Celebrate Earth Day at The Shops at North Bridge with activities and an artist pop-up!
Celebrate Earth Day and join us for a complimentary flowerpot painting workshop! Guests will be able to decorate a mini flowerpot with paint pens and plant wildflower seeds, so that you can take your creation home and watch it grow! While supplies last. First-come, first-served.
Afterwards, visit local Chicago artist, Cody Norman's pop-up on Level 1 and see his sustainable creations come to life. Shop home decor and unique art pieces made from recycled plastics and learn more about his process of transforming plastics into functional art objects.
Donate your plastic materials! Contribute to Cody's art by donating clean plastic containers.
Plastic Collection
Accepted plastic types: HDPE #2 , LDPE #4 , PP #5
Please rinse the inside of containers and remove labels and foil before donating.
Examples of common objects for each plastic type:
- HDPE #2 - Shampoo bottles, cosmetics containers, detergent bottles, milk jugs, six pack rings
- LDPE #2 - Bottle caps, soft takeout container lids
- PP #5 - Take out containers, prescription bottles, plastic cups, bottle caps, yogurt containers
Cody's Process
Cody's forms are inspired by nature and sustainability. He designs, builds, and creatively misuses his own tools, such as the handheld plastic extrusion gun, which melts recycled plastic into improvisational organic forms. Cody uses a Kuka industrial robot, formerly a tool of mass production, to create one of a kind objects in unique ways. Through his work, Cody hopes to challenge users to consider how things are made and rethink their consumption of single-use plastics and their contributions to the waste stream.
About Cody
Cody Norman was born near Tampa, Florida, and grew up in Muskegon, Michigan. After pursuing his BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art near Detroit, Cody started a studio practice in Chicago and teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
In his studio, Cody designs, builds, and creatively misuses tools, such as a handheld plastic extrusion gun made from an old drill, and a Kuka industrial robot that was retired from a Mercedes factory only to find a new life 3D printing with recycled plastics.
Cody collects plastics from over 50 households and businesses in his community. His work challenges viewers to ponder what materials they’re looking at, how the object was made, and what will happen to it when it’s discarded.
