Arts & Scraps - Making Magic From Unlikely Sources

The initial reaction of a first-time visitor to Arts & Scraps is likely to be amazement. Tightly-packed bins and shelves filled with scraps of all kinds - yarn, fabric, puzzle pieces, wood scraps, tiles, machine parts, greeting cards, bottle caps - are there ready to be transformed with a little imagination into - you guessed it - art. “I had no idea this place was here!” exclaimed a young elementary school teacher stocking up recently on supplies for a classroom art project. “This place is great!”

That’s been the response of thousands of teachers, parents, and crafters from all over the city who have patronized Arts & Scraps since it was founded in 1989. Arts & Scrap’s mission is educational, artistic, and environmental. According to their website, “We reimagine recycled industrial materials to inspire people of all ages to think, create, and learn!”

Arts & Scraps is so much more than a storage space for castoff materials. The organization is doing what it can to save the environment, one industrial scrap at a time. Everything that they sell at remarkably low prices - $8 for whatever you can stuff into a large bag, or $4.50 for a small bag - would ordinarily end up in a landfill. In fact, they recycled 21 tons of material in 2021. More important, their programs incorporate environmental education into crafting and set up young children for a lifetime of recycling.

The organization is all about education as well - “STEM through art integration” says Ang Adamiak, Arts & Scraps’ Executive Director. When teachers want their elementary school students to learn about the lifecycle of a frog, for example, Arts & Scraps will provide them with kits containing all the materials they need to create their own whimsical models of tadpoles and frogs. At a time when so many teachers feel compelled to buy supplies for art and science lessons out of their own pockets, Arts & Scraps fills a huge need.

Those may be the goals for grown-ups, but for kids, Arts & Scraps is all about having fun and being creative. Many years ago, my daughter had her sixth birthday party there, making Native American dreamcatchers with friends. She was jumping up and down with excitement then and still remembers it as one of her favorite birthdays. If that isn’t a good recommendation, what is?

Arts & Scraps had to put their in-store programs on hold during the pandemic, but they are hoping to resume them in the near future. In the meantime, the Scrap Mobile was able to provide services to more than 26,000 people at schools and special events in the community over the past year. In fact, 85% of their programs take place out in the community.

Arts & Scraps is located on Harper at Bedford (16135 Harper). A distinctive flowered mural covers one side of the building. The store is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, check out their website or call (313) 640-4411.

Bins are staffed with a variety of recycled materials. Image courtesy of Susan Newell

A mural adorns the exterior wall of Arts & Scraps. Image courtesy of Susan Newel