Crayon Craze! Upcycled Rainbow Crayons project thrives despite setback

One child’s trash can be another’s treasure. That is the lesson being taught by Upcycled Rainbow Crayons, a green project developed by Bay Ridge artist and mother, Angela Gorini Perrone, which recently suffered a setback as thousands of crayons and crayon bits donated to allow children at P.S. 185 to create their own three-dimensional artwork disappeared the very day the project was to kick off.

Indeed, the school had collected upwards of 10,000 crayons to use to create various shapes on the school’s Mardi Gras Day, March 21, thanks to a grassroots effort that took off after Perrone posted her idea on Facebook. Their absence was discovered on Valentine’s Day, when students were supposed to start de-papering, crushing and melting the crayons. “We are victims of the great crayon caper,” she said.

The 100-plus pounds of crayons had been donated by local residents as well as by people from way beyond the area. “Through social media and emails, I put messages out there begging people for old crayons,” Perrone recalled of her initial effort. A large movement quickly followed. Eight different schools started their own crayon donations. Perrone even received them all the way from Seattle. People would even leave bags of crayons without a name written on it.

“It made me think that people saw value of them and gave them a way to think that garbage has value. How many crayons have we saved from landfill?” she asked.

In developing the project, which she is hoping will continue as planned after a new crayon drive is completed, Perrone found inspiration in the creative endeavor through her son. “I was cleaning my son’s art box and I found old crayons. They were broken and worn down. My kid didn’t want to use them. I didn’t have heart to throw them away,” she explained. “I’ve seen somewhere old crayons that become new.”

She then realized that the potential garbage could be brought back to life in the form of art and new, fun shapes. “This is not garbage,” Perrone stressed. “A nub of a crayon could be used for art.”

Perrone — whose company Divine Rooms specializes in custom paint finishes – then created Upcycled Rainbow Crayons and decided to become a contributor and sponsor of both Pietro’s Fight Night, an event in honor of four-year-old Pietro Scarso, who is battling Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, as well as P.S. 185’s Mardi Gras event.

She created her own prototypes and took pictures of the art to share her vision. “I created shapes such as stars, flowers and hearts, all good sizes for children to hold onto because they’re not small. They’re a nice chunky size,” Perrone said. “The photographs became tangible evidence of what could be done with old crayon nubs.”

Although the search for the missing crayons continues, Perrone and Divine Rooms have urged Bay Ridge residents to lend a helping hand to fix the disappointing outcome for the children of P.S. 185, with a new deadline of February 28 to collect crayons to be used in the project.

They are being helped by Grow NYC which, on Sunday February 23 at 12:00 p.m., is hosting a Stop ‘N’ Swap event at the Bay Ridge Jewish Center. After hearing about the disappearance of the crayons, the non-profit environmental organization decided also to collect any used crayons anyone can spare at the event and then donate them to P.S. 185.

“We are grateful for this organization to offer a crayon drive and helping us reach a wide audience,” said Perrone.

If the art project is deemed a success, Perrone plans to make it an annual event. “I love reusing and recycling. I see the value in them. It takes imagination. As a working artist, I’m always forced to find imagination and see the life still in it.”

To donate used crayons, contact Perrone at divinepainter21@gmail.com for more information.

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