ScrapFest 12 - From Start To Finish.
ScrapFest is an annual event based around metal sculptures specifically made from scrap metal. Exclusively, the materials used can only be from Friedland Industries Scrap Yard in Lansing, MI.
First Update: Scrap Metal Collection Day! 5/7/22
Collection day is when all of the artists collect their material for their sculpture. We were of the first to arrive at Friedland Industries Scrap Yard to see what we were up against. We walked around the perimeter and peeked through the fences to get an idea of what all was inside. Little by little other artists started arriving and it was great to meet new people, shake some hands, and put faces to names. Shout out to Andrew Sandstedt and Steve Kost for welcoming me right away. I was lucky enough to have some help with me, a great family friend, John Malusek, was my helper on collecting material. My brother, Josh Snider, (also from Pittsburgh, PA) came with me to photograph the whole event. Last with me was part of my inspiration for my sculpture, Art Magsig (my supportive grandfather-in-law). Before we knew it ScrapFest Director, Mike Bass, was announcing the rules over a megaphone he announced the countdown, “3, 2, 1 GO! Buzzzz!!”.
As the buzzer went off, dozens of select artists rushed the scrap yard. Some knew exactly what they were looking for and others were sifting though piles of metal looking for the right pieces. I joke about it now saying, “It was like the show “Supermarket Sweep” but for metal artists”. With a huge smile on my face, I methodically gathered each piece I would need for my sculpture. The main pieces I was looking for I found pretty fast as I scoured the scarp yard. Next I started finding the little hard to find items that my sculpture needed to stand out. My friend John was a huge help, standing on the other side of a pile of scrap metal holding up a big piece of steel yelling, “Hey! You want this one?” I would give him a thumbs up or down. It was really cool watching what the other artists were grabbing and made me really wonder how their sculptures would turn out. Mike on the megaphone announced there was 5 minutes left. I thought to myself, “Dang that hour went by so fast.” The hour went by so fast and I was very satisfied with the metal pieces we gathered.
The next step is for each artist to weigh their collected material to make sure they wern’t over their 250 lbs weight limit. Facing disqualification if any of the artists bins were overweight, they had 5 minutes to quickly remove pieces to lighten their load. I was well under the limit at 120 lbs and I sighed in relief. The friendly forklift operator brought my bin to my truck and John, Art and I loaded it all up. After we said our thank you’s and goodbyes, Josh and I headed back to Canonsburg, PA where my wife, Charity, helped me unload. Curiously, she asked as how this would all come together as she reviewed each piece
The drive back to Canonsburg, PA. that evening when we got back, my wife and I unloaded all the metal into my about each piece “why did you get this piece” & “how will you use this”. That made it even more exciting to have a vision to turn everyday scrap metal that people see as unwanted and turn it into something beautiful. See some photos below from collection day. Thanks again Josh Snider Photography for capturing some photos on this fun day.
Above: Photography by Josh Snider Photography. Below: Materials collected from ScrapFest Collection Day.
Second Update: The Building Process.
When I got back to my shop and had all the metal unloaded, that’s whenI the building process really began. I spent a lot of time mapping out and marking the metal with soap stone where everything would be cut. It was extremely important to make sure I had the right material marked for each section of my sculpture because if I mess-up a piece, I couldn’t just go back and get more material to work worth. What I got from the scrapyard is the only materials I was allowed to use for this project. Once I had it all mapped out, that’s where the fun began. Cut, Chop, Weld!
Each artist was allotted one month to build their sculptures. Previous years the artists were only given 1 weeks to build. I could try and explain the building process through text but I think sharing some photos will be a lot more fun. I hope you enjoy the next 30 days of building…
Up until this point in the building process, I had made all the components of what I envisioned. The Birdhouse structure is made out of aluminum, the roof to the birdhouse is made out of steel. Each shingle was cut out of an old panel to an appliance like a furnace. and then I welded each shingle on, one at a time. Placing each shingle to cover and over lap the last piece. I am very pleased how the roof turned out and the little fine details it added.
The stand holding up the birdhouse was made out of an old fence post. I wanted to make it look like an old piece of wood so I ran a bunch of welds along the post to give the look of bark. I also added a few areas that look like knots and hammered the post to give it some perfect imperfections that most trees have. It turned out so cool and realistic looking. I even added a few hidden ladybugs in there if you can find them.
Making the flowers for this art piece was fun. The process was very long and tedious to build each one but was worth the time invested when they finally came together in the end. Each stem is made out of a handful of different items including metal hangers, pallet strapping and copper wire. after getting my stem material and straightening everything out, the next step was to gather 3-4 strands at a time and twist them together into one stem. This gave a really cool twist look and also gave them strength to hold up the flowers. The flowers were each hand drawn and hand cut from a few different metals like rusty steel, galvanized steel and aluminum. Each different metal provided a different color, look and texture to add depth to the flowers.
Each artist had the option to add a base for their sculpture. I decided a nice heavy base would be a good idea, especially to keep it in place if a big storm every came through. I cut the base in 2 pieces in the shape of a large flower and welded them together. I wanted to incorporate the design of the base into the whole concept of my art piece so that it looked natural. Now it’s time to assemble each separate component of this sculpture into one art piece. I present to you my birdhouse sculpture called “Grandpas House”.
Third Update: Finished my art piece. Titled “Grandpas House”
Below is the description I wrote for my art piece that would be on the ScrapFest website and on the display board next to my art piece at ScrapFest. Source www.ScrapFest.com
“I chose to create a birdhouse surrounded by the flowers that my grandpa plants on his property in Michigan every year. My goal was to be as realistic as possible from the tree trunk holding up the birdhouse all the way down to realistic shingles on the bird house. The flowers were hand drawn and cut out of different steels and aluminum to add different colors and textures.”
”Since moving to Canonsburg, PA, me, my wife and kids have been close enough to visit family a couple of times a year including my wife’s grandfather, Art Magsig, in DeWitt, MI. His 4 acres tucked away in a remote area is like home away from home. He has handmade bird feeders all over the property bringing in all types of beautiful birds and other animals. He has a wide variety of flowers growing around the property like sunflowers, irises (our late grandmother’s favorite), peonies, wildflowers and zinnias—just to name a few. I wanted to create an art piece that reflected the memories and I'm happy to share them with you.”
Fourth Update: Drop Off Day 6/4/22
As each artist puts on their finishing touches on their sculptures, the month of creating has finally come to an end, The next step is to load them up in trucks and trailers and deliver them to a warehouse in Old Town Lansing. Once again, we made the drive from Pittsburgh to Michigan to drop off my art piece. This year I was the artist that traveled the longest distance to be part of ScrapFest. Last year the furthest away artist was Steve Lost, in Chicago, IL. I expected drop off day to be simply dropping off and going about our day. Boy was I wrong. It was just as exciting as the collection day but now the difference was the scrap metal now has been turned into a thing of beauty. I was one of the first few artists to drop off and I got to see 2-3 other art pieces that were already unloaded. As the morning went on, each artist arrived at different times to drop-off. The artists that had already unloaded gathered in the warehouse and got to see the reveal of each art piece as they were being unloaded. The group of artists grew with each dropoff and the art pieces filled the warehouse. It was an absolutely incredible experience being able to see the work for the first time, talk with the artists, ask questions and hear some stories. Looking back from the Collection Day I could remember seeing pieces that the artists were collecting and wondering to my self “I wonder what their going to make out of that” and then seeing those same pieces made into something beautiful. It was a big eye opener that anything can be done, just have to go out there and do it. The next day we drive home and there was nothing more to do then hurry up and wait for the big event: ScrapFest12.
Fifth Update: Event Day! ScrapFest 12. 7/8th-9th/22
What a crazy ride over the last 2 months. Between Collection Day, Drop off day and then waiting a month for the event to actual start, it felt like an eternity. Finally, it’s here! ScrapFest 12 in Old Town Lansing, MI. Once again we made the drive from Canonsburg, PA to Old Town Lansing, MI. We (My wife and kids) arrived at Grandpas House where we were staying while we were in town. Being there before ScrapFest started was a great time to reflect on all the hard work I put into my art piece and the over all process get to this point. I got to walk around his property and see all the wonderful bird houses, beautiful wild flowers while listening to the birds chirping. This was a good sign that what I made really did reflect the overall look and feel of the experience of being there. We were really looking forward to finally being at the main event of ScrapFest, there was so much fun ahead of us.
Day 1 of ScrapFest 6/8/22
With a cup of coffee in hand, the day started early for me. All the artists met at the same warehouse where we had the drop off month prior. Each artist was in-charge of transporting their art piece to the ScrapFest event on main street in Old Town Lansing. The city had closed off the whole street just for ScrapFest. The picture above is the first wooden sign holder on the ground in spot #1 and he beginning of it all unfolding. With each worker and artist helping set up everything, the street quickly transformed from a blank canvas to a masterpiece. The art pieces were carefully staggered along the middle of Turner Road. The way they were displayed allowed each attendee to stop and see each art piece individually, one at a time not being distracted by the next art piece. The streets were also lined with a vide variety vendors. What made this different then any other events I’ve been to is that the vendors had to sell items that were made from recycled materials. Anywhere from repurposed clothes, wood, metal art all the way to glass, soda can earrings and repainted Furnature. It was very interesting to see what each vendor was selling and complimented the vibe of ScrapFest and repurposed metal.
After all the setup was finished, my family and I spent most of the first day by my art piece and talking to anyone that stopped to take a look at it. People had a lot of questions on how I made certain things or the different process I used. It was a thrill to be able to answer their questions and chat with them and share some of my story with them. This is my first art piece that was publicly displayed, so I was a bit nervous at first but loosened up after a few really good conversations. Meanwhile, live music was playing all day on the stage that was located in the middle of ScrapFest. There were lots of fun local bands and a very wide verity of music styles. The day went by so fast, before we knew it, we were already starting to pack up and head home for the night.
Day Two of ScrapFest
Day 2 of ScrapFest 6/9/22 started early for us with The Great Scrap Run, an 8K that took place at the Turner Park (at the end of Turner Street). It was just about a 5 miles run that my wife and son ran. Also for the kids (any myself) there was an .8k that my daughter and I ran. Note the point after the 8. The run took place right alongside The Grand River and was a perfect beautiful and cool morning. As the run ended we settled down for a little bit, recovering from the run and waiting for ScrapFest day 2 to start. After the race we had the opportunity to see the Brink Fish Ladder. I had never heard of a Fish Ladder or a Salmon Ladder and was interesting reading about it and see how it actually works.
The show started about an hour after the run and was definitely busier then yesterday right off the bat. Once again, similar to yesterday, we hung out by my art piece ready to talk to anyone that had any questions or just wanted to talk about metal art. There were a bunch of people taking photos and that was really cool to witness in person. It was my first time seeing people stand infront of my art piece and take photos and selfies with it. As the day went on I had some family friends, The Maluseks stopped by and say hello. Also my good friend Ryan of Defiance Welding and his Wife made it down from Flint, MI. Around this time of day it was getting pretty hot and we needed a few minutes to cool off so we needed to The Grid Arcade and Bar for a couple drinks and just so happens that weekend all the pinball machines were free. My kids had a blast playing all the games and I have to admit, so did I. Its been a while since I played some Pinball. After we cooled off, It was time to get back out there and mingle.
The photos above were of me chatting with some people and talking about my birdhouse.
The second half of the day was a lot cooler as the shade from the trees started to cover more of the street. The next few hours were a lot of fun just seeing the natural interactions with something I created. I also had the pleasure to chat a little bit with metal artist Ivan Iler. He is a Lansing local and has been participating as an artist in ScrapFest for many years. He also was on a Netflix Original show called Metal Shop Masters. There were a few surprise attendees of ScrapFest that flew in, Frank Ledbetter and Luis Varela, both contestants on Metal Shop Masters as-well and both phenomenal welders and artists. I had the pleasure of chatting with Frank for a while and he is a very humble guy and a fantastic artist. He is full of so much welding knowledge. If you havn’t seen his artwork yet, you need to!
As the day got closer to the end we were getting closer to the part all the artists were waiting for: Who won!!! For those you that don’t know, first, second, third and peoples choice in the large art piece categories and in the small piece categories could win. What was up for grabs was cash prizes and other items donated by Lincoln Electric like welders, welding consumables and more. Also during the duration of ScrapFest each art piece was available for purchase. Each art piece had their own starting bid price and a buy now option. (The art pieces still available can be found here.)
The time was getting really close to announcing the winners but there were a few minutes left. Mike Bass got up on stage and it was time to announce the winners of ScrapFest 12!!!
2022 ScrapFest12 Winners:
Large Category
1st Place: "Kaleido-Raffe" by Metal Malfeasance
2nd Place: "Lady of the Lakes'' by Hammered @ivan_iler
3rd Place: "Tarnished" by Loc Performance
People's Choice: "Helena's Rising" by Michael Bennett @handicapmade100
.
Small Category
1st Place: "A Realized Axis and An Escape From Reality" by O.K.P.
2nd Place: "I am The Walrus" by Dads357 @dads357
3rd Place: "The Bloom Lagoon" by Unclad Iron @rad._productions19 @lucas_rakieten
People's Choice: "The Bloom Lagoon" by Unclad Iron
Super big congratulations to the winners. You can see everyones artwork including the winners at www.scrapfest.com Everyone did a fantastic job, put in an incredible amount of time and energy. I know they really made it hard for the judges this year.
At this point, after reading the whole process I went through to get where I was at that moment, I was pretty bummed that I didn’t place or win the peoples choice. After a few minutes thinking about everything It quickly hit me, Nascar drivers don’t always win their very first race, The first batch of brewing a beer is not always perfect, heck, even making tacos can even take some practice to be perfect… let alone competing with some extremely talented artists working with scrap metal.. I was in a competition and that exactly what it was. I was up against great and well seasoned artists that have been doing this for years. Just to be alongside them on the streets on Landing was an honor. Next step is to think about the future and If I want to win next year (ScrapFest13) I will have to step up my game. BRING IT ON!
Over the course of the last few months I have grown as an artist and a lot of that is from ScrapFest, the other artists pushing me, encouraging me and the over all challenge to turn scrap metal into art. As the challenges turned into lessons, I can take all that i’ve learned and apply them to my next creations. The night ended on a great note with more live music, some drinks and hanging out with friends. We had a Wonderfull last day spending time at Grandpas House and relaxing and once again, remembering why we were really there, to spend time with him, enjoy looking at the beautiful birds and flowers. We decided to bring the birdhouse back to Canonsburg and find a place to proudly display it around town until it sells. You can see it live at SerendipiDee Blooms in Down Town Canonsburg
Sixth Update: After ScrapFest
I’m writing this about 2 months since ScrapFest12 and the fun continues. I was featured in a local magazine called InCommunity Magazine - CanonMac with a 2 page interview. I also have 4 art pieces in an art gallery here in Canonsburg, PA. and talking with a few art galleries in Down Town Pittsburgh. Looking back where ScrapFest ended, it was was just beginning for me.
Thank you all so much for reading my blog about ScrepFest! My goal way to bring the whole experience from start to finish in one solid story and all from the artists perspective. Hopifly I was able to paint a good picture of ScrapFest. See you in 2023 for ScrapFest 13!
-Jonny
