MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS HOSTS “SALVAGED SOUNDS WORKSHOP AND JAM SESSION” ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Free studio workshop hosted by artist and musician Louie Miranda invites adult participants to create musical instruments from repurposed materials.

On Thursday, February 21, from 6:30-8:30PM, Materials for the Arts will host Salvaged Sounds Workshop and Jam Session. Led by artist and musician Louie Miranda, Salvaged Sounds will demonstrate techniques to re-imagine donated materials from the City’s creative industries including fashion, film, and architecture and transform them into musical instruments. Through the hands on workshop, participants will learn how to turn items from the MFTA warehouse into singular musical instruments with distinctive tones, timbres, and textures. The workshop will conclude with a jam session featuring the “salvaged sounds” of the new instruments, a musical celebration of reuse, repurposing, and the City’s creative spirit. The workshop is free but registration through MFTA.org is required.

About Open Studio Workshops at Materials for the Arts

On the third Thursday of each month, Materials for the Arts opens its studios for free workshops led by featured artists that allow the public to explore and create with the range of materials donated by businesses and individuals. Past workshops have included “The Writing’s on the Wall,” a collaborative drawing workshop with artist duo Ghost of a Dream; “DIY Fashion Extravaganza” with Michael DiPietro of the Fashion Re/Action Festival; and “Post-Apocalyptic Embroidery” with Aliya Bonar of Flux Factory.

About Louie Miranda

Louie Miranda is a musician and educator who has worked with numerous ensembles performing music in a wide variety of styles. Miranda has worked as a studio musician for Epic Records, as an independent producer for Capitol Records, and has released six albums that introduce families to world music and cultures. As an educator, Miranda has focused on using unconventional materials to create unique sounds and has led workshops at numerous cultural institutions including the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the New York Botanical Garden, and Rockefeller Center.

About Materials for the Arts

Materials for the Arts collects unneeded materials from businesses and individuals and makes these donations available for free to eligible nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and public schools. In 2012, Materials for the Arts collected and distributed over $5 million of supplies to more than 1,800 New York City nonprofits and public schools. Learn more at www.mfta.org.

Materials for the Arts is a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the City’s Department of Sanitation and Department of Education. Friends of MFTA, the official nonprofit partner of Materials for the Arts, provides ongoing support and underwrites educational initiatives, exhibitions, and public programs that promote waste reduction and the creative reuse of materials.

What:              “Salvaged Sounds Workshop and Jam Session”with Louie Miranda

When:             Thursday, February 21, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Where:            MFTA Warehouse, 33-00 Northern Boulevard, 3rd Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101

This workshop is free and open to adults, but RSVP at www.mfta.org is required.