HAF expands its sustainability reach by conducting art workshops in Ghana
Plastics artist Ron Shelton has taken his show on the road – to West Africa! While he continues to educate and inspire local school children throughout Greater Cleveland, he recently had the opportunity to conduct plastic weaving workshops abroad during a three-week visit to Ghana.
Locally, Shelton is involved with Circular Cleveland – a 30-month initiative to establish a circular economy through various methods in the City of Cleveland. A circular economy is a system based on the reuse and regeneration of products, i.e., sustainability. Circular Cleveland appointed ten ambassadors and linked each with a different neighborhood throughout Greater Cleveland. Shelton represents the Fairfax community. The other targeted areas are Central-Hough; Collinwood, Mt. Pleasant; Old Brooklyn, St. Clair-Superior; The Stockyards; Tremont, and West Park.
“As an appointed Circular ambassador, I focus on plastics, and my approach is to reduce plastic waste and create Art from it – which keeps it out of the waste streams,” says Shelton.
“Several factors lead to Ron’s inclusion as an ambassador,” says Divya Sridhar, Manager of Climate Resiliency and Sustainability at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. “He was invited to apply to be a Circular Cleveland Ambassador based on his prior work with the Upcycle Parts shop. Ron was one of the first ten ambassadors through the application; then, an interview process included a few members of the Neighborhood Connections’ Circular Cleveland Community’s grant-making committee. His artistic expression, the power it brings to storytelling, and elevating awareness of plastic in the region are why he was selected.”
Since 2019, Shelton has organized sustainable projects through his nonprofit organization, High Art Fridays (HAF), with local CMSD schools in collaboration with Art House, Inc. In 2021, The Cleveland Neighbor Up grant funded his work in the Fairfax neighborhood, where he conducted workshops at Bolton Elementary School and the Cuyahoga Youth Justice Center. “I discussed with the youth about the environment and what plastic is doing to the environment; and taught them how to weave plastic bags on handmade looms and create mats.”
The three Ghana workshops were conducted at Williams Montessori and Royal Academy Montessori in Takoradi and Arthaus in Accra. This excursion marked Shelton’s first time in Africa, and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He stayed with fellow artist Patrick Tagoe-Turkson, a professor at Takoradi Technical Institute, where Ron spoke to the staff and faculty about his plastic art practice.
The children in Ghana were unbelievable! Their attention, discipline, and dedication were delightfully pleasant. We had a few hiccups with language barriers – I didn’t realize that English is not their primary language, but everything worked out, and it was a great experience! There’s a five-hour drive from Takoradi to Accra; we made this trip several times and conducted the weaving workshop at Arthaus, in the hills of Akuapim-Mampong, the central facility built and operated by artist Kofi Setordji. Ron SheltonIt was more than just a work trip for Shelton. During his downtime, he got a bit of sightseeing in many of the remarkable Ghanaian attractions, including the Cape Coast Castle, a key venue in the West African slave trade. Back stateside, Shelton launched a series of workshops earlier this year at PNC Fairfax Connection, 8220 Carnegie Avenue, introducing the community to plastic weaving as another way to practice sustainability. PNC Fairfax Connection Project Manager Benjamin Louis is pleased with the message spread by Shelton’s artwork. “During both his workshops and our community program, TeaTime with Traci, Ron has spoken about the mission of Circular Cleveland and how Clevelanders can contribute to a sustainable economy and city by reducing waste and finding innovative ways to transform these materials,” says Louis. “He encourages all workshop participants to bring their plastic bags to create their artwork and take the learned weaving skills beyond this series of workshops.” On Tuesday, June 27, at 3:30 pm, Shelton will conduct another plastic weaving workshop at PNC Fairfax Connection. There will be more weaving workshops in July as well. For more information, call 216-391-4677. Born and raised in East Cleveland, Nate Paige has contributed more than 30 years to local journalism. He got his professional start at the Cleveland Call & Post and spent over 20 years at Cleveland.com. He currently handles social media for the city of Shaker Heights and writes for their quarterly magazine, Shaker Life. He also freelances for several local publications.
