From garbage to gallery.
Today on Up To Speed: Connecting people through his work and art is how one V Teamer moves the world forward.
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Throwing your old metal rake in the trash?
Not if Tim Foertsch can get his hands on it first.
By day, Tim works for Verizon as a transport engineer, but in his spare time he takes things like old wrenches, nuts and serving spoons and forges them into pieces of elaborate and fanciful art.
“I want people to stare at my art and go ‘wow’, I would have just thrown that away.”
For Tim, choosing to reuse old metal instead of buying new isn’t about the benefits for his wallet or the planet as much as they are for him as an artist.
“I like the idea that something had a former life. I find it more interesting to create with something that already has a shape or a texture. It’s more challenging and it taps into the creative side more for me.”
Tim’s work has quickly gained a following beyond his home base of Corbett, Oregon. His pieces have been displayed in galleries and museums across the country as well as installed in public spaces. “I feel proud to know that the things I’ve hand-created are reaching out to people in the world and people of interest.”
Tim sees his day job as a transport engineer complimenting the work he does in his metal shop. “There’s a lot of parallels between the art and the work I do with Verizon. How I approach things. How I’ve got to be unafraid to challenge myself and push further, learning new systems and new tools, and figuring out how I’m going to solve problems.”
Tim feels his work as a V Teamer - getting connectivity to new cell sites - is as important as the work he does as an artist. “This wireless network that we’re building, that’s the future of how we’ll stay connected to the rest of the world. Without it, you don’t have any cell connectivity, emergency responders, that call to grandma at Thanksgiving. What I love is the learning aspect and ensuring that we’re putting out a good network for our customers.”
Look for Tim’s work in a gallery or park near you.
If you - or a fellow V Teamer you know - has an interesting purpose, hobby, skill or side hustle that others would enjoy hearing about, let us know by dropping us a line at employeestories@verizon.com.
