Creating Treasures from Trash: Daniel Passantino
For Daniel Passantino, "one man's trash is another man's treasure" is not a phrase to be taken lightly. In fact, the 28-year-old Manhattanite takes it literally.
"Thursday is recycling night," says Passantino, who finds many of the bottles he uses to create one-of-a-kind glassware designs discarded on New York City sidewalks. He looks for unique colors and shapes, and admits to being "very picky. Of 100 bottles I look at, I take maybe five or fewer," he says. He sells the finished products through his website, bottle2vase.com, at art fairs, and via word of mouth.
Passantino first became interested in turning bottles into vases, glasses, and more as part of the Adaptations Glassware Cooperative (AGC). The idea to create glassware was suggested by former JCC board member Marc Warren, who saw an opportunity to create a social enterprise of the Adaptations program. One of the cornerstone programs of The Jack and Shirley Silver Center for Special Needs, Adaptations is a community of adults in their 20s and 30s with developmental and/or learning disabilities and a high level of independence that provides multiple pathways to finding one's passion and experiencing the richness of community.
Center director Allison Kleinman says, "Daniel is one of the most exceptional people I've had the pleasure to work with. His intelligence, dedication, and high standards of excellence helped launch and maintain the Adaptations Glassware Cooperative."
The AGC team took a lesson in glass polishing at the UrbanGlass studio, a glass studio in Brooklyn. "Other than that," Passantino says, "I had to figure out most of the techniques on my own." He began passing on what he learned to the other cooperative members.
Sandblasting designs onto the glass came later, when the AGC brought in an instructor for a lesson in the hopes someone would be able to help produce more unique products. "My work started very simple but people liked it, so I made more," Passantino recalls. Adaptations members sold the glasses at the JCC, but the program came to an end in late 2012 when the price of making the glass became too high—and demand dwindled. "We had saturated the JCC. We sold close to 1,000 pieces," he says.
But Passantino wasn't ready to give up his newfound passion. "I felt like I still had designs to share, and kept going on my own." To date he has created over 600 pieces. He credits Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and the Center for Special Needs with helping him secure spots at art fairs and other venues.
The AGC also gave rise to the Center's own job program, Adaptations Job Services.
Passantino, who lives with his family on the Upper West Side, rents space at UrbanGlass, where he turns out his creations. Each piece takes one and a half to six hours to make, with the average being about three hours. Prices range from $40 to $80.
"People who get the vases really fall in love with them," he says.
Today, Passantino has a greater appreciation for how hard it is to make art. He's grateful to Kleinman and the Center for Special Needs. "Adaptations taught me a lot—and helped connect me to the community," he says.
Sherri Lerner is the former editorial director at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She has written and edited for numerous publications and is currently on the staff of the Wechsler Center.