Record Number of Food Items Collected at Fifth CANstruction Event

The message of the Christmas tree sculpture is clear.

Students work in teams to create sculptures using canned and packaged food items.

This design shows some Razorback spirit.

This “Ark-CAN-sas” design takes the shape of the state.

This design was inspired by a popular children’s book.

Students plan their next step with their Christmas tree design.

This “Cansas” cityscape won the prize for most cans used, with 1,122.

Professor Laura Terry announces the record 4,474 total food items collected.

David Lewis, an event judge, addresses the students.

Pizza awaits students in the Field House.

The “Spider-can” design won the prize for the best use of labels.

The “Ray-Can” sunglasses design won a special message award for its slogan, “Never Hide the Hunger.”

Photo Submitted

First-year design students in the Fay Jones School of Architecture collected a record 4,474 food items during the fifth-annual CANstruction design and food drive event.

A cityscape, a gift-laden Christmas tree, and a spider with her web. These designs were winners of the fifth-annual CANstruction event, held Nov. 4 between the Arkansas Union and Mullins Library.

But the University of Arkansas Full Circle Campus Food Pantry was also a big winner, as the recipient of the record 4,474 donated canned and packaged food items raised by the event.

First-year design students in the Fay Jones School of Architecture – 150 first-year architecture, interior design and landscape architecture students – constructed sculptures from the collected food.

David Lewis, owner of BHK Kafé and a landscape architecture alumnus, served as one of this year’s judges.

“It’s a construction, so we were looking for verticality,” he told the crowd of students. Judges also considered the care taken in placing cans and labels, as well as the way in which color families and palettes were presented.

The prize for most cans used went to the cityscape titled “Cansas,” which used 1,122 cans – one-fourth of the event total.

The choice for best overall design was also the tallest, the Christmas tree. A pyramid of green-labeled cans, with some red ones interspersed, stood more than 6 feet high. At the base of the tree, presents were represented by pink, red and orange bulk Ramen noodles packages.

The best use of labels went to the “Spider-can” design, which showed a colorful spider and her web, which was created with white cans. “We could comprehend the design from what was there,” Lewis said.

Judges also considered the way the message of fighting hunger came through in the designs, inspiring a special message award for the slogan “Never Hide the Hunger.” The sculpture, titled “Ray-Can,” took the shape of sunglasses.

“What a powerful, powerful, powerful message,” Lewis said. “The face of hunger, because of the economic climate, has changed dramatically over the past few years.”

CANstruction is the service project for the Leadership by Design class, which prepares students in the design programs of architecture, interior design and landscape architecture for the rigorous and time-consuming education. First-year students are grouped with upper-level mentors for the semester-long course to address issues of time and stress management, strategies for balancing school and life, and opportunities to get to know others within the design disciplines.

This event began five years ago when Judy Brittenum, associate professor of landscape architecture, wanted the students to participate in something fun and design oriented while also serving the community. After some research, Brittenum and her colleague in the course, Laura Terry, associate professor of architecture, discovered the CANstruction project was a national charity event sponsored by the Society for Design Administration.

Two years ago, the class donated more than 4,000 canned and packaged food items to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, and they collected more than 3,800 items last year for the Cooperative Emergency Outreach. In the last five years, Fay Jones School students have collected and donated more than 17,600 food items to area community agencies.

“I think it’s now a tradition in the school of architecture,” Terry said. By holding this year’s event in a central location on campus, organizers hoped to bring more attention to the need of hunger, as well as encourage other students on campus to get involved in future events, she said.

The other judges for this year’s event were Denise Garner, founder of Feed Fayetteville, a local organization dedicated to alleviating hunger in the community; and Brittenum.