Photos and text by Jerrey Roberts
Everyday waste materials, like newspapers, magazines, sheet music, calendars and discarded book pages, were given new life last week during a workshop using the Japanese paper art of kusudama, given by Amber Ladley of South Hadley, at the Westhampton Public Library.
At the workshop, 15 women crafted flowers, picking from a wide range of stock brought by Ladley to create the petals. They added bamboo sticks or straws to fashion a stem, and finished their flowers with a shank button or bottle cap to represent the stigma.
A web designer by trade, Ladley has been crafting since childhood and started giving upcycling workshops about four years ago. She co-founded Knack, the Art of Clever Reuse, a store in the Eastworks Building in Easthampton.
She said she enjoys the community aspect of the workshops and has taught young children the art, which, she says, is more forgiving than origami.
"I'm hoping it makes people more mindful of things they're throwing in the garbage," Ladley said.
Suzy Shure of Chesterfield said it's challenging at first, but she enjoyed the departure from daily digital influences. "It's a joy to use your hands to create something," she said.
Lara Ramsey of Westhampton said she doesn't think she pursues artistic endeavors enough, so she was glad the workshop was close to her home, “at a library I love."