Yesterday We Ran Out of PAINTS

Mandala

Yesterday we had our last PAINTS session with grades 3-5. It was a bitter sweet day. I think we were all sad it was over. Hopefully we'll be able to have another go round in September.
What a great bunch of amazingly insightful, imaginative and creative kids they are.

It's hard to put into words the feeling I had after they'd all collaborated in a very special exhibit of their artwork created over the past eight weeks. I was so proud of them all and I could see the pride they had in themselves.

 All the other classes and teachers in our little rural school were invited in to see what they had done. The kids were paired off in groups at particular stationed areas of the room, where we had their art work displayed on tables. As the other classes entered the room the students would give a brief description of what the artwork was about in relation to the Circle of Courage.

It immediately became so obvious how important this overall conclusion to our PAINTS program was, and that this exhibition was such a vital part of the whole program. It made it real, gave it a depth of meaning to the effort the students had made and brought it all together.


First Workshop -  Belonging/Community/History - Sculpture/Hand building techniques with ceramic clay creating symbolic Animal Totems represented in the Circle of Courage.

Drawing, Painting and Collage using various mediums and techniques were all an important part of our creative process.

Second Workshop -  Independence/Connection between Self/Others/Environment awareness and social harmony - Mandalas

Third Workshop - Generousity/Developing Empathy - Earth Wall Tiles

Fourth Workshop - Mastery/Achieving Goals - Masks

The Circle of Courage project is based on the model of positive youth development founded on the universal principle that to be emotionally healthy all youth need a sense of belonging/attachment, mastery/achievement, independence/autonomy and generosity/altruism.

Each session explored the basic universal growth needs through art activities such as hand built sculpture using ceramic clay, applying techniques for hand built animals that represented and expressed the animal totems in the Circle of Courage.  These animals were the Bear, symbolizing Belonging, the Buffalo, symbolizing Mastery, the Eagle, symbolizing Independence and the Deer, symbolizing Generousity.

Our afternoons began and ended with engaging discussion about the topic and workshop. The students all enthusiastically created pictures using various drawing mediums and tempera painting on paper prior to creating each project.

 Discussions also took place regularly surrounding colour, the colour wheel, mixing and application of colour, techniques and introduction to learning about graphite drawing pencils.
We always had a time of reflection at the end each session for each student to express what was learned and then there was a brief introduction of what was going to happen in the coming week. This always proved to show how insightful these young budding artists were about creativity and their understanding, insight and connection with themselves, the world, and their environment. I was very much impressed!

I presented online examples and brought in my own artwork of paintings, sculpture, drawings of sacred geometry/mandalas, online resources of historical examples of masks and their uses in all cultures and I showed them a youtube video of Mummenschanz is a Swiss mask theater troupe who perform in a surreal mask and we discussed all of these in relation to art and the Circle of Courage.

We concluded PAINTS with an very enjoyable and wonderful exhibition in the school and we were all very proud and very happy!

Circle of Courage - Garbage Bags - Youth Care Workers - The World

"The Circle of Courage® is a model of positive youth development based on the universal principle that to be emotionally healthy all youth need a sense of belonging, mastery, independence and generosity."

I am sorry to be wrapping up the PAINTS ( Professional Artists in the Schools) program with the kids, grades 3 to 5, in our local school this coming week. I so wished it was continuing and in a perfect world, art would be offered to youth each and everyday in schools, as the educational foundation that enables youth to connect with themselves, others, with the environment and their world. The PAINTS program I offered was based on the First Nations Circle of Courage which reflects basic human needs and the values of Belonging, Independence, Mastery and Generousity/Empathy. These were expressed through the art work and creative imaginations of these insightful youth who have inspired and left me feeling hopeful.

In my other life and vocation as a Youth Care Worker for 20 plus years, I became acutely and personally aware through my work with youth and families within the system, of the crisis that exists with youth on both a national, and global scale.

It pains me greatly when I hear the proverbial cheap lip service, and rhetoric of how youth are our greatest resource. This is not what is reflected in reality throughout the world, when you see the proven statistics accounting for child abuse, poverty, homelessness, or suicide among young people baring the burden of mental health and addiction issues.

Many troubled youth at risk who have spent years within foster care, group homes and custodial facilities, especially those who have been involved in the courts, are eventually more often than not preened for the adult correctional system especially if they don't get the help they need.

Once a youth has served their sentence in open or closed custody, they are basically on their own without enough to no support and return to dysfunctional homes, they choose to live on the street or couch surf, go missing or in the worse case scenario, are found dead.

With the influx of people moving to the urban and city areas these complex problems are compounded and
 intensified resulting in more serious issues.

There are many theories and reasons that have long been discussed in order to resolve this crisis among youth. But for me it has mostly been empty talk with no concrete resolutions particularly when politicians or government is involved and falls upon deaf ears. I don't put my faith in politics or government. However they still need to be lobbied and pressured to do the right thing for families and youth.

There are some folks who I believe are making a difference. The front line workers, those who genuinely care enough to advocate for kids and families, and the youth themselves, such as organizations like Hope Blooms.

 Violet-Rose Pharaoh who started the garbage bag challenge is raising awareness and funds to provide suitcases to kids in care. Time and time again I saw kids who were carrying around all of their belongings in garbage bags and this is what they left group homes with.
Violet spent much of her childhood and youth in care.

Another person, a Youth Care Worker who is making a difference through Twitter, is Mark Cherrington.
Dr. Bernie Krause is another individual who understands how humans need to be living harmoniously with connection to the environment instead of trying to conquer it.

There are no simple solutions to the crisis among youth and families. I do believe however that if values are imparted to children that fulfill their needs in order to give them a true sense of belonging, independence, mastery and generousity, these would in turn make a huge difference in the well being of our youth, our families and in our world.

My Earth Day Walk

Yesterday, Earth Day, was a good day. But everyday to me is Earth Day living in such a beautiful place as I do, and I feel very blessed because of it.

I've started back walking ever other day for an hour and a half. This morning as I went outside early I was greeted with the plethora of singing song birds, wild Canada geese, and warm sweet smelling Spring air.

On my way I encountered a small chickadee that I could almost reach out and touch, as she didn't seem afraid. A little brown squirrel and a rabbit scurried close by, and I saw what I think was an American Three Toed Woodpecker looking for breakfast, in a dead tree stump. Seeing all these tiny creatures filled my heart with happiness.

On my way back, it had gently started to rain, a few drops here and there. The soft rain gave the air an intoxicating smell of Spring and I thought to myself how I loved this earth, the land here, and everything about it. I searched the ditches for pussy willows that aren't quite out, and thoughts of Mayflowers filled my head.

Spring is my very favourite time of year, because for me it's a season of celebration, when I am even more  grateful for the beauty of the earth, as everything is in the early stages of new growth, full of the promise of new life in creation.

Yesterday in the PAINTS (Professional Artists In The Schools) program that a teacher and I facilitate together in our local school, we talked about The Circle of Courage in relation to Earth Day and what new art project we were about to create next, a tiled mosaic called an Earth Wall which they are very excited about.

 I am always so impressed with how children understand that are directly connected to one another as human beings, and to their environment. They acutely comprehend how important it is to honour and protect our earth.

I introduced them to a blog called Two Green Leaves, written by two 11 year old boys who also care about the earth and climate change. They are trying to make others aware of how important it is to understand and to try and make a difference in saving our earth.

I am so happy and grateful I walk this earth as an artist.

Nova Scotia PAINTS

Yesterday, April 1st was an exciting day for me because I helped to facilitate a program called PAINTS, in our local school in Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia. This is offered through Visual Arts Nova Scotia. Professional Artists, go into the schools over a period of weeks and facilitate art workshops.

Many moons ago, way back in the 70s, I was attending the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design as a student in Fine Arts and the Art Education program. At this time art was beginning to become seriously cut throughout Nova Scotia in the schools. This was very disturbing to artists and art educators alike, and we began to fight back against these cuts. Seemingly to no avail, as the cut backs continued.

Fast forward years ahead, there where fewer and fewer art teachers to be found in the Nova Scotia educational school system, primarily in secondary school. However,  I am overjoyed and heartened to learn that this is finally turning around and art is now being reintroduced into the schools.

The higher ups and I am certain teachers themselves are seeing how crucial the creative arts are as one of the basics, as a way to integrate and directly affect academic learning. The creative arts not only augment academic learning but improves it substantially, exceeds the average person's expectation and it is how to make learning come alive.

The children I am working with right now, are in grade three to five and are so much fun, astute and an absolute delight. They need no convincing to understand how and why art it is important to them inside and outside of their school classrooms.

Their teacher who I am working with, is a highly intelligent and very creative person. We share similar ideas about teaching and creativity. She is a real joy to work with, and I am so very grateful to be involved with this wonderful program PAINTS.