Pictured: "Om Vase" by Julie Kanapaux. Photo courtesy of SARTQ.

This Friday brings another one-night-only pop-up exhibition from local artist collective SARTQ with Repurposed. Hosted by Sarasota Architectural Salvage, the exhibition sees all 10 member artists working from objects found at Sarasota Architectural Salvage, and adding their own signature touch to transform each into a singularly Sarasotan piece of art. Open from 5pm to 8pm this Friday, August 10, at Sarasota Architectural Salvage, this free pop-up exhibition and art experience won’t linger into the weekend, but closes down after one night.

Working from objects large and small, ranging from surfboards to mannequins, the artists of SARTQ turn off the autopilot and stretch the bounds of their creativity, repurposing their skills as much as the objects of their efforts. “We’re pushing each other outside of our comfort zones,” says SARTQ artist Julie Kanapaux, whose Om Vase will be on display during Repurposed. Primarily a painter and 2D artist, the concept forced Kanapaux to venture back into the realm of 3D art and sculpture—not exactly foreign territory, but not the most familiar these days either. It helps, she says, working with Sarasota Architectural Salvage. “Because they have really cool stuff,” she laughs. “It’s inspiring just to walk through that space.”

Inspiring enough to abstain from violence, apparently, as, upon reflection, Kanapaux abandoned her original plans to sledgehammer the chosen vase into submission, putting it on its side and battering its design into something of her choosing. “But the form itself was so perfect,” she says. “I felt like it needed something that would work with the shape that was already there.” Picking up her paints, Kanapaux created mandala-themed adornments for either side. An unintended direction, and something outside of her normal style, Om Vase, in that way, represents the heart of Repurposed, as the artist gives way to the art in front of her, meeting its anonymous crafter on equal footing and across time for just a fleeting moment of unexpected collaboration.

It’s a message Kanapaux hopes is not lost on her audience. “Art is everywhere and in everything,” she says. And, all around the home, even or especially where form meets function, there lies a creative potential waiting to be unlocked.

Pictured: "Om Vase" by Julie Kanapaux. Photo courtesy of SARTQ.