Citizenship Month – November 2015

Join us in celebrating the 6th Annual Citizenship Month during the month of November. This month long celebration of Houston’s civic diversity launches next Thursday, November 5th at the Asia Society. Visit http://citizenshipmonth.org/ for more information. Come to the events, give back, serve others, and help make Houston a better place!

In partnership with the University of Houston-Downtown for the Citizenship Month Artist Initiative, we have been teaching origami butterfly workshops at schools and organizations around Houston. This citywide Butterfly Project will result in beautiful art installations at City Hall, the Houston Public Library, the Asia Society, as well as at the participating schools and organizations around Houston.

“From a Space to a Place” at Agape – Mind-mapping

This week in our “From a Space to a Place” program at Agape Development, the teens began mind-mapping their ideas for positive change in the community. First, they needed to learn the importance of having a clear vision of the future, and, to their surprise, we brought in renowned graffiti artist and muralist, Sebastien “Mr. D” Boileau and his film maker friend, Thomas Granovsky. Having seen the “Biggest Mural in Houston” in person, the teens were full of questions for Mr. D. He revealed to them that he had started as a “street kid” in France, with big dreams of going to America to be a graffiti artist. Mr. D, now French-American, has made his dreams come true with Eyeful Art Murals & Designs, but with big dreams comes a lot of planning; if you don’t have a clear path, you can easily get lost.

Planning for the future is important on both a personal and communal level. We asked the teens to think about and answer the question, “How can I make a positive impact in my community?” Through this brainstorming session, they were able to start seeing the individual ideas of their peers while working towards a collective goal. Next week, the students will collaborate to define a clearer vision of how they want to create lasting positive change in their community through an urban outreach project. Stay tuned!

The Butterfly Project – Spreading Hope at Harmony

This October, we taught two origami workshops at the Harmony Schools in Northwest Houston. We visited a high school class at the Harmony School of Advancement first, followed by a middle school class at the Harmony School of Excellence. In many ways, these schools personify the diverse, yet harmonious, population of our city. We asked each class to share their names and cultural backgrounds with us. A few of the students were born in other countries, and many were the first of their family born in the United States.

This Butterfly Project, a collaboration with Citizenship Month Houston, will result in several butterfly installations around the city, including at City Hall, the Asia Society, and the Houston Public Library. The students that we worked with were very excited to learn that their butterflies would be a part of this citywide movement of hope. Many of them shared what butterflies symbolized to them, including freedom, transformation, beauty, and strength. It is the compassion and acceptance of our youth that will continue to spark change, and spread hope, for a beautifully diverse future.

Opening Doors to the Imagination – Texas Children’s Hospital

“In the tree house, there are magic butterflies that spread love.” -Natalie-Jareli

On Wednesday, October 21st, we had the pleasure of revisiting Texas Children’s Hospital for our second creative workshop of the Mural Project. We set up our tables and then walked around the waiting area, asking any children if they wanted to work on an art project with us. As with our first workshop, we had quite a few interested youngsters. After asking the children if they had heard the story of Alice in Wonderland, and telling them the story if they hadn’t, we asked them what they would see in their own wonderlands. Carnival rides, talking cookies, ice castles, and more lay beyond some of these magical doors. One door was even guarded by giant mustached pumpkins.

Because we are temporarily holding onto the children’s art pieces as inspiration for the final mural, we wanted to give them something to take home, too. As they finished their work, we asked each of them to choose a special key from our collection. Each magical key, strung onto a necklace, is a reminder to its holder to open the door to his or her imagination. It is an invaluable moment to see the faces of these children light up with joy, realizing that they have a world of endless possibility inside of them, as long as the door of creativity is unlocked.

The Last Organic Outpost – An Exciting Excursion

On Monday, October 19^th, we were invited on an adventure to the Last Organic Outpost with the teachers, parents, and students of Little Wonders Learning Center. The intermingled sounds of flowing water, chirping birds, and laughing children composed a harmonious melody as we listened to Farmer Joe’s wise words. Both a community garden and a peaceful sanctuary where people can connect with each other and with the land, the Last Organic Outpost is a prime example of transforming a “space” into a “place.”

The first stop on our tour was the worm farm, an essential part of making “compost tea” for the soil. The children eagerly held out their hands to hold the wriggling earthworms, releasing excited squeals at the tickling sensation. Next, we learned about aquaponics, a system in which an aquatic species, such as tilapia, is introduced to the plants being grown above them in a symbiotic relationship. We then strolled through the beds of rich soil, planted with an assortment of leafy greens. The children from Little Wonders had been studying soil in school and, at a young age, already knew about the billions of organisms living in a single handful.

At the back of the outpost was the soil yard, where piles of “fragrant earth” towered over the children like mountains. We watched as a “Soil-Meister” mixed woodchips with a heaping pile of vegetable waste, starting a fresh compost pile. Making our way back towards the gardens, we passed the apiary, where they housed honey bees, and the chicken coop, where the children got to hold the feathery hens.

All in all, the outpost was an exciting, educational place that we cannot wait to revisit. In fact, we are planning to collaborate with this creative community in the near future. Through our “From a Space to a Place” programs, we have demonstrated that art, science, ecology, and education, when they are not operating in silos, allow for creative dialogue that teaches children a holistic and meaningful approach to life. The Last Organic Outpost is, in itself, a tangible expression of this mentality, making our new friends into our next partners.