Sow's Ear Challenge

While surfing the net for more local food information, I came across the web site of Sleepy Creek Vineyards. I'm not a wine lover, but I was hoping to find out if they sell grapes or related products. I couldn't determine this from the site, but I did find a pleasant surprise while checking out their Hayloft Art Gallery page. Apparently this local vineyard hosts a contest called the Sow's Ear Challenge, in which folks are asked to "make a silk purse from a sow's ear," using reclaimed materials to create something new. This year, the theme was e-waste, and I wish that there were pictures posted of entries, especially since I came across an entry on an area blog (Smile Politely) discussing the vineyard and mentioning a "George Clooney toaster" that was one of this year's entries. According to the web site, last year the challenge material was a wooden pallet (again, I wanna see--where are the pictures?) and next year, the material will be cardboard. The site says Dean Schwenk won this year for a lamp made from old circuit boards, so congratulations to him for his really reuseful idea. Hats off to Sleepy Creek for what strikes me as a great idea, but I hope that in the future they'll post some photos (at least of the winners) and provide a list of the materials focused on from year to year.