When I received an email invitation out of the blue asking if I’d attend some sort of cat art party I was surprised and suspicious (what exactly was this and what did they want from me). But having just returned from at blogging convention, I’d learned once-a-week postings weren’t going to propel me to stardom (or wealth), I decided it wouldn’t hurt to swing by since it could provide blog fodder.
Having zero clue what to expect I was pleasantly surprised when my cab pulled up to a sleek space on a hip street in Soho two nights ago with a sign reading “RePURRposed Gallery.”
Hunky security guys in suits flanked the entrance where a cute clipboard-toting girl no more than 24 and dressed to the nines – how can she afford Tory Burch shoes? – checked my name off the list and handed me a USB drive. I must have look confused because she kindly explained to me that the press materials were on the drive. Oh riiiight press materials (what?!).
I entered the two-tiered minimalist space passing whimsical art pieces crafted from recycled cat food cans as I made a beeline to the bar.
The clipboard lady’s doppelgänger was at the bar and she explained that the art event was part of a larger effort by Purina called “Together We Can Recycle” to raise awareness of the recyclability of pet food cans. As incentive to do the right thing, Purina is donating $1 to “Keep America Beautiful” (up to $100k total) for each person who signs the electronic pledge to recycle cat food cans.
While I know I should recycle, I can’t always bring myself to deal with washing those cat tins (the smell!) so they often end up in the trash (I relieve my guilt by telling myself we can’t possibly have the resources to recycle everything that’s collected right?).
Hip NYers sip cat-themed drinks at cat-grass decorated tables
Well, the various factoids littering (ha!) the walls got me thinking I needed to change my ways.
- Recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy used to make cans from virgin materials
- Less than 20 percent of aluminum pet food cans are recycled each year, compared to 54 percent of aluminum beverage cans
- Recycling one 3 oz Fancy Feast aluminum can saves enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for over 2 hours
A “White Cat Cocktail” in-hand I decided to take a closer work at the artwork created by cat owners from across the country – including a few celebrity cat owners like Jennie Garth and Roberta Flack – using recycled Friskie’s and Fancy Feast cans. The artwork will be auctioned off on eBay with proceeds going to “Keep America Beautiful.”
There were some pretty creative pieces and I wanted to share a few of them with you.
The cat food cans on the middle painting have real tin lids!
Roberta Flack's piece (left) and modern cat jewelry
Never say never. I’ve already eaten my words in regards to displaying cat photos in my apartment and now the modern jewelry pictured above has me thinking I shouldn’t be so hasty in terms of my ban on cat-themed jewelry.
Overall it was a fun night and made me realize the importance of recycling my cat food cans regardless of the brand. Hey, it was something different to do on a Wednesday night (free drinks to boot!), I got to play reporter, and I even posed with a celebrity by the name of Skeezix, a cat who is the face of the popular blog called Catser.
I'm convinced the white cat cocktail was inspired by this white kitty
Coming soon — my experience at BlogPaws, the animal blogger convention I attended in Ohio (there’s an unexpected story line!) and a post from one of my advertising colleagues (a single guy living in the city – without cats).
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