Not Your Ordinary Trash Can
 Harold Sokolove - PVNN
| | Before... | 
| | Joan and some Bucerias kids doing a barrel painting. | 
| | ... and after. |
When Bucerias artist, Joan Johnson, paid her $300 pesos to "adopt" one of the new trash cans being distributed by the Amigos de Bucerias Civil Association, she decided to make the container, which will sit in front of her house, eye-catching.
After she and her husband, Dennis, received the bright orange plastic barrel, with "Amigos de Bucerias" stenciled in green letters on the side, she decoratively painted the trash can by adding some brightly colored flowers and making the lettering more distinctive.
Jeannie Thompson, the wife of Barry Munro, one of the co-chairmen of the Civil Association's environmental committee who is spearheading the trash can project, sent Joan a note about how impressed she was with the new look of the barrel.
She suggested that Joan could paint more of them if she'd like. (There are 15 new trash barrels in our front yard right now, just waiting for Joan's creative spirit to take hold of her.)
Joan's idea was to involve some Bucerias kids in the barrel painting. She had mentioned that if there were some Bucerias kids interested, she would work with them to do more "trash art."
So, Civil Association VP, Harold Sokolove, hooked her up with the Children's Shelter of Bucerias, Manos de Amor. Interim Director of the shelter, Katherine Briscoe, was excited to involve her kids in the plan to beautify-the-cans in the Amigos' beautify-the-city project.
"We're always on the lookout for fun and educational activities for the kids," said Semilla, one of the shelter's staff members.
With the help of another willing civil association member and artist, Karen Knapp, and 9 small assistants ranging from age 3 to 11, this past Saturday morning was spent at the shelter painting 4 of the barrels, which will soon adorn the streets of Bucerias.
"We all had a great time," said Johnson. "Even the shelter's security guard joined in." Joan's next move is to contact Bucerias area artists to decorate a few more barrels, she says, to demonstrate the versatility of the town's budding art colony members. |
Vallarta Weddings
Vallarta Living | Art Talk | December 2006 
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