High School East 2011 Art Installation

Each year, Allyson Uttendorfer’s AP art history class at creates an installation within the building to raise awareness of art within the district. Making this concept even more relevant is the use of recyclable materials. 

This year's installation is entitled "There's No Place Like Home." Students designed a living room/family room, complete with furniture and accessories, out of the top ten items that should be recycled on a daily basis.

The contents included newspaper into curtains and a television, cardboard into a couch, magazines into a coffee table, plastic bags into a woven rug, plastic bottles into a chandelier, glass into a functioning lamp, aluminum cans into a mirror, steel cans into a fireplace, batteries into a clock, and computers into a bookshelf.

Though Ms. Uttendorfer has explored issues of recycling in previous class installations, she said, “We hope to aid students and faculty alike in seeing that a piece of recyclable material can actually be used in innumerable ways, repurposed as art, and that its journey doesn't end once it is placed into a recycling bin.”

Students researched the project using wikispace to gather ideas. Inspiration was gleaned from contemporary artist Bart Vargas, known for his sculptures called "E-Waste" and "One's Man Trash," utilizing materials deemed as trash, then transforming them into modern art treasures.

“There’s No Place Like Home” debuted at the school’s Annual Art Day on January 6th. The installation is situated in a corner of the main lobby near the West gym, accessible for viewing through the end of the month.