Aanu Seva 2018 | Art Therapy
Donation protected
Hi I'm Anu, dreamer and founder of the ceramic line Aanu .
Last year I had an idea of teaching a pottery workshop to share the healing powers of playing with clay with marginalized communities. I raised 2K and went to India to work with women from the Perna, Singhi, and Sapera tribes who are traditionally inter-generationally prostituted or at high risk, through the NGO Apne Aap . It was an amazing experience, you can read more about it here: Aanu Seva 2017
Looking back, I realize how naive I was in my approach, unaware of the upcoming logistical hurdles and unknown challenges of working with clay in a new climate. It wasn’t easy, but super rewarding for all of us - so I’m gearing up to do it again in 2018, but this time with some experience under my belt for the NGO Comision Unidos in Mexico City.
Aanu Seva 2018:
I met Comision Unidos founder Rosi Orozco last year in Delhi while exhibiting the ceramic work from the first Aanu Seva workshop. She invited me to conduct the workshop in Mexico, and after meeting the organization a few weeks ago the wheels have started motion!
Comision Unidos works to eradicate human trafficking through a 5 pronged approach: firstly, protection and care for victims: they have a shelter which provides a safe home, support and education for 12 girls, a support system for survivors for their integration into society after they leave the shelter system and this October they opened the first shelter of its kind in Mexico for boys. Secondly political influence to affect change top-down; Thirdly through prevention, creating awareness and research to better understand the complex field. Fourthly, citizen participation to build a community of support and shared information on the topic and finally, communication of the subject through publications and social media to spread information to the world.
The plan is that in mid January 2018 I will set up in Mexico City for 6-weeks to conduct a ceramic hand-building workshop for a group of 10-12 girls and boys from the Comision Unidos shelter home. We'll be working with clay and benefitting from all the healing that play and artistic expression allows, and then have an exhibition/auction of the work we create where the proceeds will be donated back to Comision Unidos.
The $2,500 in funding needed will help to cover the tools and materials needed for the workshop; studio, firing and glazing costs; transport expenses; exhibition setup, my flight home, accommodation in a flat share, and to support logistical hurdles as they arise. All remaining funds at the end of the mission will be donated to Comision Unidos.
Project Ethos:
Working with clay has a real duality to it. There are parts of the craft that are extremely challenging...even stressful actually. It often feels like taming a wild beast, and for some reason I keep jumping back on. But there is also another side, where the simple contact with the material feels soothing and grounding.
I can see real value in the healing that it's brought me as I put all of myself into the pieces that I make. My thoughts, my anxieties all get channeled through my hands, into a unique physical entity that is literally made from the earth. Something new is born, through this transference of feelings. This is where I see so much opportunity for therapy through this art-form. And this what I want to share with others.
Seva is the Sanskrit word for the act of service - to give back - an expression of compassion for others and a genuine desire to uplift those around you. This felt like the perfect name, and the Aanu Seva project was born.
Creative expression shouldn’t be a privilege. Providing those without access the potential to create, offering an alternate perspective outside of their everyday realities is the aim of the Aanu Seva project.
Help raise $2.5K to fund this special project!
Last year I had an idea of teaching a pottery workshop to share the healing powers of playing with clay with marginalized communities. I raised 2K and went to India to work with women from the Perna, Singhi, and Sapera tribes who are traditionally inter-generationally prostituted or at high risk, through the NGO Apne Aap . It was an amazing experience, you can read more about it here: Aanu Seva 2017
Looking back, I realize how naive I was in my approach, unaware of the upcoming logistical hurdles and unknown challenges of working with clay in a new climate. It wasn’t easy, but super rewarding for all of us - so I’m gearing up to do it again in 2018, but this time with some experience under my belt for the NGO Comision Unidos in Mexico City.
Aanu Seva 2018:
I met Comision Unidos founder Rosi Orozco last year in Delhi while exhibiting the ceramic work from the first Aanu Seva workshop. She invited me to conduct the workshop in Mexico, and after meeting the organization a few weeks ago the wheels have started motion!
Comision Unidos works to eradicate human trafficking through a 5 pronged approach: firstly, protection and care for victims: they have a shelter which provides a safe home, support and education for 12 girls, a support system for survivors for their integration into society after they leave the shelter system and this October they opened the first shelter of its kind in Mexico for boys. Secondly political influence to affect change top-down; Thirdly through prevention, creating awareness and research to better understand the complex field. Fourthly, citizen participation to build a community of support and shared information on the topic and finally, communication of the subject through publications and social media to spread information to the world.
The plan is that in mid January 2018 I will set up in Mexico City for 6-weeks to conduct a ceramic hand-building workshop for a group of 10-12 girls and boys from the Comision Unidos shelter home. We'll be working with clay and benefitting from all the healing that play and artistic expression allows, and then have an exhibition/auction of the work we create where the proceeds will be donated back to Comision Unidos.
The $2,500 in funding needed will help to cover the tools and materials needed for the workshop; studio, firing and glazing costs; transport expenses; exhibition setup, my flight home, accommodation in a flat share, and to support logistical hurdles as they arise. All remaining funds at the end of the mission will be donated to Comision Unidos.
Project Ethos:
Working with clay has a real duality to it. There are parts of the craft that are extremely challenging...even stressful actually. It often feels like taming a wild beast, and for some reason I keep jumping back on. But there is also another side, where the simple contact with the material feels soothing and grounding.
I can see real value in the healing that it's brought me as I put all of myself into the pieces that I make. My thoughts, my anxieties all get channeled through my hands, into a unique physical entity that is literally made from the earth. Something new is born, through this transference of feelings. This is where I see so much opportunity for therapy through this art-form. And this what I want to share with others.
Seva is the Sanskrit word for the act of service - to give back - an expression of compassion for others and a genuine desire to uplift those around you. This felt like the perfect name, and the Aanu Seva project was born.
Creative expression shouldn’t be a privilege. Providing those without access the potential to create, offering an alternate perspective outside of their everyday realities is the aim of the Aanu Seva project.
Help raise $2.5K to fund this special project!
Organizer
Anu Nagaraj
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
