Usually, 2ndFriday Artwalks serve as a night for local galleries to put new works on display.
But this Friday featured something more unusual: the wrapping-up of the 3rd Annual Scrapel Hill art exhibit — a “green” initiative dedicated to art made from recycled materials.
At University Mall, after tallying more than 250 votes, representatives named the winner of the Scrapel Hill People’s Choice and Corporate Choice Awards.
“Cloud Series,” by local artist Nuno Gomes, is this year’s winning piece for both awards. The piece features a series of reused record album covers placed together like a jigsaw collage.
Gomes received $500 for the People’s Choice Award. As a result of the Corporate Choice Award, Gomes’s “Cloud Series” will remain in University Mall for one year. He also received a $1,000 honorarium.
“It was like putting together a big puzzle without having instructions to follow,” Gomes said. “I laid the records all out and spent a bunch of time arranging them all until I have something that feels interesting.
“As soon as I saw the records, I knew I wanted to do something with them,” he said.
Gomes said it felt great to be recognized for his artwork, and that he had worried that it might have been too abstract.
“It’s always nice when a piece can reveal itself over time, and the more you look at it the more you can get out of it,” he said.