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AHN INTERVIEW:
Rachel Goldstein from Artists Helping Children
"Drawing and painting are great tools to express what children are feeling inside and what their fears are. While children use their imagination, they tend to calm down and forget about their pain." - Rachel Goldstein
Artists Helping Children is a non-profit charity dedicated to bringing comfort to children in hospitals, clinics, and shelters by brightening their environment with murals, artwork, toys, and art supplies. Rachel was interviewed in July 2004.
AHN: What inspired the creation of Artists Helping Artists? When was it founded? What is the organization's focus today?
Goldstein: I am a children's muralist (see AllKidsMurals.com), and I donated my first mural long before Artists Helping Children. It was a four-wall mural to the Twin Rivers Library Children's Room. I realized how colorful paint on a wall can create an atmosphere of giggles and delight for the kids. Children would watch me for hours while I would paint, and I still get great comments from parents on how much their children love the murals. The good feeling that one 4-wall mural could create made me decide to continue to donate murals. But this time I wanted to create this same atmosphere of wonder for children who need to be cheered up ... the sick, homeless, and needy children of the world.
I know that I am just one person and that I can't do as much as I envision all by myself. This is why my husband, Joshua, and I founded Artists Helping Children in May of this year. When children go to a hospital, and they are sick or hurt, this can be a very scary experience for them. It doesn't help that many hospitals don't have any art in the hallways or in patient's rooms. In order to make the children's stay a less fearful situation, why not paint the walls with silly and colorful characters to take their minds off of the scary and painful situation that they are in. As for shelters, this can also be a scary situation. Being able to stay at a shelter that has colorful and fun murals on the wall could help them feel as if they were in a safe haven.
Also, many children haven't even owned a box of crayons. We feel as if art is a perfect way for a child to express themselves, especially when they are in a sad state. We are trying to collect art supplies and toys to give to children in shelters and hospitals.
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AHN: Tell me about the role art can play in a child's healing process.
 Goldstein: For children, a hospital institution may mean confusing sights, sounds, and smells. By painting positive and even funny art on the walls, children can feel as if they are in an inviting and safe environment. When art is introduced to a sick child, they tend to use art as a tool to cope with pain. Drawing and painting are great tools to express what they are feeling inside and what their fears are. While children use their imagination, they tend to calm down and forget about their pain and what lies ahead for them. In fact, there have been studies that have found that when children use their imagination, an endorphin is released into their body helping them to relax and improve their mood.
AHN: What has been the response of the kids involved in your programs?
Goldstein: We run Paint-a-Mural projects, which are community mural painting events. We have had many children who never had an interest in art, who all of a sudden are excited about art and want to continue with art. This is a great thing to hear, and I am very excited about this outcome.
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AHN: Can you describe one project in particular that really helped a child or children's healing experience?
 Goldstein: There was a boy who was terribly abused by both his father and his mother. The grandmother ended up taking custody of the boy. He was very sad, and the grandmother contacted us. He loves cowboys and horses and wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up. We designed a western scene that the boy would really love and this lifted his spirits.
AHN: What excites you most right now about Artists Helping Artists?
Goldstein: We have a lot of projects that are in the works all around the country and in Canada. We are anxiously waiting getting the final go ahead from hospital and shelter administration. There is a lot of red tape to get through and we have been trying to get some of these projects started for months. We are also going to start projects in shelters where artists will help paint murals alongside children in the shelter. We canÕt wait to get some of these projects started. We are looking forward to helping children find their creative spirit..
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AHN: How do you sustain your work - financially, creatively, emotionally?
Goldstein: We havenÕt received many monetary donations so far. This has put a strain on us financially, but it is worth it when we realize what the outcome isÉhappier children. We have received huge amounts of supply donations from Liquitex, Golden, and Tara Materials, amongst other great companies. We also have received a large amount of wallpaper murals, art prints, frames, and other art from wonderful artists and companies. We are very thankful for everything that we have received.
 We have already gathered about 200 artists who want to volunteer their skills in one way or another. They have helped take a lot of the creative work off my hands. I am mostly now working on the administrative work. I call hospitals and shelters daily, answer about 100 emails a day, and work on getting Paint-a-Murals out, amongst other duties. It is hard work, but it is worth it.
Emotionally, it is great. Working with Artists Helping Children has lifted my spirits, knowing that I am helping children in need.
AHN: What advice do you have for others wishing to make a difference in the world through art?
Goldstein: My advice is to follow your heart. We have had huge support from the art community. There are a lot of artists and art companies out there that would be able to support you with your cause, so donÕt be afraid to put one foot forward.
For more information about Artists Helping Children, please visit their web site at www.ArtistsHelpingChildren.org
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FEATURED BOOK
Kid's Play: Igniting Children's Creativity
By Michele Cassou
"When children learn to listen to themselves through creativity, they also learn to think for themselves and trust their feelings. Intuition is a wise, strong, and authentic voice that guides children to trust and express themselvesÉThrough the use of intuition, children become self-reliant; self-esteem and self-confidence develop, which enhance the way they respond to the world." -Michele Cassou
 This is a fabulous book for anyone wanting to encourage and guide children's creativity. Artist and author Michele Cassou draws on years of experience leading children through her Point Zero painting process. In Point Zero painting, creating is for process, not product. There is no criticism and evaluation. Intuition and spontaneity fuel creative expression. In this book, she shares practical advice about how to set up an art studio in any size space, what supplies you will need to get started, how to talk to children about their work, and how to create a safe and inspiring environment that fosters a child's creativity. She speaks aptly about how damaging feedback can be to a child's spontaneous creativity and shares many wonderful anecdotes from her years of "un-teaching" children.
This great resource has just been published by Jeremy P Tarcher/Penguin in July 2004. This soft cover book has 191 pages, includes color illustrations, and sells for $17.95. Please click here to order through Amazon.com And to learn more about Michele Cassou, please visit her web site at www.michelecassou.com.
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The story below is excerpted from Kid's Play from the chapter "The Multiplying Volcano"
"Michele! What's the color of burning lava?" asked William loudly from across the studio. He was an outgoing boy , a quick-witted eight-year old who after three painting sessions had finally found inspiration and was now painting a red volcano with a dark, deep crater.
I ran to his side. "William, don't scream like that across the room! You are disturbing other painters. What do you think the color of burning of lava could be?" I asked, returning the question for his own creativity to answer. Returning questions is a safe way to encourage children to look inside and explore ways to answer them.
"I thought it could be red and yellow like fire, but I am not sure because ashes come out of the volcano too."
"And what color could the ashes be?" I questioned, asking him again to find his own answer.
"So, you know what to do!" I happily commented.
It's interesting how often children ask for what they already know. They ask as a way to make sure they won't get into trouble if they listen to themselves. William put a big blob of red paint on a large brush and with large gestures painted burning lava shooting up to the sky. He was grinning with excitement the whole time.
"Michele, Michele!" exclaimed Sophie, a few minutes a later, totally outragaed. "Jennie is copying William's volcano!'
I looked into her eyes and said without a trace of emotion, "So what?"
"ButÉbutÉI thoughtÉWe shouldn't copy," insisted Sophie.
"Why not? You can use any image you want. Images belong to everyone. You can copy anything you like. Jennie liked the volcano is now painting her very own. She is creating a new one for herself."
When Nicholas was copying because he had no other idea (see chapter 2), it was a very different kind of action. He did it just to get by, mechanically. Jennie, on the other hand, was responding to her feelings and had a strong desire to paint a volcano. She painted it with such abandon. Seeing it must have awakened a feeling that was waiting for a long time. William's volcano had inspired her. She was truly exploring.
Puzzled, Sophie returned to her painting without another word.
Fifteen minutes later, oh! Surprise! A little volcano appeared in her painting. "Well done!" I thought, and I rejoiced at how fast she could drop a rule that didn't make any sense.
By the end of the class, more six more volcanoes had erupted in my small painting studio, all of them with different shapes and colors. A burning sense of adventure and exploration had suddenly spread among the little painters.
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FEATURED LINK
Rainbow Planet Connection
Resources for Assisting Creative Expression in Children
www.rainbowplanetconnection.com
The Rainbow Planet Connection offers programs and resources for teachers, parents and other people working with children to encourage communication and emotional well-being in children. They assist children in becoming aware of and understanding their feelings and inner emotional state through activities such as breathing, body awareness and relaxation exercise. Then they encouraging children to be responsible for and manage their own feelings and consequent behaviors using activities such as art, drama, and body movement. The inspiration for these programs came from a desire to support and assist children to explore and express their feelings in a fun, creative way, so that they can be healthy, well-balanced individuals and develop to their full potential.
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OPEN CALL FOR PROJECTS ON ART AND VOTING
Next month we will be doing a double issue for September and October on ART and VOTING. Please email suggestions of projects to include to Danny Hobson at ahn@artheals.org.
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READERS RESPOND
Please send your thoughts and feedback on this month's news page to ahn@artheals.org. We would love to hear from you.
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SIGN UP FOR THE ARTS AND HEALING NETWORK E-MAILING LIST
Become part of our e-mailing list and receive a monthly email with information about what's new at artheals.org. To join the e-mailing list, simply send an email to artheals- subscribe@topica.com or go to www.topica.com/lists/artheals/
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