San Diego nonprofit Art FORM has a dual mission: to inspire creativity in local kids and to save reusable materials from ending up in the landfill. Art FORM (an acronym for Found Objects Recycled Materials) hosts art workshops at Mid-City elementary schools that aim to instill a love for the arts and a message of conservation. More than 500 students participate each year.
Art FORM also operates a Creative Reuse Store on Adams Avenue that offers surplus canvasses, fabrics, paper, yarn and other art and craft supplies at deeply discounted prices. Through the store and its programs, the organization diverts more than eight tons of reusable materials per year.
Art FORM is governed by a volunteer board of directors, of which Deanna Sampson is a member. The mom of two has been working with the nonprofit since it was established in 2011. Below, she shares about the many hats she wears and what the mission means to her.
How did you first get involved with Art FORM?
I first heard about the organization was when my daughter was in first grade. Her Girl Scout troop went to Art FORM to do an art project, and I was a parent volunteer. That was the first time I heard the words “creative reuse.” Erin Pennell, its founder, was the art teacher.
The craft was about a bird, and she took 30 minutes to describe what birds are and how they fly and what they eat and everything about birds—it really let the girls use their imagination. I just loved listening to her explaining to the girls what creative reuse was.
I thought that was a really magical moment. Erin was so special to be able to do that, and then to teach it through creative reuse. And she explained how all the art supplies were donated by the community and that we were saving all of it from the landfill. That whole experience was just amazing to me, and I was drawn to it. It checked a lot of boxes of things that I think are interesting about the world, so I wanted to participate.
What do your volunteer duties entail?
I volunteer both on the board of directors and in the store. On the board of directors, I mostly use my software engineering skills, and I do a lot of the tech stuff—social media, the website, Google Docs, QuickBooks, payroll, taxes, bookkeeping, and I attend monthly meetings. Nothing too exciting, but I really love all that and it keeps me active in that world, which is one side of my personality. Then when I volunteer in the Art FORM Creative Reuse Store, I am very busy processing donations. That’s one of the main things we do there. I straighten up the shelves, so the store looks good. I ring up the customers. I also help find and train volunteers.
What do you like best about volunteering at Art FORM?
I love its mission. It makes me happy to know that we’re saving all this from the landfill. We’re also teaching kids art, which I love, and we’re teaching kids about sustainability, recycling and climate change while teaching them about art, and the importance of all of those things and about taking care of the earth. I love that concept of environmental stewardship.
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What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
The biggest challenge we face is definitely in the store. Our store has been open 2.5 years and it’s grown very quickly. We’re very popular with our neighbors in the area, and once people find out about Art FORM, they tend to come back, so we’re having a lot of challenges keeping things stocked on our shelves. It’s a good challenge, definitely. But I spend a lot of time processing donations, trying to figure out what things are and where we’re going to put them, how we’re going to display them in the store, and how to make it easy for customers to find what they need.
Can you describe your favorite or most memorable experience while volunteering?
I love connecting with the customers. That’s always my favorite, especially when an artist comes in. I love it when they tell me about their art and if they’re a painter, show me their Instagram account and all their paintings. Then I’m able to take them over to our canvases and our paints and our paintbrushes and show them what we have and then tell them about how affordable they are. Their faces just light up. I love knowing that they can go and make their art, and be able to afford it. That makes me really happy.
