Help recycled bottles become art in Naperville

The theme of "celebrating water" at the Knoch Knolls Nature Center in Naperville went a level deeper Saturday as an artist and visitors collaborated to create a sculpture out of recycled water bottles.

But help is still needed Sunday to finish the sculpture, and anyone who's interested is invited to stop by the nature center at 320 Knoch Knolls Road to have a hand in the creative process.

Chicago artist Lucy Slivinski, whose sculpture of a historic sawmill already graces the new nature center that opened last fall, is guiding kids and adults in using cleaned plastic bottles of all shapes and sizes to assemble a new piece of art.

Once the recycled creation is complete, it will remain on display until Sunday, Aug. 16, along with other pieces of Slivinski's work. She specializes in using recycled materials and discarded objects to create art.

"I am both humbled and amazed at the regenerative power of life," Slivinski said in a news release. "Through recycling, we have blessed opportunities to reshape things that are perceived as decay into replenished mysteries of beauty."