Collage workshop turns castoff materials into art

Old magazines, discarded paper and other castoff materials covered the tables at Brooklyn Creative Reuse on July 11. Over two hours, 15 participants cut, traded and rearranged the scraps into collages.

Artist Laura Salvatore led the workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, Space C244 on the second floor of Building 2 at Industry City, with an entrance at 254 36th St. She encouraged participants to experiment rather than worry about perfect technique.

The room stayed mostly quiet as participants cut out images and assembled their collages. Sunlight filtered through the studio windows while they passed around materials and exchanged ideas.

Stephanie O’Brien, an arts professional based in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, founded Brooklyn Creative Reuse in December 2024 after years of working with arts organizations with a focus on sustainability. She created the center to give Brooklyn artists and community members access to salvaged materials and encourage creative reuse.

“Sustainability to me is making sure things aren’t going to the landfill—things being able to be made into art at an affordable price,” O’Brien said.

Salvatore said reclaimed materials can also take some of the pressure and expense out of making art.

“I think using sustainable materials takes some of the pressure off of collage,” she said. “Like with painting, it can be so expensive and prohibiting.”

Amy Ford, a Queens native who attended the workshop, said the activity offered a small way to reduce waste.

“I think sustainability is very important because I’m big on trying to save the Earth,” Ford said. “When you can make collages and reuse old materials and create things that might be trash, you’re just kind of saving the Earth in a way.”

Danny Coats also connected creative reuse to making better use of resources within communities.

“It’s more so anything we can do that helps rebuild our communities out of resources we already have,” said Coats, a Crown Heights resident.

As the workshop ended, participants left with collages assembled from materials that might otherwise have been thrown away.

Brooklyn Creative Reuse’s August events at Industry City include Cut & Compose with Min on Sunday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with sliding-scale admission of $30 to $45; Making Handmade Books from Scrap Paper on Saturday, Aug. 8, from 6 to 9 p.m., with admission of $20 to $30; and a free Brooklyn Creative Reuse Repair Fair on Saturday, Aug. 15, from noon to 4 p.m. Additional information is available on the organization’s events calendar.