Recycled Art(icles) Contest and Exhibit

Where: WNCC College Gallery

When: Through Friday from 5-7 p.m.

Call: 445-3234

8th Annual Recycled Art(icles) Show Awards

Best of Show

"Throne of Queen Mel" -- ($100 award)

Melissa Gregory

Most Creative

1st Place -- ($75 award)

"Sarcastic Park"

Lorrain Forbush

2nd Place -- ($50 award)

"Re-Hung"

Denise Sins

3rd Place -- ($25 award)

"2 Corinthians 4:16"

Malaynia Wick

Most Useful

1st Place -- ($75 award)

"Blend-Whacker"

Tony Heilman

2nd Place -- ($50 award)

"Foot Print Island"

Robert C. Murray

3rd Place -- ($25 award)

"Plastic Bag Dryer"

Ray Taylor

Honorable Mentions

"Roller Coasters"

Sierra Sheppard

"Recycled Express"

Griffin Gregory

Honorable Mentions for Fine Arts

"Chinese Diplomat in Jade Green Jacket"

Harold LaVigne

"Accumulation Piece"

John Gerber