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BuildaBridge International
August 2010
Update
August 29, 2010
BuildaBridge International
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Greetings! Joy  | Have you ever wondered what the true joy of transformation looks like? This summer BuildaBridge Artists on Call (AOC) witnessed this joy in Atlanta, Haiti and Montana through artist trainings and Arts for Hope Camps, and Artology in Philadelphia. Our Artology Camp concludes this week with an art show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (see below).
Emotional and psychological transformation, while present, is often hard to document. Environmental change is more readily assessed and can be quite remarkable when communities and artists work together. Look at these before and after pictures of a Haiti orphanage where Amy Tuttle, Rob Wetherington and Liz Spaeth spent a creating a child safe space.
When we visited this orphanage with our alliance partner Practical  Compassion last April, we were immediately struck by the safety issues for the the 53 children who call this place home. Working with the leaders and the children of the orphanage, the space was transformed to a child-safe and creative sacred space for the children to play, dance, and learn.
I hope you'll take the time to read the stories by artists working around the world this summer, and view the pictures. Consider serving with BuildaBridge this fall.
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A Way To Give
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 Please support our mission of arts relief and transformation. Click on the button to donate to BuildaBridge.
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Stories of Transformation from Haiti Arts Relief Trip
| Safe Space  | Stirring the Creative Pot
Amy Tuttle, Artist on Call, Haiti Arts Relief Trip July 2010
When we arrived at the orphanage in Lerbough, we were immediately
taken aback by the tough conditions. It did not seem like a place
conducive for growth, for lives well lived. The physical environment
was bleak, littered by broken down vehicles and trash. I did not see
with my eyes or sense with my heart a vibrant community. When I met Yvelene, a 14 year old girl living at the Lerbough Orphanage outside of
Port-au-Prince, Haiti she seemed much the same. She did not seem fully
alive and she was hesitant to engage in the courses that we offered. READ MORE.
Whiplash
By Liz Spaeth, (BuildaBridge 2010 Dream Team Summer Intern)
Whiplash.
That is how another group member from the BuildaBridge Arts Relief trip
described the transition from Carla's house, where we had our
orientation,
to the orphanage. I can't find a better word to describe the feeling
of going from the paradise of the mountain compound where Carla lived
with her husband to the cinder block enclosed orphanage. Land is at
a premium in Haiti, especially now that the Earthquake has condemned
much of the living space near Port Au Prince. Madam Luc and her husband
are naturally protective of their property. The seven-foot tall grey
walls and heavy metal gate isolate the orphanage from the busy town
of Leurbours, and keep the fifty children safe
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READ MORE.
The Healing Place
By J. Nathan Corbitt
In a country where there is no word for trauma, and when emotions are often repressed as a mechanism for dealing with poverty and crisis, interest in learning about the healing arts and dealing with hurt, poverty, and catastrophe though art-making is amazingly high in Haiti. In late July, Vivan Nix-Early, Co-Founder of BuildaBridge, and Ellen Schelly-Hill, Director of Movement Therapy at Drexel University, led a training for 28 art students and community workers at North Haiti Christian University. The training, The Healing Place, included both in-class instruction and practical application in a local orphanage. Several of the students then traveled to assist with the BuildaBridge training and arts camps the next week. Though intended as a training video and report, feel free to view the 20 minute video online.
To read more Stories of Transformations from those who recently returned from BuildaBridge's Haiti Arts Relief trip, CLICK HERE.
To view videos of our work in Haiti, click here for the orphanage and here for the elementary school.
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BuildaBridge Receives Two Grants!
| On August 10, BuildaBridge was honored to be named by the Nonprofit Finance Fund as one of the 10 nonprofit organizations in Southeastern Pennsylvania to be funded through the 2010 Capital and Capacity for Economic Recovery (CCER) grant competition. This grant will be used to build and improve our technological capacity for training and networking of artists.
Read the press release here.
 On July 20, BuildaBridge received a $20,000 matching grant for its Discovery program from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federally-funded, public agency dedicated to supporting
excellence in the arts, under the NEA's discipline of "Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth". This grant will help BuildaBridge provide the best possible arts education programs to children and youth living in
emergency homeless shelters and transitional homes in Philadelphia.
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| BuildaBridge Wants Your Input! | Thanks to the 137 people who have responded to our survey. You are from all over the world. We still would like your input. BuildaBridge is revising our strategy for the 21st
century so that we can provide high quality arts relief and training throughout the world. Please help us by taking the time to complete
this survey and send it back! It should take no longer than
5-10 minutes.
Take the survey here!
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Montana Arts Relief
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Doll Making  |
During any economic down-turn there are always places where people are hit particularly hard. Money for simple things such as gas to get to a grocery store for milk and eggs can become scarce. The ability to pay for things one may take for granted becomes non-existent. A movie, new shoes, a good book to read or game to play are no longer options. And when lives are stressed economically, other stressors expand affecting everyone from adults to children.
The Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana is one of those hard-hit places. Communities such as Lame Deer are remote with few activities for children's arts education. For one week in August, BuildaBridge partnered with the Healing Tree to provide a pilot arts camp.
Before and After  |
Click here to see more photos from the Arts Relief camp on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana.
Click here to view a short video of the camp.
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Atlanta Arts for Hope Camp
| Mirror  | Take children from around the world, some great teachers, and art-making and you have excitement, learning, and hope. In July, Sarah Thompson, BuildaBridge AOC Teaching Artist traveled to the Refugee Family Services in Stone Mountain, GA to assist Rosa Dunkley, (Institute 07, Guatemala Intern 08) Youth Development Coordinator/VISTA Supervisor and her staff in an Arts for Hope camp with over 50 children from around the world. Dr. Corbitt and Ms. Thomspon provided training in the BuildaBridge Classroom Model for staff prior to the camp.
"I think music, dance, theatre, and visual arts were great choices for
art forms, they engaged the children and they learned a lot that they
didn't previously know about the art forms and how to positively express
themselves through them. During the week I saw a lot of our more
difficult and nonparticipating children begin to work as a team and
interact positively with the other kids. I also think it was great for
them to see their teachers and other admin staff in a more relaxed and
creative light (which gave them a different way to relate to us)...It would be nice if Buildabridge might be able to send some
interested artists to partner again in the future and if we could [also enlist]
refugee/community artists to partner as well." Rosa Dunkley
View the pictures and video to see what happened. Plans are already in the making for next summer. If interested in participating contact Danielle Dembrosky.
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Call for Artists on Call and AOC Interns
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International Arts for Hope Camps
Haiti: November 19-27
Guatemala: November 19-27
Kenya: November 27-Dec 5
Nicaragua: January 17-23 Atlanta: July 12-16, 2011
Montana: August 2-6
International Service Intern Positions
India: Creative art therapist to work with 9 children in an orphanage. Six months minimum. Local food and housing provided. Fundraising expected.
Haiti: Ceramicist to work with local street children in connection with a Catholic mission in Cite Soleil. One month pilot project. One daily meal provided. Housing provided. Artist must raise any additional financial support. Potential contact with local ceramics company. Ceramics teaching related to job skill potential.
Haiti: Musicians and/or drama teachers to work with street children in connection to a Catholic mission in Cite Soleil. One month pilot project. Support needed.
Haiti: Creative arts teacher (music, dance, drama, visual art) for a local orphanage. One-three months living on-site in tent and preparing own food. Very rustic conditions. This is a follow-up project begun with artists in August 2010. Includes teaching artistic skills to children ages 4-15. Support needed.
Haiti: Sculpture and environmental artist to create sculpture garden for childrens' safe space in an orphanage that contains rubble and found metal objects. One week-one month. Support needed.
Contact Dr. Nathan Corbitt if you're interested in participating or learning more. All service opportunities require training and fundraising. | |
Attend these trainings and participate in BuildaBridge!
| If you'd like to help out with any of BuildaBridge's future endeavors, please save the dates for these upcoming training sessions. Space is limited. Please make a reservation with Danielle Dembrosky, Programs Administrator.
All Things BuildaBridge (introductory course)
Thursday, September 23, both 6-9 pm BuildaBridge Classroom Training for Teaching artists, Artists on Call, and Teaching Assistants
Thursday, September 9, from 6-9 pm
Curriculum training for Teaching Artists and future AOCs
Saturday, September 11, 8:30am to 12pm
Arts Relief Training Course (for International AOCs)
Thursday, October 7, from 6-9pm
Cross-Cultural Training for International AOCs
Thursday, November 4, from 6-9 pm
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All training sessions will take place at the BuildaBridge House, which is located at 205 W. Tulpehocken in Germantown, Philadelphia. See a map here.
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A Way To Give
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It is never too late to give! Please support our arts relief service work in our community and around the world.
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Artology Art Show: Sunday September 5, 2010
| Sunday September 5th, The Artology Picnic and Art Show 12pm: 5:30pm approx. (Yes, this is Labor Day weekend) and we need some help:
- Help us pick up and bring donated food.
- Help us set up and
clean up for the picnic and award ceremony, serve the food etc. AND see
the kids with all their excitement!!!
The show is held at the PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART -
picnic will be outside at the Lloyd Hall (1:30) and the award ceremony
will be inside in the education wing. (3:00)Contact: Charlene Melhorn cell 215-779-5105 Email Danielle Dembrosky if interested in volunteering to help. If
you haven't seen any update on the Artology program check out these pictures from our abandoned lot art garden project and a fun video of the kids playing in the rain as they explain how a watershed works---priceless.
Or, just come and enjoy the afternoon with some great kids! Read more about the first session of Artology and their upcoming exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Artology blog.
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Artology Show  |
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Mission and Services
The mission of BuildaBridge is to bring hope and healing to children, youth and communities in the tough places of the world through creative arts education and intervention. We engage artists, educators and creative art therapists in service to others. The Arts Relief and Development program focuses on Education, Healing and the Environment. Since 1997, our services have included creative arts camps, extended internships, special arts-based projects in all art forms, creative arts therapy, consulting, and training in education methods, therapeutic art and psychological first aid, and arts-based community development. |
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Dr. J. Nathan Corbitt
BuildaBridge International
215.842.0428
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