Creek Glass
Pieces of colored glass and pottery are held by Ali Freeman and her son Lochlan, 8, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Flat Branch Creek in Columbia. They collect the colored glass and pottery from the creek and transform the pieces into artwork.
Local artist Ali Freeman smiles as she finds a piece of pottery on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Flat Branch Creek in Columbia. “Coming out and looking for stuff makes me feel like a kid again,” Freeman said.
Lochlan Freeman, 8, looks into his fishing net to inspect what he pulled from the water on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Flat Branch Creek in Columbia. “He likes to catch frogs and minnows while we are at the creek,” Ali Freeman, his mother, said.
Ali Freeman and her son Lochlan, 8, look for interesting items on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Flat Branch Creek in Columbia. Freeman and her son go to the creek often to find interesting items that can be made into art pieces.
Ali Freeman reads the inscription of a glass bottle to her son Lochlan, 8, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Flat Branch Creek in Columbia. Freeman is also a second grade teacher for the City Garden School in Columbia.
Various pieces of colored glass and broken pottery pieces sit in the bucket Ali Freeman uses to collect her items on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Flat Branch Creek in Columbia. She takes the collected items and uses them for art pieces she puts together.
Ali Freeman discusses with her son Lochlan, 8, about a piece of glass that they found at Flat Branch Creek on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Columbia. Lochlan said he enjoys going out with his mother on her treasure hunts.