Sculpture artists and weavers make mind-blowing items from discarded and broken umbrellas. But there are also many projects that you can make at home with limited sewing or gardening skills.

You can listen to my podcast episode on how to reuse broken umbrellas in this YouTube video. It originally aired in February 2021.

Artists Who Creatively Reuse Umbrellas

Jean Shin

• 2001 exhibit – Umbrellas Stripped Bare
• 2003 exhibit – Penumbra

Jean’s 2021 lecture to art students about her work. She discusses her umbrella pieces near the start of the lecture at around 7:00.

Sakir Gökcebag

• 2020 exhibit – Firmament
• 2015 exhibit – Black Forest
• 2014 exhibit – Brella Um

Helena Loermans

• Weaving canvases similar to those found in 16th and 17th century paintings
• Umbrella weaving

Amanda Schachter and Alexander Levi – SLO Architecture

Learn about the Harvest Dome projects

Umbrella Creative Reuse Projects

Cucicucicoo by Lisa Neri

• Umbrella fabric shopping bag, which includes a free sewing pattern
• Backpack rain cover
• Waterproof picnic blanket

Portable greenhouse from a clear bubble umbrella

Pussy willow craft from umbrella spines

Costumes that Creatively Reuse Umbrellas

Cirque de Parapluie – finalist in the Junk Kouture 2018 trash fashion show in Ireland

Bat costume instructions from Lenore Edman from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

Spaceship costume instructions using a bubble umbrella by Zygote Brown

Wheel of Fortune costume from an umbrella

Show Details

• Script for this podcast episode about creative use of umbrellas
• Trashmagination Pinterest board about umbrellas
• The Trashmagination podcast theme music is Kitchen from the Marian Circle Drum Brigade