Cigar Boxes Become Art for Doodad Sculpture Competition

This time last year, a surplus of what could have been junk was turned into artistic treasure.

About three dozen plastic street globes were ordered for Horizon Bay at Hyde Park, an assisted living retirement community. But the globes were too bright, so new ones were ordered.

Instead of tossing the old globes, an idea sprouted: Re-purpose the globes by asking Hillsborough County middle and high school students to make sculptures out of them and compete for prizes. Local south Tampa schools including Robinson and Plant high schools are participating.

"They made the most amazing things with these globes," said Jack Wyatt, who lives in Hyde Park and helped organize the event. "(Things like) sushi bowls, airplanes, gumball machines."

This year's competition, which will be judged at noon today at Horizon Bay, 800 W. Azeele Street, uses cigar boxes instead of globes. Students in grades 1 through 12 were allowed to compete. According to guidelines, each sculpture could use between one and 10 cigar boxes, must have a stable base and be well-crafted.

An awards reception will be held from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Horizon Bay on Jan. 11, and sculptures will be displayed at the Tampa Firefighters Museum at 720 Zack Street next year.

Wyatt said the project, which is designed to build bridges between the artistic community of Tampa Bay, students and the community, allows students to express themselves using items that would normally be discarded.

"This is like a football game for an artist," he said.

Do you plan to go? Tell us in the comments.