“Starting New Life in the United States of America”
Paint it Forward
June 5, 2022
30 Refugee children attended a fun and instructional art workshop in early June at a mosque in the Northeast section of Philadelphia. We started with the idea of a communal event that would allow children to express their notions of “Home” while creating a safe and supportive environment for the mothers and fathers to come together.
Our Creative Director developed a basic depiction of a house-like character, whom we call “Artie.” The younger children customized their Arties with add-ons such as pirate hats and skateboards, and added color and words where they so desired. The kids took their art work and extra art supplies home, but not before we scanned the art to convert into JPEGS, like the one you see here.
In the afternoon, our teenagers gathered for a similar workshop. But, they used a software program to customize their Arties. Using loaned MACS, the instructors taught them the program, and prompted them through the creation. Those JPEGS were used to create our first NFT (non-fungible token).
Our volunteers led impromptu puppet shows for the toddlers, served food and beverages to the women and mothers socializing in a separate space, wrestled with technology challenges and organized transportation for the attendees.
Art is healing. Art is empowering. Art helps us make sense of what was and what could be. We saw it for ourselves.