Santa Barbara: Thanks to a grant from the City of Santa Barbara, local creative reuse store Art From Scrap is looking brighter! Two artists, Shayne Martin Oseguera and Eliot Spaulding, have created signs for the store that illustrate Art From Scrap’s impact on the community. Designed and hand painted in both Spanish and English, the beautiful new signs remind Art From Scrap shoppers that when they shop at Art From Scrap, they are not only getting deals on great materials, they are also helping to divert waste from landfills and supporting the broader environmental educational programming of Explore Ecology.
Art From Scrap is a program of local nonprofit Explore Ecology and has been a vital part of their mission to empower the next generation of environmental stewards. Since 1990, Art From Scrap has diverted thousands of pounds of waste from the landfill each year. In addition, Art From Scrap works with schools and local foundations to provide affordable reuse materials to many teachers, art educators, and nonprofits throughout Santa Barbara County. Art From Scrap provides inspiration and environmentally conscious materials, while also serving the community in many ways: hosting field trips to teach children about waste reduction, selling affordable art and craft supplies to the public, and offering a wide array of art workshops for children and adults.
The vibrant new signs highlight the impact customers have when they choose to shop at Art From Scrap, inform them of the impact that donating and using reuse materials has on the environment, and educates them about Explore Ecology’s work beyond the store. Having two California-based artists create these signs and designs made the information sharing a lot more creative.
Shayne Martin Oseguera is a Chicano visual artist from the Bay Area working out of San Diego, CA. He specializes in murals with public art across California, including National Historical Landmark Chicano Park. Most recently, Shayne painted new signage in Spanish and a storage locker for Art From Scrap, a program of Explore Ecology. His graphic approach to the signs were inspired from the bold and bright lettering seen painted around Mexico. The inspiration behind the storage locker comes from Mexican embroidery and his experience while visiting Art From Scrap. Visit the store and you’ll witness breathtaking mountains and be greeted by a family of crows that decorate the locker.
Eliot Spaulding is a local interdisciplinary fine artist and illustrator. Eliot says, “Being selected for this project felt like a wonderful full-circle moment. Having grown up in Santa Barbara, I’ve been coming to Art From Scrap since childhood. In my previous career as a Display Artist, I donated many excess materials and installation components to the store; and in my current studio practice, sustainability is at the core of the work I create, so naturally Art From Scrap is always my first stop when I’m in need of supplies.”
Explore Ecology is very grateful to the City of Santa Barbara for the grant that made this project possible. Funding support was provided by the City of Santa Barbara’s Organizational Development Grant Program.
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About Explore Ecology: Explore Ecology is a Santa Barbara-based environmental education nonprofit dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. Through innovative programs and hands-on experiences, Explore Ecology empowers our community to take action to protect and preserve the environment. Explore Ecology programs include the Art From Scrap Creative Reuse Store, Environmental Education, Watershed Resource Center, EE Makerspace, and the School Gardens Program. Learn more at ExploreEcology.org.
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