‘Junkbots' turn junk into art

SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — They call him Sparky.

He doesn't bark like other puppies, but still says a lot just by being there.

His body: an old coffee mug. His tail: the cup handle. His face: an old school pencil sharpener.

If the Shawnee High School Art Club's puppy doesn't send the message, how about his friend, the elephant. An extension chord and plug (or trunk) hangs from its face, an old speaker. The body is supported by paper towel rolls.

“The big thing is to talk about recycling. It is a matter of trying to find a second use,” art teacher and club adviser Brian Krawetzke said. “This is a way of kind of taking these discarded items and bringing them back to life and making them more pleasing.”

Thirty of these whimsical creatures, or “junkbots,” will be on display from April 29 to May 26 at the Meeting Place on Market, 220 W. Market St. An opening reception will begin at 7 p.m. April 29. Along with the art pieces, the exhibit will include environmental photos of the junkbots and a description of the project.

The club had a photo show at the Meeting Place last year. Students decided to go with a recycling theme this year to coincide with Earth Day on Friday. The club has been doing more recycling the past few years, Krawetzke said.

Students found things from the art room, around the school and from home: Old paint brushes, computer parts, computer discs, paper clips, water bottles, playing cards and much more.

“I didn't know this much stuff was hidden around the art room,” Art Club Co-President Heather Nester said.

The senior is thinking of making a butterfly out of paint brushes, electrical wire and colored duct tape.

Nester said the project is more fun and creative than most, adding that it is keeping the things from ending up in landfills.

Co-President Alex Buersmeyer, also a senior, is still assessing the junk, which keeps coming in, before deciding what he will create. He wants to put some old computer cards to use.

“It is kind of hard to put it all together,” he said of all the junk to choose from.

For Krawetzke, that is part of the lesson.

“It is a problem-solving technique,” he said. “You are presented with all this stuff and now you have to turn it into something. You have to sit down and analyze what all you have and start creatively assembling.”

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