Cardboard city: Santa Monica popup lets visitors transform cardboard into art

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- You can do a lot with cardboard - more than just shipping and moving. And at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, a free public art gallery is letting you work on your cardboard construction skills.

The free pop-up art center is called Cardboard City.

"You can come in, with your families and make cool stuff out of cardboard," said Aaron Kramer, board president of the reDiscover Center.

Organizers have boxed tons of fun inside a 10,000 square-foot space. Visitors are treated to sculptures, massive art installations, cardboard costuming and building classes.

The Pearlman's visited from London.

"We were just having a wander up and down Third Street Promenade, we saw this and the kids got very excited," said Leo Pearlman.

The reDiscover Center is behind this event. Founded in 2003, its mission is to get clean, recyclable materials into the hands of children and encourage them to create. Cardboard City also aims to educate visitors about repurposing items we so often view as trash.

"Cardboard is readily accessible. It's egalitarian," said Kramer. "Everyone can get a hold of it. And with just a little bit of training you can be able to manipulate it and make cool stuff."

You can also shop. Some of these cardboard pieces are selling for as much as $30,000.

Cardboard City is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon until 6 p.m. The event runs through Aug. 29 on the Third Street Promenade.

Admission is free.