pbs.org/newshour.
Creating art and raising
awareness about consumerism at
the same time.
Cat Weiser visited a husband and
wife team in rural Indiana to
see how they have pivoted their
lives and livelihood to focus on
this passion.
It's part of our arts and
culture series.
>> Down a quiet country road in
Indiana, you will come across a
farm that doesn't look like
others in the area.
A different kind of product is
cultivated here, or.
-- Art.
The colorful home studio is
known as the art form.
The married couple have turned
their farm into an artistic
oasis where they create and
display their work, clocks,
sculptures, jewelry and more
made out of found objects they
started collecting about 30
years ago.
>> We both love going to flea
markets and finding cool stuff.
>> Vintage stuff.
>> One time I said, we have to
stop buying this stuff or start
doing something with it all.
>> Paul who has a background in
engineering and Lisa began
making functional pieces like
lamps which they started selling
at art shows in the mid-1990's.
Soon the part-time hobby became
a full-time job.
Today, Paul and Lisa create new
life for old objects in their
workshop on the farm, where
anything can become our.
-- Art.
This is a work in progress.
>> If I am at the thrift store
and I see this sitting on the
shelf, I'm like, that's a skirt.
We have a lot of old coffee
tends and stuff.
Look how perfectly that fits.
>> Things got to fit or they get
wobbly.
You want to make art so that it
lasts.
I don't want to make art that is
just going to be a throw away.
>> Preventing things that's
going to be thrown away is a big
focus of their work.
>> To see the amount of poor
quality useless stuff being
peddled to people, it has a very
short shelf life and then it's
just thrown away.
It's going into a landfill.
Maybe instead of going to target
and buying a new clock, you buy
one that I made out of recycled
items.
>> Paul and Lisa take their
clocks to art fairs around the
country, where artists are
selected through a competitive
application process.
Art shows have provided a
significant portion of their
annual sales, but since the
pandemic they have been focusing
more on commissions like a
recent one that involved a
cello.
>> Is it difficult to make a
living this way?
>> If you are not interested in
a steady paycheck, it's ok.
Because you never know.
People will ask sometimes, do
you make a living at this?
We make a life.
It's the whole package.
>> It does feel like our whole
life, our arts and garden and
how we live is all the same
thing.
The art is not separated from
the way we live.
>> How big is your property?
>> We have five acres total.
>> They took me on a tour of
their property including the
160-year-old barn.
>> Her name is Agnes.
>> And no one else is driving
and in 1977.
>> I have learned to put cheap
beers in my fridge to give to
all my artist friends who asked
me for a cold beer.
>> Many of the artists they have
met at shows over the years I
have become friends whose art is
displayed along with their own
throughout the restored 1860's
farmhouse.
>> This is the sculpture piece
from her friend who did the mugs
we are using.
This is an artist from
Indianapolis.
She created this.
It's me and Paul and the little
banner.
We were over the moon.
We didn't know she was doing
this.
>> You love this piece.
>> Paul and Lisa are trying to
spread awareness about
consumerism and waste in their
community by hosting school
groups and art classes that
focus on reuse materials.
>> I like the fact that they use
found objects and make them live
again.
>> Sandy beaver is a regular at
the art form and stopped by on a
recent evening to check out some
of Lisa's new jewelry.
>> The blue in the background is
actually building material and
this is recycled license plate.
>> That's what I like about
Lisa's art work.
I want something that means
something to me and her artwork
does.
>> Paul and Lisa are spending
long hours creating more art and
gearing up for a busy spring and