About

Hello wonderful creative eastside Portland, OR community. Let me give you a little back story on why we're here and what we're doing. 

First, me... I have always been a maker. I love materials, I love art, I love the creative process and I am nourished by helping others discover this in themselves.

I believe creativity and community are essential to our souls and our happiness. In our current societal structure we get very little of either, especially if we don't have a lot of time and money to spare. We may have convinced ourselves (or been convinced by others) we don't need it or can't do it. We may have convinced ourselves we are not really creative, or not creative anymore. We may tell ourselves we need more tools, materials, knowledge, etc... to be able to do what we want.

This vision of creative community can be realized, with your help, starting in our SE neighborhoods and growing outward. Open to all people, sharing our spaces, knowledge, materials and tools as communal makers and fixers, creative beings without regard to categories like class, race, gender, age and anything else that divides us. We can help each other, teach each other and provide for each other in a way that raises us all up together. This is my vision.

What is already in place?

The Reborn Church of Craft

Weekly creative meetup at Pappacino's Coffeehouse every Sunday between 2 and 5. It is not a religious group but it is called the Reborn Church of Craft because it is based on the original group (Church of Craft) http://revtristy.blogspot.com/2007/04/the-birth-of-church-of-craft.html) 

and their ideas about the sacredness of the creative process and its value to all beings. We are going on our second year.

What is growing?

Good Junk Sanctuary

A home base for people and materials. We are starting small with mostly paper and fabric ephemera/scrap but will expand into all scrap and raw materials as we grow. Initially, this first year, we will do pop-ups and a few affordable workshops. When we become a non-profit entity we will look for a dedicated space where we can host a reuse store with affordable materials, shared tools and a shared making space. It will take the combined energy, talents and time from everyone, in the amount they are able, to create this community. I hope if you've read this far, that you are in this together with me.

Why the name Good Junk Sanctuary?

When I was a kid I would go to the dump with my dad and bring home treasures. I also trawled the alleyways and was an early adopter of dumpster diving. When my mom would see me coming in the door with my latest finds, she would say "Honey, why? That's just junk" and I would always reply "Yeah, but its GOOD junk"! I believe that no material or human being is "just junk". It is time to see the true value of a rich world full of caring people, knowledge, and materials and turn it into our own creative reuse community sanctuary.