BECAUSE ART CHANGES LIVES

A brushstroke paints a line and colours a shape. Do it again, and again, and suddenly what’s on the canvas is not a lifeless form, but a spark, an emotion, an interpretation of what you see and sense. Something new is born from a blank page.

That’s what I experience every time I paint. And as a teacher I love to see my students realize what art can do. This has never been truer than when I spent time two years ago in Machakos, Kenya. I led a mentoring camp at a program hosted by the Resource Center for Women & Girls. The Center is an organization that works with young women to support their development as community leaders and change makers.

These young women have few resources. They live in communities whose economies have been ravaged by war and depressed by drought. For many, they live in traditional, rural places where opportunities for education have been limited to elementary school.  The Resource Centre creates a caring community and provides programs with new experiences to broaden their view of what’s possible.

I’m so glad we could meet each other in the art classroom. Throughout our weeks together in Africa, I watched as these young women discovered their own power through art. I saw their eyes light up, their shoulders rise, and their heads lift. Art helped give them confidence to express themselves and to find their voice.

I understood their joy. I grew up in rural Newfoundland in a community limited by isolation and financial constraints. Art provoked my imagination and curiosity. My dreams fuelled and propelled me to a career in design in Toronto, and a passion for creating and teaching art.

Now I want to pass it on. When I saw the transformative effect of art for the girls in the camp, I knew that not only would I be back to Africa, but I also had to help these young women. They live where there is so much at stake, and hold hopes of bringing so much change: more education, healthier lives and community advocacy. 

In August, I am hosting an ‘Artists-in-residence’ program at a retreat in Grey County near Georgian Bay. Five young women from the Resource Centre - all promising community leaders - will come from Africa to Canada. For two weeks, they will work with me and other established Canadian artists in the inspiring beauty of the Canadian woods. We will teach them about art techniques and practices and support them to take brave steps along new creative paths. The goal of the ‘Artists-in-residence’ program is to have them return home strengthened and encouraged to grow the capacities of their own lives, their communities and to inspire the next generation of young girls.

In order to make this possible, I need to raise $25,000. This amount will cover the costs of travel, food, accommodation requirements and art supplies.

I am asking you - as an art lover or artist - to contribute whatever you can to this fund to bring the art-making experience to girls I know need it so much. Because we understand how art changes lives, and the lives of those around us.

I would be so grateful for your support. As a thank you, for any donation over $250, you will receive a $100 voucher towards a piece of my artwork.

Please go to this link and make a donation to Artists-in-Residence Program for the young women of Kenya.

I appreciate you reading this and considering contributing to this fund. Your money will do so much to support a life changing experience for young women leaders in Kenya and the communities they call home.

A huge, warm-hearted thank you!

Charlene

Please visit the work of the Resource Centre to see how this great organization is changing the life of many young Kenyan women.

https://resourcecenter.or.ke/