Klepto Art Project - Gathered Things 2021
After feeling inspired to do something creative and fun with the objects that my cat, Juno, has brought home since June 2019, in August 2021 I conceptualized the idea of turning it into up cycled three-dimensional art, and hosted a community art project.
This project not only highlights "Juno the Klepto Kat's' amusing tendency to clean up the neighborhood, especially after the mandated on mask s but ultimately makes a statement about finding beauty in the small things, spreading joy and giving back.
CARPINTERIA, Calif.- Juno the Klepto Kat's family found a clever way to get rid of all the things she finds and brings home. Connie Geston and her daughter created art with some of the items. On Sunday they invited people to the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Art Center to create their own art made of the items found by the cat.
"You may know Juno has been bringing things home for the past 2 years and she is making me a hoarder so I decided to do something productive with it and make Klepto art.," said Geston.
The Carpinteria resident said people of all ages including the mayor came out to check out the pop-up art event.
She plans to show some of the work in an upcoming show entitled The Power of Green. If the art made of Juno's finds is accepted and sells she plans to take a portion of the proceeds and donate it to an animal organization.
Juno was named after the film and quickly earned her nickname Klepto Kat after she started bringing home garden gloves and other items from her daily outings.
Juno the Klelpt Kat inspires art made is items found by the cat
PEOPLE'S CHOICE
People’s Choice Award for the Power of Green exhibit went to Connie Geston’s “Gathered Things”, a collaboration piece, after receiving the most votes from the public for the artwork in the recent exhibition. Geston said “Juno does it again and ‘steals’ the show”!
THe Process
This was a community art project hosted at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, and opened to the public. This piece depicts Juno's found objects, carefully arranged in a rainbow gradient that embraces a hand-painted portrait of her. Geston’s daughter, Cecilia James, painted the cat’s portrait and Mixed Media Artist, Lynn Dodge collaborated on the wood panel design. This was also a community art project where people were invited to attach gathered pieces of art to the board, Mayor Wade Nomura and his wife Debbie joined in on the project and KEYT Channel News 3/12 covered the story.
