MFTA Hosts CREATIVE REUSE IN NEW YORK CITY Panel 12/1

On Thursday, December 1, 2011, from 6:00PM-9:00PM, New York City's largest municipal reuse program, Materials for the Arts (MFTA), will open Creative Reuse in New York City, an exhibition featuring artwork by three of its nonprofit member organizations: Flux Factory, Local Project, and Free Style Arts Association, as well as work by MFTA teaching artists and education workshop participants. Inspired by items from the MFTA warehouse, each group employed creative reuse to transform items diverted from the landfill into something beautiful and new.

Creative Reuse in New York City features five large-scale mixed media installations and six smaller sculptures which explore the art of repurposing materials in New York City. In addition to inaugurating the exhibition, participating artists will take part in a panel discussion moderated by MFTA Executive Director Harriet Taub and Director of Education John Kaiser in which the artists will talk about their work and use of found objects, the role of their host organizations in the artistic community and the ways their organizations make use of Materials for the Arts. The event will also include a reception with refreshments.

The exhibition will be on view at Materials for the Arts, 33-00 Northern Boulevard, 3rd Floor, Long Island City, Queens, through February 29, 2012. The gallery is free and open to the public from 10am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

About Materials for the Arts
Founded in 1978, Materials for the Arts is New York City's oldest and largest municipal reuse initiative. A unit of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, with support from the Departments of Sanitation and Education, MFTA collects a wide variety of reusable materials from both business and individual donors, and makes them available free of charge to nonprofit arts organizations, public schools and community groups with significant arts programming. For more information about Materials for the Arts, visit www.mfta.org.

WHO: Flux Factory, Local Project, Free Style Arts Association, MFTA Teaching Artists and Education Workshop Participants

WHAT: Creative Reuse in New York City Exhibition Opening and Panel Discussion

WHEN: Thursday, December 1, 2012, 6:00PM to 9:00PM
Panel discussion begins at 7:00PM

WHERE: M.F.T.A. Gallery, 33-00 Northern Boulevard, 3rd Floor, LIC, Queens