(Due to technological issue, I am uploading the description for this piece here.)
The Little Mermaid 10 x 10” Mixed media (acrylic paint and color pencils on canvas) When one thinks about the Little Mermaid, the first image that pops up in their mind is the stereotypical, beautiful princess with lovely face, long silky hair, and rainbow fins. Even the mermaid from the Disney animation is depicted as a charming young girl with long, red hair, and a cute outfit made of seashells. The beautiful little mermaid gave up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul. But I asked myself: Is she really “beautiful”? The Little Mermaid is a creature that lives deep inside the sea water; how can she swim with such long hair? In reality, there must be scales and barnacles all over her body, and her eyes would be blind because eyes are not necessary in the darkness deep inside the ocean. There is no way the real mermaid can look “beautiful” to a human being. I wanted to paint a little mermaid, a real mermaid in her true self and her own beauty. She is the sea creature that prefers no hair, blind eyes, rough skin, and scales because that is her true nature: her own beauty.
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“I’ll never wash my clothes!”
“Why?” “Because you hugged me!” -Afraa The children were busy with choosing their favorite stickers from the 500 puffy stickers packet that I brought for them to decorate their piggy banks with. In that moment, I interviewed the children sitting next to me about their honest feedback on the project I did and the crafts that I bring them every week. I also wanted to ask them about what art means to them and how this project can help them with their future dreams. 1. What do you all think about the art activities that I bring to you? Ngameh: It’s fun! Malahaye: It’s creative, fun, I love it. I swear! Fatima: Yaaay! I love Stella! Rawan: I loved them. 100%. It’s fun and it expresses people. It helps you bring out people’s art-self. 2. What is your favorite thing about the art activities? Malahaye: Everything! Sawsan: Art! You need to paint. We get to learn about more stuff. 3. Anything you want me to bring to you other than the activities that we have already done? Flora: I honestly don’t care; these are fun. Malahaye: I want to do some canvas paintings! Painting on actual canvas! Sawsan: Origami? Poe: We already did that. Sawsan: I mean, something more than that. Nagmeh: I really liked the sculpting activity. You know, when you brought us clays. (Everyone else agreeing with her) Fatima: I want to color clothes (she meant tie dye). 4. What does are mean to you? Poe: Creativity. You can draw, sketch, paint, color… You can draw what you think of. Sawsan: I love art. It’s really fun –I can draw forever. Flora: I just like to draw when I’m bored. Malahaye: It’s cool! It’s fun! I get to express myself! I draw when I feel down and when I am bored. Rawan: It’s my life. It’s really important to me –it inspires me to do stuff. Good experience. The feeling is great because it expresses my feelings in front of people when they ask me to express myself. 5. What do you want to be in the future? It doesn’t have to be art related. Poe: I want to continue to do art in the future. I haven’t thought about jobs yet. Sawsan: I want to be a doctor, anime creator, painter… I just like them. Flora: I want to be a doctor to help people. And I want to become a fashion designer because I like to design things. Malahaye: I want to become an artist, media animator, and a game designer. I want to design any kinds of games –pixel, anime games…etc. Rawan: It has to be art-related because I love art. I want to be either an artist or an art teacher like you! End of the year is fast approaching, and it is time for me to think about how to continue this project for the children even after I graduate. Even though I am planning on visiting RISSE frequently if I go to college nearby, I wish we can provide artistic and creative opportunities to the children continuously. Here are some ideas:
1. Since I heard that there is a possibility of an art camp as a collaboration between RISSE and the Arts Center after my exhibition in January, I can ask the RISSE members and Ms. Belinda Colón for advice and further opinions on the idea. Providing annual art camp for the children will be a new kind of experience for them. 2. Ms. Colón has expressed her interest in working with me in the future too. It may be possible to establish an annual exhibition of the artworks done by the refugee children at the Arts Center in Troy. 3. The Albany Center Gallery is also an option --Mr. Tony Iadicicco has also showed interest in supporting me with the project. 4. Therefore, if I can establish a set group of people at school who can rotate from week to week to participate in the activity, I can connect the group to one of the art centers to continue this project. 5. My first step then would be making a Practicum at Emma Willard School that can officially gather students to participate in "making and providing creative activities for the children" (it can be something other than art --it can be music, bowling..etc.). 6. Then, I will ask the arts centers what and how they can help me with continuing the project of inspiring the children. It can be establishing an annual exhibition, as I mentioned above, or having an art camp. Due to personal health issues and the weather condition, I could not go to the RISSE for the past 3 weeks. I miss the kids so much --I can't wait to see them and hear their stories about their school life.
Here is a rough plan for the next classes: (March) Week 2: Tissue paper craft and mixing colors (collage) Week 3: Spring Break Week 4: Spring Break (April) Week 1: Bubble painting with straw and watercolor paint Week 2: Tie Dye Sharpie Bookmarks Week 3: Paper dream catchers Week 4: Bring back all the artworks in frames to the children (May) Week 1: Paper plate fans Week 2: No arts and crafts for this day Week 3: Spring day acrylic painting on canvas papers Week 4: Photos with me and decoration on frames |