I wanted to post this so that more people can find out about this wonderful project. My dive buddy, Beth Dalzell’s daughter is one of the talented artists in this project. Here’s what the kickstarter web site says about the project:
Exploring the arts as a catalyst for healing, HOPE Art is inspiring others to create. Many refugee camps in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti are hastily constructed tarp and cardboard make shift towns. As we approach the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that decimated life in Haiti, more and more disjointed families feel hopeless, as if they are screaming silently into the wind. While no one person can swoop in and save or correct everything, studies show that art therapy as a creative outlet provides healing to young adults and children as they are usually less capable and less comfortable expressing themselves through words.
HOPE Art will provide the materials and instruction for a variety of art projects, in one tent city, to commemorate the January 12th earthquake that rocked Haiti in 2010. Melissa Schilling and Jenni Ward have co-taught children’s classes involving a fusion of artistic and culinary exploration over the past 2 years and now plan to take their creative energy to the children of Haiti using art as a universal language.
HOPE Art PHASE 1 – Create a week of “intentional whimsy” in a Haitian tent city. Purchase art supplies for children to use as soul expression, stress relief, community capturing, social outlet and therapy; crayons, pencils, paints, papers, linens, scrolls for murals & disposable cameras. Reward donors with original prints from both the children and photographer Melissa Schilling.
HOPE Art PHASE 2 – Assemble compilation book of children’s artwork and Melissa’s photo documentation of this art adventure. Print 1,000 books to be sent back to Haiti AND print additional copies for all donors, who donate during Phase 2.
Here is a copy of the e-mail that I received from Jenni about helping to fund their endeavor:
Dear Friends and Family,
I apologize for the rash of emails that I’ve been sending your way, but we only have 29 days left to fund our project HOPE Art and we need your help to reach our goal!
To update you on our project, we have connected with an organization called “Wings Over Haiti” and they will be helping us facilitate our creative endeavors with the children in Port au Prince using their school as a home-base. We have also received some donated art supplies from Dick Blick Art Supplies, so we are well on our way to making this happen.
Click on the link below for details about our project and to pledge your donation. Your pledge will be processed only if we reach our goal of $5,500. When it is successfully funded, your pledge will be applied on December 10, 2010. International pledges are welcome and don’t forget to check out the rewards! No pledge will go unrecognized.
https://kickstarter.com/projects/mimicake/hope-art-haiti-operation-peace-endeavor
Please forward this email to anyone you know who would be interested in supporting this project. Post it to Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, the Interwebs. Its going to take a lot of us to bring crayons, sketch books and paints to these kids.
Thanks for your help and support,
Jenni Ward, Amanda Luu, Jacquelyn Knapp & Melissa Schilling
© 2010, Herb Segars. All rights reserved.
