As the tragic events were unfolding in Norway yesterday, I was spending the day creating with my youth artisans and I could not think of a better place to have been.
Pent working on a large piece. I love his vision.
HELP CELEBRATE YOUTH ARTISANS. They deserve our love and support.
I was born 50% Norwegian (50% Swedish), and I dedicate this post to the youth of Norway (NORGE) and to my Dad.
I was privileged to work today with a group of lovely individuals living with Alzheimers on an intergenerational mural quilt project. My incredible friend, Cheryl, invited me to their centre and it was a magical afternoon of color, laughter, chatting and painting. Next up, I will get my youth artisans to work on the piece as well and then I will add batting and quilt in some textures. The piece will then return to the centre! I’ll keep you posted!
We discussed what word would fit best on the piece and a mutual decision was made: FREEDOM! That truly is what art gives us, no matter what circumstance we are in. In the moment of creation, we are joyous and we are free.
Cheryl, as my Operation Sock Monkey ambassador, introduced sock monkeys to the centre and here are some samples by the staff!!!
This post is dedicated to my beautiful dance-buddy, best friend, Cheryl Bain, an angel on earth.
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You can support local youth by purchasing items on my ETSY site- youth artisan section! Paintings by Alicia Love will be posted soon!
Here are some items added today:
See also:
Pent carries his street art further
Pent and Kat drawing together testing Prismacolor pens with white china marker.
… being in danger of negative future events.
From: Camilleri, V.A. (ed.) (2007) Healing the Inner City Child- Creative Arts Therapies with At-risk Youth, London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers [p. 17-20]
These events, or their outcomes, can include depression, educational failure, addiction, unemployment, incarceration, poverty, or death, and are a result of a complex and often correlated set of risk factors… With information about risk factors and their outcomes, counselors and educators can work to prevent children from being victim of their circumstances…
Healing the Inner City Child presents a diverse collection of creative arts therapies approaches to meeting the specific mental health needs of inner city children, who are disproportionately likely to experience violence, crime and family pressures and are at risk of depression and behavioural disorders as a result.
The contributors draw on their professional experience in school and community settings to describe a wide variety of suitable therapeutic interventions, including music, play and art therapy as well as psychodrama and dance/movement approaches, that enable children to deal with experiences of trauma, loss, abuse, and other risk factors that may affect their ability to reach their full academic and personal potentials. The contributors examine current research and psychoeducational trends and build a compelling case for the use of creative arts therapies with inner city populations.
A must-read for creative arts therapists, psychologists, social workers and educators, this book offers a comprehensive overview of arts-based interventions for anyone working to improve the lives of children growing up in inner city areas.
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The last few weeks at my school were, needless to say, tough, as I prepared to say goodbye. The letters and quotes I received from my students are individual works of art, healing for all of us.
Here’s one of them.
Miko thrust this page in my hand during the last student assembly (you can tell by the wrinkles that I clutched it tight) and it truly reflects the energy Miko exudes, the power of art therapy, the journey of my students, the wisdom of our hero, Hunter S. Thompson, and the excitement of our next chapter!
Clay mask by Miko.
Photos by Julian Bowers.
On June 30, 2011, I said goodbye to my art therapy room at Keith Lynn Alternative Secondary School, North Vancouver, BC, and handed over the key. Though I wil continue to work with at-risk youth in the Lower Mainland as an art therapist/ art facilitator, I say goodbye to the daily intensity of my in-house position. The walls tell the story. When I started at KLASS in Feb 2008, the walls were bare. I suppose the students and I left a mark!
Goodbye sweet dingy dungeon full of love, laughter, tears, screams, hilarity and creation!
One last sew...
"closed"
Handing over the key to principal, Michele Henderson, who gave me the trust and freedom to build my program.
In my next post, I will share some of the extraordinary love letters I received from staff and students.
