El Cerrito Announces Sandy Drobny As ECCRU Artist In Residence

EL CERRITO, CA - From the City of El Cerrito: The City of El Cerrito and the City of El Cerrito Arts and Culture Commission have selected Sandy Drobny to fill the first El Cerrito Creative ReUse (“ECCRU”) Artist Residency at the El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center (RERC). During her ECCRU residency, Droby will create artwork using materials found at RERC, conduct workshops or other educational programs, provide an exhibition of artwork created during the residency, and donate one piece of artwork to the City.

About her work, Drobny said, “One of the main objectives of my artwork is to educate. When people are able to see items reused in unique and artistic ways, they may be inspired to manage their discards more innovatively. I enjoy showcasing the use of recycled or found materials in my work, and I am incredibly adept at seeing artistic potential in a multitude of objects. I am a weaver, and I work with repurposed materials. I want people to see that weaving is not just an ancient pursuit, but it is alive and well in this century. I want to engage the public, and educate them about creative reuse as well as weaving as an art form.”

She also said, “My inspirational muse, in recent years, has been the humble, ubiquitous plastic shopping bag. Seemingly useless, and easily discarded, the bags are transformed through weaving into vibrant lengths of cloth. I began weaving with plastic bags in an attempt to call attention to the needless waste perpetuated by their existence. As an artist, I always let the materials speak to me, so who knows? Depending on what’s found, my artwork may veer in a different direction altogether.”

Drobny has previously done art residences at Recology (2004) and at St. Vincent de Paul (2006). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Design from UC Davis and an Associate degree in Arts, Apparel Design and Merchandising from the College of Alameda. She also has years of experience as an art teacher and
weaving instructor.

ABOUT THE CITY OF EL CERRITO: Located near the east shore of the San Francisco Bay, the City of El
Cerrito is an ethnically diverse community offering a high quality of life within one of the nation's most
sophisticated and beautiful living areas. With a population of almost 24,000 residents, El Cerrito has the
advantage of being centrally located in a major metropolitan area. El Cerrito is an established
community with a strong self-identity and a commitment to enhancing the quality of life for its citizens.

Image via Pixabay