SCRAP

Specialties

SCRAP specializes in creative reuse art supplies. This means we have things such as paper, metal, wood, sewing supplies and notions, fabric, plastic, arts and crafts supplies, unique treasures, whimsies and oddities. We provide art supplies to the community and public schools at low to no-​cost to support art in the Bay Area and beyond.

History

Established in 1976.

SCRAP was the world’s first creative reuse center and has been diverting waste from landfills for use as art supplies for more than 37 years. SCRAP was created as a response to declining funding for San Francisco public school art teachers. Our founder, Anne Marie Theilen, was charged with placing over a hundred artists inside schools. However, these underfunded artists lacked supplies for the classrooms. Anne Marie observed waste produced by manufacturers, companies, and stores and founded SCRAP to connect these unwanted materials with the underfunded programs and projects.

Throughout the years, SCRAP’s mission remains powerful and timely. Our goals are to maximize the diversion of reusable materials from the waste stream, collect and redistribute materials to underfunded people and programs in the community, and educate and benefit the public in the art of creative reuse.