CITY OF NEWBURGH — On Saturday, a steady stream of visitors walked into the Space Create gallery on Broadway, and their eyes quickly caught kinetic artist Steve Gerberich’s sculptures in motion: a crank-operated “shark tank” where sharks dive into a bucket; an upside-down 1930s sewing machine; a red button in the middle of a dial with an inviting “Press Here” message that set the entire exhibit in motion, and lots more.

And then Gerberich sat each visitor down at a worktable with hot glue guns and trays full of materials he uses in his “hyperrecycling” sculpture work: paper plates, old tool handles, cork, bottle caps, even wood left over from the Newburgh Illuminated Festival in June. It was all part of Gerberich’s “Make-and-Take” sculpting event.

And, very soon, the visitors’ creations took shape. “Use your imagination,” said Gerberich, “You can make whatever you dream of.”

Stella Angel, 5, of Hopewell Junction, turned out a ladybug, complete with antennae made from twisty metal from a spiral notebook. Christine Moylan of Monroe made a fisherman. Her friend, Michelle Matera, also of Monroe, created a scene from Ken Kesey's epic psychiatric hospital story “One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.” Caterina Fioravanti, 9, of Newburgh, made a model of the stage at Bethel Woos Center for the Arts. “It’s such a pretty place,” Caterina said as she showed off her model. “That’s why I made it. This is a really cool idea.”

Gerberich, known for his “Gerb-O-Matic” creations, has been making interactive sculptures since 1985, when he moved to New York City from Iowa. His work is regularly shown at science and regional museums, and it’s been featured in Manhattan storefronts, including Bloomingdale’s. He set up a studio at 11 Spring St. in Newburgh in August 2015. He still has a studio in Brooklyn, but the rent in Newburgh is much cheaper. Gerberich said his event Saturday at the Space Create collaborative gallery on Broadway was his Newburgh debut.

“The art scene in Newburgh is happening,” Gerberich said. “It’s exciting.”

Gerberich prides himself on “making common objects uncommon.” He’s continually on the hunt for everyday, tossed-away scraps to become part of his next creations.

On Saturday, he handed out bottled water as he guided his visitors through their sculpture creations. “What will we do with the bottle caps?” he asked his apprentice sculptors. “We’ll put them in with the scrap.”

dbayne@th-record.com