The 2009 Ballot is out and there is a category for Best Art Classes. Lets get the word out and fill that category with Create/Sustain/Renew Free Art Classes!

You only have to fill in 20 categories total for your ballot to be counted, plus its a great way to connect with your community.

Vote Here!

The University of Arizona, joined by the city of Tucson, Pima County and local businesses, will mark April 22 with one of the biggest Earth Day celebrations ever held on campus.

C/S/R will have a table set up with recycled craft demonstrations. Learn how to make a bracelet out of snack bags or recycled paper journals!

Come to one or all of the events listed below:

8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
"Tucson Spotlight Conversation on Climate Action" - UA South Ballroom
Welcome by: President Shelton, Mayor Walkup and Chairman Elias

Public Presentations - UA South Ballroom:
1. Anticipated local environmental changes
2. Changes elsewhere that will affect Tucson
3. Human Health Effects

Group Interactive Discussions - UA Student Union Rooms:
1. Climate Change and Human Health/Food Security
2. Climate Change and Drought Preparedness
3. Climate Change and Affordable Housing
4. Climate Change and Mobility
5. Climate Change and Jobs

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
"CarbonDown Arizona" Block Party - Main Gate (this is where C/S/R will be!)

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m
"Campus Sustainability Walking Tours" - UA Campus

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
"UA Environmental Summit" - UA Gallagher Theater

7:00 p.m.
"Screenings of Planet Earth" - UA Gallagher Theater

The Columbus Library located at 4350 E. 22nd St. is offering a free workshop April 21 from 6-8pm on book purse making! If you are interested in signing up, call the library asap as size is limited t0 14 participants. The number at the library is 520.594.5285

What gets recycled into what? Sometimes it's exactly what you'd expect. Old corrugated boxes turn into new corrugated boxes. Newspapers? Same pulp, different news. Glass bottles into glass bottles. But some of the end products may surprise you.

These are just a few examples of the thousands of products that are created using recycled materials that would otherwise wind up in our landfills.

First Life/Recycled Life Glass beverage containers can be recycled over and over again. But they can also be used for other things you may not expect. Like roads. Marbles. Decorative tiles. Surfboards. And a host of other products and materials. Five PET bottles (plastic soda bottles) yield enough fiber for one extra large T-shirt, one square foot of carpet or enough fiber to fill one ski jacket. Steel and aluminum cans can be easily recycled for use in other steel and aluminum products. This not only conserves mineral resources, but the recycling process also uses about 75% less energy than using virgin materials. Recycled steel and aluminum finds its way into new cars, bikes, appliances, cookware and a whole lot more.

(This information was provided by The National Recycling Coalition)

Click on the image to check out the workshop and see the "how-to"

The Wednesday meetings will be canceled this week.

Please make posters on your own and drop them off at The Union Gallery to be included in future events.

Also don't forget the t-shirt tote bags workshop is Thursday, March 5 5-8pm at The Union Gallery.

Check out our calendar for new workshops and community sculptures.

March 5th 5-8pm
T-shirt tote bags

March 8th 1-3pm
Magazine bead necklaces

March 25th 6-8pm
Snack bag bracelets

April 5th 1-3pm
Coffee Bean Tiles

April 29th 5-8pm
Community art sculpture

Come to our next workshop to learn how to re-use your favorite snack bags into funky jewelry and wallets. This workshop will be led by UA Graphic Designer, Melissa Aquino.

This workshop will be held March 25, from 5 to 8pm.

All workshops are free and open to the public, and all materials needed will be provided by the Union Gallery.

All workshops will be held at the gallery, located on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd.

We'll be at the University of Arizona Mall from 4pm until 10pm on February 20 with crafts to sell and demonstrating some fun activities you can do with recycled materials.

We will also be engaging in a large community mural.

Come check us out!

The next meetings will be held on Tuesday, February 17 at 12pm and 5pm. We will be creating crafts to sell at the Winter Arts Festival, and also creating some of our passive education signs. Everyone should bring something to create a sign on, like a piece of cardboard or some cool “trash” you find or collect.

If you would like to create crafts to sell on your own time, just make sure we get them before the 20th. And there are craft supplies here at the gallery if you’d like to come in to make something.

UA Studio Arts Major, Stephanie Dammer will lead the first workshop. She will teach participants how to bind books and also how to make journals and notebooks from recycled materials.

This workshop will be held January 28, from 5 to 8pm.

All workshops are free and open to the public, and all materials needed will be provided by the Union Gallery.

All workshops will be held at the gallery, located on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd.

During this workshop, Graphic Designer, Melissa Aquino will teach participants how to make jewelry and magnets out of bottle caps. This workshop will be held February 11, from 6 to 8pm.

All workshops are free and open to the public, and all materials needed will be provided by the Union Gallery.

All workshops will be held at the gallery, located on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd.


If you would like to schedule a bottle cap workshop, contact melissa@karunadesigns.com

Workshop Participants


















Sample Jewelry Pieces





























Sample Magnets


















How-To Make A Bottle Cap Bracelet
Step 1: Poke 2 holes, using a sharp awl, into the side grooves of the bottle caps, repeat this step on the opposite side of the bottle caps for a total of 4 holes.














Step 2: Put small dab of glue onto top of bottle cap to attach image.














Step 3: Use Modge Podge to completely cover image securing the edges. I do about 2 thin coats.














Steps 4 & 5: Start attaching the bottle caps with 2 jump rings through the holes. 2 jump rings will be attached to 2 bottle caps.




























An average adult bracelet uses about 5-6 bottle caps.
Finish off ends with a toggle clasp.

During the 3rd workshop, participants will learn how to make totes out of T-shirts. Fine Arts Major, Pedro Romano will be leading this session held on March 5, from 5 to 8pm.

All workshops are free and open to the public, and all materials needed will be provided by the Union Gallery.

All workshops will be held at the gallery, located on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd.



































How-To Make A T-shirt Tote-Bag
Step 1: Find a T-shirt and decide what size tote to make. You will need a sewing machine (or needle and thread), and scissors















Step 2: Once the size of your tote is decided, cut the bottom of the shirt straight across at desired length.














Step 3: Cut both sleeves off at the seams.














Step 4: Cut the neck out. This will be the opening of your tote so the size of the "scoop" should be large enough to stuff items into.















Step 5: Turn the t-shirt inside out and stitch up the bottom of the shirt and and the edges of the arms and neck.














Step 6: Embellish the t-shirt with other designs or just show off the original art of the t-shirts.