Tools - The Word with
Heather René Dunaway
January 2026
Tools are the bread and butter of the art world. Without our tools, us artists wouldn’t have a way to create art. Humans would never have evolved without the wheel. It’s the natural order of things. But what do you do when you no longer have access to the tools you need?
I definitely felt that way after I graduated from college and could no longer fire ceramics in a kiln, or edit photos on a nice mac with photoshop, or develop images in the dark room. Sure, you get creative with what you do have (which, for me was a ton of art supplies stock piled from a million studio classes) but the “what do I do next” slump hits hard when you no longer have your favorite artsy toys to experiment with.
The GAAC’s most recent tour at AU really opened my eyes to all the fun things todays students get to play with. 3D printers, screen printing in ceramics, animation software, graphic design programs. I would have skipped merrily to class if I had a sewing machine to use for my 3D fundamentals course. However, it did get me thinking “what are they going to do when they graduate and don’t have this?”
Lucky for these rising talents, in all fields, that the Arts Council has been building up our Lending Library with new gadgets and gizmos.
Stuff like the Cricut that I got to experiment with before the holiday break. This is one of MANY items that are available on loan from the Arts Council’s resouce hub. Recently, we got a delivery of test samples of BioStripe, an ecofriendly paint designed for street painting, that we needed to test for the upcoming annual Storm Drain Mural Project. So, iI pitched the idea to our friends at Phinizy. “What if we tested this paint while also making some fun art for the park? Heron and Egret stencils?” Their response was enthusiastic, so I got to work learning how to use the Cricut. Old Heather would have
traced and cut out with an xacto knife. New Heather? Well, she says work smarter, not harder. Enter the Cricut. Now, I pitched this item for the lending library after talking with a couple of muralists who use it for creating stencils for lettering in their murals. I decided to give it a try at cutting mylar plastic sheets to create bird stencils – and by golly it worked!
Zoe and I then got to go out, watch the Fish sculpture get installed and do a little installation of our own, which I titled “Bird Walk.”
All of this was made possible because I had the right tools for the job. We have more than just a Cricut. We have cameras, dark room tools, audio recording equipment, lighting, dj equipment, fiber art tools, ceramics tools, wood working items, marley flooring, writing prompts, pressure washers, projectors, ladders, tables, tents, scaffolding, beginners drawing and painting tools, drawing tablets, framing equipment, display easels, disco balls and decor, you name it. All available with an Arts Council membership for up to 5 business days.
The fact is that tools make our jobs easier. These items are great for the kids fresh out of school, artists looking to experiment in different mediums who aren’t quite committed to buying their own equipment, or fellow non-profits looking to save money and borrow items for an event. If you want to learn more about what is offered in our Lending Library, click here. Members should have a log-in now to borrow from the library. If you haven’t gotten your notification email, please contact admin@augustaarts.com.
So, use our tools! That’s the word.
-Heather