Attention artists: Old Town Ramble and Ride organizers want your crafty ideas for trash.

As part of the 12th annual festival SA国际影视传媒� set to return Aug. 3 to Aug. 5 SA国际影视传媒� the yearly summer showcasing of Old Town's unique arts and music scene will feature a new Trash-formation Art Contest, offering resourceful folks the chance to get creative with cast-away junk.

The prerequisites, according to festival coordinator Emily Smits, are simple: all artists need are some dump-destined garbage and a vision.

SA国际影视传媒淭he skySA国际影视传媒檚 the limit. The beauty about it is itSA国际影视传媒檚 really up to your imagination,SA国际影视传媒� said Smits.

While the trash-to-treasure contest is a first for Old Town Ramble and Ride SA国际影视传媒� backed this year by returning non-profit partner Ecology North SA国际影视传媒� the idea isn't.

In similar events held in recent years, namely showcases hosted by Ecology North and the Aurora Arts Society, dumpster-diving artists have delivered an array of reworked works, including sculptures fused from unwanted scraps of steel.

Similar sculptures are welcome at this year's contest, said Smits, but so is nearly anything an artist can think of.

SA国际影视传媒淚t could be a wall hanging or a piece of lawn art; something you build and attach to your bike. We don't put any stipulations on what the possibilities could be as far as what someone wants to create,SA国际影视传媒� she said, adding submissions could even include art made from organic waste.

Smits hopes the creative contest will bring in up to 40 artists and their re-purposed Picassos.

Prizes, including a grand giveaway of a bicycle donated by Matthew Grogono of the Old Town Bike Works, will be handed out to winning entries.

With this year's Old Town Ramble and Ride aiming to highlight the SA国际影视传媒渆nvironmental sideSA国际影视传媒� of the festival, Smits said the recycling-focused Trash-formation Art Contest is a fitting addition to the lineup SA国际影视传媒� one that strikes a cord with Ecology North's waste reduction mandate.

SA国际影视传媒淭he Trash-formation Art Contest is an opportunity to showcase talent in our community and provide a creative outlet to challenge ourselves to extend the life-cycle of unwanted items. Thereby demonstrating a less wasteful approach to life,SA国际影视传媒� stated an Ecology North spokesperson in an email.

SA国际影视传媒淲e all have an opportunity to reduce the amount of material that ends up in our landfill. The Trash-formation contest highlights reusing, which can also be seen as re-purposing or up-cycling items.SA国际影视传媒�

But for festival-goers making the trek down the hill to Old Town, the inaugural contest won't be the only display of local talent tapped by organizers.

The junk-to-art showdown will go down in concert with the musical stylings of various acts, including this year's headliner Supaman, a hip-hop performer who recently took home two top honours at the 2018 Indigenous Music Awards.

The festival has added a fourth stage to host additional talent at the three-day event, which will also feature workshops and demonstrations, food, dance, films SA国际影视传媒� and more art.

For Smits, it's no surprise that the salvaged, D-I-Y brand of art SA国际影视传媒� set to be showcased in the upcoming Trash-formation Art Contest SA国际影视传媒� has long been embraced by the community.

SA国际影视传媒淲ell, Yellowknifers love the dump SA国际影视传媒� YKEA is no secret. But I think just in general there seems to be kind of a shift in thinking about what kind of trash we produce and what kind of waste we create,SA国际影视传媒� said Smits.

Smits, who is drawn to revitalizing old furniture as an artist herself, said there's something about finding use in the useless that's appealing to the masses.

SA国际影视传媒淚 know myself I love to take things that have have abandoned in life and make it useful and have purpose again,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淚t reminds us of what we're producing, what we're doing, and also being creative with it kind of gives it new life. Not all art needs to be that but it can help to provoke thought or make you look at things differently,SA国际影视传媒� added Smits.

Interested and salvage-savvy artists looking to breathe new life into out-to-pasture items, objects, materials SA国际影视传媒� and whatever else SA国际影视传媒� can showcase their skills by contacting Ecology North at byran@ecologynorth.ca. The deadline for first come first serve submissions is July 27.