Reduce, Reuse, Rejoice
Austin nonprofit celebrates 10 years of saving used art supplies

ACR staff member Katelyn Fiedler shows off a community mosaic that she designed.
An Austin institution for unpicky artists is celebrating 10 years in a brick-and-mortar space on Friday, September 26. Local nonprofit Austin Creative Reuse (ACR), known for selling usable, pre-owned art supplies, invites friends to celebrate three million pounds of creative materials saved from landfills over the past decade at an anniversary party.
Guests can stop by 2005 Wheless Ln. from noon to 3 pm to make origami that they can take home, get to know the community space, and participate in a scavenger hunt in which they can win ACR gift cards.
A press release attributes the nonprofit's origins to "a group of like-minded folks who thought that creative materials belong in art studios and classrooms, and not in the landfill." Creative reuse organizations are not unheard of, but they're certainly not conventional in the age of megacorps. ACR says it's the largest creative reuse organization in Texas, as well as one of the largest nationally.
Like any thrift store, ACR gets its supplies through donations. But when it sells those materials, it's not just through the store. It also participates in programs to send supplies to classrooms for free. These hit both the organization's main goals: better affordability and environmental sustainability in art.
“We are delighted to be celebrating this incredible milestone thanks to the generosity of our community and the hard work and dedication of our passionate staff and volunteers," said ACR Board president Carole LeClair in the release. "Every pound saved from the landfill is truly a labor of love to ensure these materials can get a second life in a classroom, art studio or simply around your kitchen table.”
ACR doesn't just host birthday parties but a range of events, from workshops to daily volunteering sessions where helpers process and sort donations. On September 20, it hosted its annual fashion show (photos and video coming to social media soon), and it maintains an events calendar where there's almost always something going on.

Asian vendors gathered for Tayo Na launch part, which celebrated the area's
Asian Season ATX celebrates Asian Heritage Month at Austin Beerworks.Photo by Joi Conti Photography