Renate Balsamo knows how to turn stress into art.
This semester, Balsamo, a 22-year-old art education senior, let her desk pile high with bills, graded homework and to-do lists.
"Just looking at it made me sick and stressed out," Balsamo said.
However, instead of throwing it all away, Balsamo decided to turn the papers into a piece of art.
"I wanted to transform something stressful into something meaningful," Balsamo said. "As I folded each piece of paper, I felt the stress disappearing."
Balsamo's piece, "Stress Dress," received an honorable mention in this weekend's Trashformations, a student recycled-art competition.
It was one of 34 pieces entered in the 13th-annual event.
Artwork shown in the Florida Museum of Natural History foyer on Friday night ranged from a plastic whale stuffed with packing peanuts to a mythological creature made of tin cans.
"The main purpose of this competition is for young folks to look at waste in a different way so they don't mindlessly throw things away anymore," said Patrick Irby, recycling program coordinator for Alachua County Public Works.
Each piece of art was made out of 70 percent or more recyclable materials.
There was one judge for each of the three categories: middle school, high school and college.
Jeff Huber, a staff sculptor for the museum, judged the UF and Santa Fe College entries.
"I'm more of a purist," Jeff Huber said. "I'm looking for art that really uses all recycled materials and lets them speak for themselves rather than using special effects to win."
He gave graphic design junior Sorina Vaziri and her "Save Money, Live Better" Target plastic bag dress first place with a $400 prize.
Vaziri was not available for comment.
Carol Woods, waste alternative specialist, helped organize the contest and the Satchel's pizza reception.
Davis said nine college students entered the contest this year - more than last year - and hopes the trend continues next year.
"College students are a huge part of our community," Davis said. "It's important they know that even though they're transient citizens, they're still an important part of our waste stream and helping to prevent unneeded waste."
Alex Britch, 3, looks at dresses made of recycled papers and bags at the student recycled-art competition, Trashformations, at the Florida Museum of Natural History on Friday.
