Eagle Valley - Naledi Art Center
A blank canvas nestled in the Maluti Mountains, Naledi Art Center was a shell in need of creativity and energy. An artist from India, a writer from Quebec, a singer from the Eastern Cape, and I rounded up the children from the village aged from a year old to ten year olds twice a week for a day of creativity painting, drawing, planting, sculpture, theater and singing, The children also showed us where to get clay from the nearby river. The building was empty and the children’s excitement echoed through the mountains. We started each class with a meditation and a song. With little resources we held workshops with found objects and the materials people donated. The first two workshops I held I noticed the children drew the same images from their minds. I quickly put up posters before our third workshop, I found some old calendars, maps and magazines. The results were amazing the children were exposed and more interested than ever before. With access to books, posters and colors the children were drawing new images asking questions about far off lands and different cultures.
