Ash Andrews (34)
Executive Director
Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

Ash Andrews’ grandmother came of age during the Great Depression, when every item, no matter its age or condition, had value. “She taught me about reuse without ever saying the word,” they say. “Reuse was exalted.”

Andrews is now executive director of the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, a place for artists, educators and crafters to donate creative materials they no longer use so that others can. At a time when climate change has underscored the importance of sustainability and COVID-19 has forced us to tap into our own resourcefulness, reuse is having a moment.

“Something in the human spirit needs art and creativity,” Andrews says. “Reuse is a natural part of how we do humanity.”

Though the pandemic forced the temporary closure of the brick-and-mortar center, Andrews established an online store at pccr.org so that creativity can go on. In fact, Andrews is currently fashioning tiny witch’s brooms out of cuttings from their garden to adorn their front porch. “It saves money and — little bonus —saves the world at the same time,” Andrews says.

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