For my next project, I spent 2 weeks working with students in the school Infancia Feliz, which provides an education to some of Praia's poorest kids, many of whom would not have a chance to go to school if it weren't for the school. I met with them to discuss the images and themes they would like to use in the artwork. The first mural featured the Cape Verdean flag and Amilcar Cabral, the revolutionary leader, and local patterns called "pano de terra." For the next 2 murals with the kids, I invented a technique aimed to harness the high energy of the kids in the school, which can be challenging to control. The idea is that the kids, using a pre-chosen color scheme, draw anything they want-- they write their names, funny phrases, hand prints, and draw little pictures of butterflies and hearts and so on. They loved it! I then used this jumble of kids' creativity as the background to the murals. The first is an anti-drug piece that the kids wanted to do, using a poem by one of the students in their language, kriolu. The second featured a child and the phrase "Nhos djobi pa nos," which means "look at us," "pay attention to us," and "help us," all at the same time, in reference to the school's mission.
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| putting some finishing touches on the Cabral mural |
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| the kids showing off their creativity! |
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| finished piece |
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| detail pic |
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| detail pic |
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| everyone wanted to paint! |
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| completed! |
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| detail | |
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school children enjoying the new artwork they helped create
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| me and Alex with the finished product |
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