Unique charity event
raises canned food to a new level.
It’s a caring crafter’s dream competition — to By participating in Canstruction contests, students
create a spectacular giant sculpture entirely are introduced to mentors in the design and construc-
out of cans of food, then do a good deed when tion industries, and to practical skills, too. You can’t
the cans are given away to people in need. That’s pull off one of these giant sculptures without using
what Canstruction is all about. healthy doses of mathematics, geometry, structural
From majestic cityscapes to giant machines and engineering, design, and construction techniques.
imposing animals, the sculptures display a sense Melillo says the Canstruction project was cre-
of whimsy, and in many cases brilliant feats of struc- ated as a charity of the design and construction
tural engineering. At first glance it seems impossible industries, to give something back to the local
that the Can-Cobra’s hooded head of cans can communities that support them. She came up with
support itself, but many of the immense sculptures the idea in 1993, and put on the first Canstruction
seem to defy gravity. How can the Two-Faced Grecian contest that year in New York City. The effort has
Vase or the hot air balloon possibly stand up? grown steadily since — in 2006 there were events
The ambitious Canstruction project, in its 14th in 80 cities, and the NYC competition was the biggest
year, combines the spirit of a design/build competi- ever, with 42 architectural and engineering firms
tion with a unique way to help feed hungry people. competing. One of the hardest parts for Melillo was
Put on by the Society for Design and the American arranging for trucking 150,000 cans to the competi-
Institute of Architects, Canstruction pits teams of tion site in just two days.
architects, engineers, and students against each The amount of food generated by Canstruction is
other in a nationwide competition. sizable — 2 million pounds in 2006 alone — but that’s
All of the food used in the sculptures, plus cans not the only way this artistic effort aids the cause of
collected as the price of admission, is donated to hunger. “The sculptures raise everyone’s conscious-
local hunger relief organizations. “The medium ness regarding problems of hunger that exist in sup-
becomes the message,” points out Cheri Melillo, posedly the richest nation on Earth,” notes Melillo. “As
president and executive director of the Canstruction much as Canstruction delivers food for the hungry, it
Foundation. “The food in the structures is immedi- also generates food for thought.”
ately transformed into meals to help those in need.”
Hundreds of competing teams show their stuff Canstruction exhibits are seen in malls, museums, by designing and building the giant can sculp- design centers, and public spaces throughout the tures in a single day. At each local exhibition, United States. For locations see canstruction.org. prizes are awarded in categories such as Best
Meal, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity, Bruce Stewart is a freelance writer and editor covering topics and Jurors’ Favorite, and six teams are selected ranging from telecommunications and open source to solar for the final competition. coffee roasters and Lego harpsichords.
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