Texas Art Asylum :: Creative Reuse
16 November 2012, 04:49
As more materials are being developed today, it leads to more representatives dropping off binders and samples at our office. This then makes the space designated for materials and samples very limited and in need of purging. We have plenty of rubber bases, carpet samples, VCT flooring, laminate samples, glass—a few of the typical items found in an architecture firm.
In the process of cleaning the library, I stumbled onto the problem of finding a new home for the unwanted materials that did not include the landfill. Through a Google search, I found a few events held in Houston for businesses to donate samples to, all of which had passed or were not in the near future. I even found places in other cities to donate to!
When I was close to admitting defeat, I found a place called
Texas Art Asylum. It is located four miles from our office—just perfect! This place is considered “part craft store, part thrift store, part salvage yard, and part antique store.” It was started as a place where artists and craftspeople could shop for items for repurposing at a low cost. This is made possible with the materials donated by businesses, institutions and individuals who don’t want to throw items away. If you think it can be made into something, then chances are that you can donate it. This has become my go-to place to donate items from our office.
Looking around the store reminds me of my parents/grandparents garage—storage for items they aren’t ready to get rid of like jars, yarn and fabric, hardware, nuts and bolts, seasonal decorations, old toys and even old cigar boxes. You never know when these things will come in handy! Although I will admit that there are some odd items like the doll body parts , but if you’re looking for older materials to use for a new art project, this is a great place to stop by and even find some inspiration!

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