Some work by local artist Roslyn Broder
By Labor Day Weekend, the City of Chicago will experience dozens of street festivals. There is no shortage of music, food, and fun in the
city in the summertime. It’s hard for any new festival to get noticed.
That’s the uphill battle facing the folks organizing the Ravenswood Remix. The festival will have its Chicago premiere this coming Labor Day weekend. It will be held on Ravenswood Street just of Irving Park Road, where organizers believe, the plethora of artists will appreciate this idea.
In cities like San Francisco festivals that feature art made entirely out of recycled material have become common. In Chicago however, which often boasts of its progressive attitude toward ecofriendly activities, there’s no festival where recycling is the theme. Ravenswood Remix is about to change.
It’s recently accepted hundreds of applications from Chicago area artists for art ranging from ceramics, jewelry, paintings, crafts, and even musical instruments. What makes this festival different from all others in Chicago is that all the art will be made from recycled material.
One artist, Roslyn Broder, has been making jewelry for about a year and a half, and most of it is recycled.
“I use a lot of materials that are vintage,” said Broder of what she uses to create her recycled art. She said that she
finds old beads, chain belts, and often goes to thrift stores for material.
Broder makes all her jewelry from recycled material
Broder was extremely excited for the opportunity calling the Ravenswood Remix a heaven sent opportunity to showcase her work.
Lori Horne of Six Two Designs makes clothes. Like Broder, Horne was already specializing in using recycled material to make her clothes.
This festival is also a perfect fit for her. “I feel blessed,” said Horne of the opportunity to showcase her work at a festival where the theme is recycled material. While her work has been featured throughout Chicago land, Horne says this will be the first time she’s been featured at a festival that demands the use of recycled material. Horne said that such a showcase is important to show the public the possibilities of using recycled material.
There will also be music and one musician will even be playing a guitar made from an old suitcase.
Besides art and music, the Ravenswood Remix will also give patrons an opportunity to learn how to make recycled art of their own. That’s
because there will also be a series of one hour workshops throughout the two day festival on using recycled material in different art forms. One such workshop will feature print making from foam.
A few of the local bands that will be featured are Spare Parts, Sybris, and The Loneliest Monk.
With education funding being cut everywhere, one program always on the chopping block is the arts and music program. As such, the
Ravenswood Remix will also donate a portion of the proceeds to Hamilton Elementary’s art program. Hamilton Elementary is also located in the area at 1650 Cornelia.
The festival will run this Saturday and Sunday starting at noon and ending at ten in the evening.
