For fans of Art at the Dump, good news: Jacobson is hard at work

CORNWALL — Looking for unusual, fun and (mostly) useful art? Head for Art at the Dump, April 29 and 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cornwall Transfer Station.This is the 12th annual Art at the Dump, which is the first social event of the season. A long, snowy winter means there is now plenty of room in the sand shed for art. And rain or shine, it’s always a good time. Bring the kids. Bring the dog. Bring the checkbook, because 30 percent of the proceeds go to the Cornwall Consolidated School art department.And there are always things there that people just have to have. What sets it apart is this guideline for contributors: Whether they are professional artists or regular folk inspired to make something for the show, everything must be made from recycled materials.Although she is no longer running the show, Art at the Dump was the brainchild of Gail Jacobson. Fortunately for devotees of the annual fundraising show, she now has more time to devote to making art for the show. A tip: Get there early if you want to buy any of her things.Jacobson is the queen of high-quality recycled art. Materials inspire her. And that’s exactly where one needs to begin with an Art at the Dump project. It’s about what’s lying around — maybe even curbside waiting for the garbage man — and is ripe to be transformed from trash to treasure.A little over two years ago, Jacobson started a blog that is essentially an outlet for her rampant creativity. She has easily been able to post a project, and sometimes a recipe, too, a week. The steps are easy, the tasks require no special skills or talents, and all can be done with inexpensive or found materials. She has also demonstrated a knack for being able to write instructions that make sense, which she posts along with clear and attractive photographs that pop up just when you need them. She has kept it simple. There are no ads. All the information is free. “The only thing I get out of it is an archive of everything I do,” Jacobson said. “And I like that I only have to make something once for the blog, but then I have the photos and instructions all there. It’s especially great for recipes. I love experimenting with recipes, and I have to make sure I write them down for the blog. Sometimes I have to go back to the blog to find one.”Has it been a success? For her own purposes — definitely. And numbers don’t lie.A year ago, she had about 300 followers and 200 hits a day. Now she has more than 1,000 devotees and about 600 hits per day.Even those not inclined to do more than browse can enjoy the site. Jacobson’s humor makes even crafting instructions entertaining. And she writes a brief background for deserving projects.A simple graphic that can be transformed into greeting cards and more is her version of a poster produced by the British government at the beginning of World War II. The original read “Keep Calm and Carry On.”Jacobson’s reads, “Keep Calm and Party On.”A pretty little “Moroccan box” project is made out of plastic pipe, transformed with Jacobson’s simple, yet almost magical techniques so that, “You can tell your friends that you picked up this box on your travels — you don’t have to mention that you traveled to Home Depot.”A clown project begins with, “As a child, I had no idea that clowns were people in make-up; I thought they just came that way. I found out the truth on a View Master reel and was more disappointed than when I learned about Santa.”So what does Jacobson have in store for Art at the Dump? We wouldn’t want her to give it all away, but much of it will be blog projects.“I have so many of them lying around now. Art at the Dump is the perfect place to take them.”Her practical side is kicking in as well, and in an effort to find something to do with something “everyone saves but can’t figure out what to do with,” she has come up with projects for cookie tins. Among them will be trophies, such as World’s Best Mom, that double as flower holders.Her website is at cantstopmakingthings.com.For more information on Art at the Dump, contact Richard Griggs at 860-672-6208 or thingmkr@optonline.net