My name is Ptr Sponseller and I am an artist who primarily works with reclaimed materials. I get the majority of my art materials from my community. Some individuals donate items, including local farmers and artists in addition to galleries and makerspaces. I also go to local businesses, such as factories and bicycle, automotive and motorcycle shops to dig through their recycle and scrap bins to obtain materials. I like using reclaimed materials to show the world that you can make useful items and beautiful art pieces from the waste and decay of our surroundings. I believe all things deserve a second chance. With that being said, people are our most important resource.

 

On a personal level, I found that creating art helped me manage my anxiety and reduce my chronic pain levels from a medical issue. It gave me a renewed outlook on life, while helping our community by recycling and reducing waste. Then I began to wonder if I could help others do the same. My first thought went to Veterans and the homeless. I knew I wanted to help people who suffered from chronic pain, stress, anxiety, and difficulty connecting to the community. I researched programs that had a similar mission. That is when I heard about The Gilbert Foundation. I loved their mission statement and thought I could help bridge the gap between military service and civilian employment. I realized that becoming an artist and opening my own shop was my way to successful employment, and felt this was something that I could share with others.

 

That is why I made a proposal to the Gilbert Foundation, asking if I could work with them and Veterans as a part of their program. I would like to bring in Veterans to my studio to help them create their own art. I am able to provide the use of my space, tools, knowledge and many materials. Some of the tools used for this process are welders, plasma cutters, grinders and various hand tools. If an individual already has skills with these tools, this helps them progress faster, or realize other ways to use the tools they are already using. Hopefully this will help them bridge the use of these tools to unexpected areas. I would also like to help Veterans that don't possess these skills learn some new ones. I have the opportunity to bring in guest artists to help individuals develop other artistic styles and skills. In addition, I would like to offer my time for any Veterans that are not physically capable of doing these things or processes by contributing any needed physical assistance while directed by the individual in order to help them realize their potential. I hope this program will help Veterans reconnect to their community, learn new skills, return to employment, broaden their vison of employment opportunities, participate in meaningful activities. As a side benefit, this may also help Veterans reduce their pain levels, better manage stress and anxiety and create some awesome art!

 

Sincerely,

Ptr Sponseller

Owner and operator

Clovergear Reclaimed art