Able ARTS Work Founder and CEO Helen G. Dolas and David Jewell, partnerships and alliances manager, Yamaha Corporation of America. Courtesy photo.
To many, musical instruments are works of art in and of themselves. But what if they could be used as a medium to create an entirely new art form and raise money for Orange County not-for-profit organizations at the same time? The Yamaha Cares Upcycle Program does just that, and the first results of this initiative will be on display at the Able ARTS Work Gallery in Long Beach, beginning March 12.
Upcycling is a creative reuse of products into new materials or products of better quality and environmental value. Buena Park, California-based Yamaha Corporation of America donated more than 200 “upcycled” musical instruments—slightly blemished guitars, cellos and violins—to four Orange County not-for profit organizations, which then collaborated with local artists and students to transform them into new works of art.