The Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse is an organization that diverts materials from the University’s waste stream and makes them available to the public for free along with opportunities for skill sharing, building tool literacy, and encouraged repair and reuse. Ultimately they are facilitating a culture of reuse amongst an engaged and diverse community.
For one year, I worked as the Communications Intern for the centre. I helped them visually communicate their re-opening, expansion and other events, created maps posted across the campus and aided in the process of creating new way-finding. This was not only valuable experience in communications, but also in my learning about active systemic change and the development of socially and environmentally sustainable initiatives. I took part in compelling discussions about community empowerment, inclusivity and accessibility, institutional change, as well as witnessed the development of a resilient community aimed at sustainable change. My work varied greatly and included illustration, typography, video, photography, animation, poster design, way-finding, social media page management and strategizing for the communication of new missions and mandate.
Two years later I returned to fill in for founder Anna Timm-Bottos on maternity leave, taking on the role of interim Programming and Material Depot Director. In this role, I was given the opportunity to rework and coordinate a creative reuse focussed artist residency in collaboration with 4th Space, to develop logistics for large scale used-material recuperation and storage, as well as provide support and educational opportunities for the community of volunteers and participants. Drawing on my experience with a great variety of artistic and design mediums, I offered sewing, woodworking, bookbinding and textile reuse workshops.
