Update: Sign-up is now closed due to capacity reached after coverwhelmingly positive response.
The Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) team is missing their community. After months of being closed to its regular group of artists and makers, they are reaching out — all the way to the homes of those interested in a little remote creation.
CUCCR is pronounced “succor” — as in, assistance and support in times of hardship and distress. With that in mind, the group’s current initiative comes as no surprise.
“We’re dedicated to diverting usable materials from Concordia’s waste-stream and offering them to the wider community,” explains Arrien Weeks (BFA 06), CUCCR’s material and tool literacy coordinator. “Though we haven’t been able to invite people to go through our shelves because of COVID 19, we’re still collecting materials from the university and our shelves are overflowing. We want to share this abundance.”
“In normal times, we give gifts all day long. Right now, we’re feeling that need to give even more acutely,” says Anna Timm-Bottos (MA 17), founder and project coordinator of CUCCR.
“For that reason, we’re hoping to send out hundreds of creative care packages. We want people to join us however they can, to make something fun for themselves and, hopefully, a second creation to give to someone else.”
The Office of the Dean of Students is picking up the tab for postage as its own act of rebellion against isolation. Those interested can fill out the request form to receive a free CUCCR package.
“The idea for the project came over the summer, during a walk by all our nearly empty spaces,” says Andrew Woodall, dean of students.
“It was painful to consider a campus without students, artists and other creative minds — all those resources untapped because of the pandemic. We wanted to find a way for people to make something beautiful and share some love using what we have sitting within our buildings.”