---
title: New Ideas for Used Materials
date: 2024-04-16T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/new-ideas-for-used-materials"
section: Articles
---
# New Ideas for Used Materials

*April 16, 2024* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/author/sala-levin-10)


> Art Class Designs Maryland Day Installation From Found Objects

*ARTT427 Brandon Donahue 04092024 RS 5878 1920x1080 — Assistant Professor Brandon Donahue-Shipp (right) helps students assemble a railing for an obstacle course composed of reused or surplus materials; it will debut at Maryland Day.*

Looking for a set of ’70s barstools for a basement renovation or a crystal chandelier for your Victorian’s entry hall? A 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Hyattsville is a secondhand maven’s Disney World, filled with light fixtures, floor-model washing machines, vintage windows and even toilets.

It’s the rare person who’d walk into [Community Forklift](https://www.communityforklift.org/) and think: “Ah, here’s where I’ll find the materials for my next work of art.” But that’s exactly what a new class at the University of Maryland is encouraging students to do.

In “Paint on Site,” Assistant Professor of art Brandon Donahue-Shipp, with support from the nonprofit Community Forklift and the [Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability](https://arch.umd.edu/architecture/academics/partnership-action-learning-sustainability-pals) (PALS), is teaching students to reuse unconventional materials to create works of art. Later this month, the students will unveil their creation on Maryland Day, where the obstacle course they’re working on will be open on Tawes Plaza to any curious passersby.

“The goal is to create a space for tactile, sensory play,” said Donahue-Shipp, whose work is part of the university's[ Arts for All](https://arts.umd.edu) initiative.


*students load car — Students in the "Paint on Site" class pack up boxes—which will be featured in the obstacle course—and old doors from the nonprofit Community Forklift in nearby Hyattsville.*


*closeup of hands working on art installation — The undergrads puzzle out a design for a game made from cardboard boxes. (Photo by Riley N. Sims Ph.D. '23)*




**Topics:** [Arts & Culture](https://today.umd.edu/tags/arts-culture), [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Visual Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/visual-arts), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience), [Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)