Participants at the Recycling Art and Craft Workshop held on May 25 in Accra learned that you can help the planet while having fun too. They also learned that there’s an artist hidden inside everyone!
Artist Geez, who conceptualised this program, says, “Many people don’t realise that art can be made from anything—including what we consider ‘waste.’ But lots of things we throw away are treasures that can be used again and again to bring beauty to our world in the form of creative yet simple art.”
The event was held at Serenity House Ghana, an event centre located at the Airport Residential Area in Accra. The Founder and Executive Director of Serenity House Ghana, Chaz Kyser, said that the facility, which was launched in January 2023, is the first of its kind in the country and is designed to meet the demand for all forms of events, including trainings, workshops, seminars, and even parties.
The large Serenity House Ghana compound is also home to a guest house for women, a co-working café, and shared and private offices.
The Recycling Art and Craft Workshop was the second in a monthly series. The attendees were from diverse backgrounds and included Ghanaians and expats. Some were artists, while others had artists hidden inside themselves but were waiting to be unleased in a workshop such as this. The price per person was ø100, pretty cool considering the comprehensive content, the time spent, and the great location.
This workshop was about creating a decorative mobile using the pods of a very common tree in Ghana (Albizia Lebbeck, otherwise called koko or “woman’s tongue tree”). Other materials included old magazine pages, shish kebab sticks, fabric leftovers, metal bits, cardboard, nail polish, toilet paper rolls, bubble wrapping paper, seeds, rice bags, parcel foams, black rubber bags, dry leaves, and even broken zippers. The aim of Geez is to distil a cool artistic flow in order to make “things” happen in 2 hours without having people take themselves too seriously.
Geez wishes that recycling art and craft becomes a genuine part of the standard curriculum (as classical art!) everywhere on earth. The native of Guadeloupe (French Caribbean), called Ghana her home for the past 3 years. Prior to relocating to Ghana, she had an international career (in Paris, London, and NYC). Now she is committed to using her skills, creativity, love of nature, and boldness to help those living in Ghana be better stewards of their environment while unleashing their creativity.
“We are directly dealing here with sustainability and a circular economy,” she said, adding that, “On a personal development point of view, people will rapidly see that they can achieve something new to them, that they can use it to fight boredom, to have a break from screens, to de-stress, to decorate their home, to gather the family around it, to have a refreshing experience.”
To learn about upcoming art and craft workshops hosted by Geez, follow Serenity House Ghana @ serenityhouseghana or visit the website at www.serenityhousegh.com to see a calendar of activities.
