Recycled art on display at WNCC

The Recycled Art(icles) Contest and Exhibit has returned to the Western Nevada Community College Gallery for the eighth year.

More than 30 area artists were asked to illustrate the phrase, "One person's trash is another person's treasure."

Entries were required to be composed of recycled materials. The contest is open to students, college staff and the community.

Robert C. Murray's piece, "Footprint Island Lighthouse, " is a 3-foot tall, authentic model of a lighthouse that lights up. His materials included sand, wire scrap, a shrink-wrap cardboard center, a holiday light and cord, and food coloring.

Murray made the tower feel weathered by depicting salty wind and waves.

Mary Pone of Gardnerville created a small wall-hanging quilt called "Recycled Bouquet." She fastened cat toys, small CDs and yellow-and-red plastic mesh to the colorful quilt. Blue feathers on the tips of fabric flowers danced lightly in the air conditioning breeze.

Another piece by an unknown artist uses negative space. A 2-foot-wide white box has stylized line drawings of a female head with wild blue hair on three sides. In the box's tangerine-colored walls is a small, baby blue, 1970s-era suitcase with white writing. Snow and snowflakes are present in the writing and images.

Participating artists could win $100 for the Best of Show award; $50 for Most Creative or $50 for Most Useful.

An artists' reception is Thursday from 5-7 p.m. The show runs through April 25.