Many times people try to express themselves in different ways, and are always able to come up with interesting and inovative ways to show their artistic side. On April 19, 2009, I was able to witness arts made in a new way....with cans.The "canstruction" organization displayed many interesting models, like President Barack Obama, Wall-E and Eva, and Oregon sites. This exhibit took place on the floors of Pioneer Place in Portland, Oregon. Canstruction helps bring awareness of the lack of food supply for those in need. The canstructions are sculptures created entirely out of different food containers donated by varied sponsers. The sculptures are built by volunteers such as Meagan R. and Amber B. who said, "This is an extraordinary experience and I am happy to have been a part of it." On the other hand Meagan R. said, " Although this is a great experience to be a part of, it is very time consuming and requires intricate work to complete."
"These canstructions took at least 5 hours to set up, however, the planning of these amazing sculptures took 3 months." Meagan R. states.
When seeing this art, I thought it was amazing how unique these groups of people were to let their cause be known to bystanders. I am wondering however, if there is any way this group may be in trouble for using the "Hope" picture of President Obama, which is under legistlation at the moment. I am glad that they chose such a strong symbol of America's willingness to embrace change.
Besides strong symbols there were familiar Disney characters like Wall-E and Eva from Pixar's children's movie "Wall-E". The characters are displayed portraying a scene from the popular movie.
Children were drawn to the familiar characters and more than willing to ask questions abouth the projects purpose. This was a great technique that the organization used to inform children about their mission to help others in need.There were many different sponsors who supported the volunteers in making these projects possible for the public to see free of charge. I invite people to continue to support organizations such as these as they search to find ways to help others and continue to provide our community with modern art. Thankfully these artists gift brings more than enjoyment to the viewer since donations are made to food banks thanks to these modern arts. If you are interested in learning more about "Canstruction" and its mission or supporting Portland arts be sure to check out http://www.canstruction.org/ Or to know when an exhibit is coming to Portland and other events visit http://www.pioneerplace.com/
