the Painting Activist

Click here for a direct link to the Champions 4 Her video.

I have spent at least the past six months coordinating the street art festival for an upcoming umbrella fundraiser for 10 Louisville nonprofits. One week from today (Saturday, June 21), ‘Champions 4 Her‘ walk/run will launch its first year at Waterfront Park.

Initially, I was asked to scout and hire an internationally renowned madonnaro (street painter) to set the festival apart from the plethora of other walk/runs in the city. I loved the idea, but immediately thought of the truly unique opportunity the concept of a street painting festival afforded clients of the 10 organizations we were raising money for. I agreed to find a feature artist for the event to draw in the media, but pitched the additional idea of having each of the beneficiary partner organizations create their own amateur street paintings depicting how their respective nonprofit assisted women and girls in our community.

The idea was not hard to sell, and soon I was also hiring a team of local artists to guide the novice nonprofit participants through the process of a creating a roughly 8′ x 12′ chalk pastel painting in one day.

I saw a lot of wide eyes as I sat in on the introductory meetings between the art teams and the artist they were paired with. This is the first time many of the participants have been to exposed to the visual arts on this level. Working with a full-time professional artist has really expanded their perception of the abilities of the arts to impact a community.

Within a few weeks I was getting concept sketches of each group’s final design. It has been such a treat to get photos in my email inbox and snail-mailbox of the art they’re designing.

You can support these wonderful organizations by registering yourself or a team to do the walk/run, or just come by and see the art in action.

I did of course hire a feature professional artist for the main street painting. Her name is Tracy Lee Stum and she will start on her piece the Wednesday before the event. Feel free to stop by Waterfront Park during the day to see her at work. She (and the other street paintings) will be in the parking lot in front of Joe’s Crab Shack.  See you June 21!

7″ x 9″ watercolor, NFS
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Ok, so I admit that when a painting comes before the idea for a new post, I have to dig a little deeper to find a contextual match. This painting above of a scene in New York had me a bit stumped. I think my dad may have told me a time or two, “ask and you shall receive.” So, I asked fellow blogger, Anna Hackman of ‘Green Talk’, if she had any ideas. Oh, did she. How perfect is this:

New York City based nonprofit “Rocking the Boat uses traditional wooden boatbuilding and on-water education to allow high school age youth to develop into empowered and responsible adults. Through these mediums, Rocking the Boat empowers South Bronx students to deal with everyday realities that are often not addressed at home or in school…programs directly serve over 2,000 students and community members drawn from a range of New York City public high schools and neighborhoods…Rocking the Boat teaches, challenges, nurtures, and motivates, providing the tools to transition into the next phase of life. Kids don’t just build boats at Rocking the Boat, boats build kids.”

Way to hit the nail on the head Anna!

All too often I hear the ignorant gripe, “Programming like this is waste. We need to focus on pushing math and science.” Programs “like this” teach youth responsibility, leadership, confidence, and how to collaborate on goal-orientated outcomes. Becoming a successful adult who contributes to society entails far more than acing your SAT. I have personally witnessed many teenagers participate in such projects and become be far more articulate, social, engaged and invested in their own futures (not to mention less interested in peer-pressure induced activities like doing drugs and competing for bragging rights for the most sexual partners). It’s kind of hard to study chemistry when you’re high or 13 and pregnant. Organizations like Rocking the Boat are preparing our youth be learners who have the capacity to absorb their education.

Alright, I’ll get off my soapbox. I think I’m still a little heated about all of the recent across-the-board cutbacks (from state and federal to dried up foundation funds).

Ps-I should mention that this painting was created from a photo taken specifically of another organization certainly worth mentioning: the New York City Downtown Boathouse. Next time you’re in NYC, you should definitely going kayaking on the Hudson with their all-volunteer staff of instructors (one of whom is pretty cute. I think I may have a crush).

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $350 ($50 donated to the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana)

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The Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana (a.k.a. Louisville, Kentucky + Southern Indiana) recently hosted a breakfast wherein their new CEO, Terry Blackwell (pictured above), gave an intriguing presentation entitled, “Change it Up! What Girls Say About Redefining Leadership.” The presentation was based on a study conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), which “serves as a center for research and public policy information on the healthy development of girls.”

Every generation takes societal norms passed onto them and molds them to mirror the times in which they live. This study is a thorough look into the minds of our youngest future leaders. With a fine-tooth comb, the study breaks down the definitions, predictors and aspirations that our youth assign to leadership.

A few highlights that especially caught my attention were:

• The number one reason girls resisted becoming a leader was that they did not like speaking in public.
• When categorized by race, Caucasians were the least likely to aspire to, or be motivated by leadership.
• Repeatedly in charts, boys’ positive responses were higher than girls only when the questions included mention of money, power and sports (altruism apparently is not as innately prominent in males).

But in the boys’ defense, one of my favorite quotes included in the intro of the study was by an 8th grade boy in Atlanta:

“I would like to be a leader some day so that I can change different aspects of the world, such as homelessness, poverty, and unjust happenings.”

To read the study for yourself, click here.

12″ x 12″ oil on canvas, $400
SOLD
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I although I missed it this year, I got an update from my friends at the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana on the outcome of last week’s Dessert First. Over $35,000 was raised at the box-o-cookies-meets-gourmet-ambrosia-sampling. 600 folks with a serious sweet tooth browsed and indulged in treats from 27 local restaurants.

The “Golden Whisk Award”-winning Tagalong cheesecake (a creation of The Jefferson Club) is a clear reminder of why I decided not to utilize my free press pass. Of all the Girl Scout cookies my family bought when I was a kid, Tagalongs were the only ones that ended up getting stashed in my sock drawer to keep my brother from downing them before I got my share. My willpower would have been out the window. This is my contribution to the cause

30″ x 40″ oil on canvas
Contact me at ashley.cecil (at) gmail.com for purchase inquires.
$50 donated to Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
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Last year I finally made a list of “things to do before I die.” One line on that list read, “take Flamenco dance lessons.” Not long after creating my declarations of commitments to myself, I saw a Louisville Flamenco group perform at the Americana Center for International Women’s Day. The performance was inspiring to say the least, hence this painting.

Benefits and utility exist for such sinfully enjoyable activity like dance, which pleases folks on 2 diametric ends of a spectrum: those involved in dance for personal expression and those only interested in any activity insofar as it is “useful” (ie does is make money or is it trackable on a spreadsheet). Here are a few ways dance nourishes the creative spirit and yields tangible positive outcomes:

• With one-third of children in the US overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, incorporation of dance into school programs is a fun and effective way to combat overdoses of PopTarts and under-activity and boost confidence. Here’s a great example for you research geeks.
• The calorie-busting, coordination-building video game, Dance Dance Revolution, may lead to improved reading comprehension among kids with ADHD.
• A 2003 study showed that cognitive activities such as dancing greatly decrease the risk of dementia. Dancing (3-4/wk) was the only activity that resulted in a 76% lower dementia rate among study participants.
• If a monetary outcome is what you’re after, Dance-a-thons like this one are a great way to raise money for your cause.

So you see, all of your time spent dancing in front of the mirror, singing that horrible 80’s tune you wouldn’t be caught dead jamming to in front of friends, has simply been a preface to employing your talent for a fruitful purpose. Dance on twinkletoes!

24″ x 30″ oil paintings on canvas
SOLD
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Rummaging through my digital archive of paintings, I came across these fairly recent private commission portraits that shook loose from my memory an organization I’ve been attempting to collaborate with. Months ago I sifted through online information on youth and art focused nonprofits, and discovered the Memory Project. The concept, which came about after founder, Ben Schumaker, volunteered for one month at an orphanage in Guatemala, is a brilliant interlacing of high school art curricula with orphaned children in third world countries. High school art students are given photos of an orphan and create a portrait of that child, which is turned over to the Memory Project and then delivered to the orphanage. Correspondence between the portrait subject and the student is established creating obvious unique opportunities for both individuals.

Few of these children who have been abused, abandoned, or for some other reason are without a family, posses any items reminding them of their past or identity. We take for granted things as simple as photographs of ourselves with loved ones and other sentimental knickknacks. The portraits give the orphans a sense of self that they can reflect on as they grow older, which will also remind them that someone cared enough to create it. Of course, this is also incredibly rewarding for the high school student as well. Opportunities such as this truly broaden the horizons for kids at a time when their world is narrowly self-focused.

This is such a powerful and fulling project for any high school art class I recommend you pass the word onto to teachers you know that would like to implement the portraits in their school. They can visit www.thememoryproject.org and click on “get involved.”

I hope to possibly post some of the portraits that will come of this school year on my blog if I can connect with teachers incorporating the Memory Project into their curriculum.

Ps - Click here to watch a CBS news segment on The Memory Project.

7″ x 9″ watercolor
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I played the cello as a child and was having a flashback yesterday as I watched a slightly confused, wee little cellist with an open mouth and bangs in her eyes try to follow along with the other 100+ young musicians on stage. Her eyes were doing far more moving than her fingers, which I found easy to remember, incredibly endearing, and admittedly amusing.

Yesterday’s orchestral performance was thanks to a local chapter of the Suzuki Association of the Americas which, “is a coalition of teachers, parents, educators, and others who are interested in making music education available (throughout North and South America) to all children.” The music-making nonprofit was certainly exhibiting success in numbers as I’ve never seen so many mini crocs and missing baby teeth.

The entire performance offered an entertaining mix of music, comical instruction from the adults, and unusual uses for a bow (such as poking your neighbor). Clearly the Suzuki Association offers an introduction into the world of string instruments for youth that may not otherwise have had the opportunity.

Click here for a direct link to watch this painting being painted.

Earlier this week, I volunteered to at a fundraising event for one of my favorite nonprofits, Court Appointed Special Advocates. At the exquisite home of a CASA board member, $100 raffle tickets were sold to enter the drawing for 2 new Mercedes-Benz C300 Sedans. Tickets were going as fast as the green chile wontons and glasses of Pinot Noir. This year, 2,500 tickets will be sold (and keep in mind, last year’s raffle sold out). To further entice you, the second place winner will receive free gas for a year (a Thornton’s gift card valued at $2000), and third place wins two round-trip American Airline tickets within the continental US. Too good to resist? Here’s the link to CASA of Jefferson county’s website where, at the bottom of the page, you can buy your raffle ticket online.

I know from volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, this organization truly makes a visible and substantial difference in the lives of children who have unduly suffered the pain of abuse and neglect, and now must brave a very intimidating court process, often placing them in a foreign home. Reunification of a child and their family is always our goal, but unfortunately, there are many parents and care-givers in this world to whom I wouldn’t trust my dying plant.

When I was about to take my first case a few years back, I read through the files of children awaiting a CASA volunteer to be their voice in and outside the courtroom. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry first or throw up. I quickly realized that I live in a bubble that shields me from perversion and atrocities happening in my own community.

I’ve learned that two things are of great value to nonprofit organizations that are worth mentioning here if you, like myself, don’t have $100 to throw down for a raffle ticket. Unless privately funded, nonprofits always need:

1. your money, but if you don’t have that to give, they also need,
2. your time.

If you are looking for an organization to volunteer with, please consider contacting a CASA office near you. You can literally change the trajectory of a child’s life and possibly be the only hope that boy or girl has.

8″ x 10″ oil on masonite
Not for sale.
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Last fall, I was a guest artist at a Houston community center for ArtBridge. The nonprofit organization offers art programs to homeless children as a much needed emotional outlet. I was given free reign and decided to have the children replicate what I do, with an emphasis on portraiture. My explanation to them of my work went something like this:

“I paint people doing good things. Sometimes their work is very hard (ie CASA) and it can make them sad. Then sometimes they get to do things that make them very happy. I make art of all of it.”

The objective was to have them take the opportunity to embrace whatever emotions they were experiencing and capture it in a portrait. Attention spans were short and I may not inspired any Van Goghs, but we had fun and let off some steam. I think I got the most out of the lesson by being reminded, once again, that in spite of what hardships people face, they can be surprisingly happy. Huge smiles were in abundance.

This portrait is clearly one of my happy expressions. I love painting people I love, so creating this piece was as great as sand between my toes (a good thing for me) or chocolate cake. I hope that my one time instruction helped the disadvantaged children realize the power of artistic expression. This is powerful stuff!

I will soon be formally announcing an opportunity I’ve been afforded that takes my ArtBridge experience to a whole new level. I’m incredibly excited, but you’ll have to wait to hear about it until I get approval from the powers that be.

8″ x 10″ oil on canvas, $220
SOLD
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I thoroughly enjoy seeing strategy and policy in action outside of the offices they’re created in. While in Caracas, my group had many formal meetings about government infrastructure and politics, but talking to those who were on the receiving end of all the planning is how I was most impacted.

These children were sitting outside in the garden of their rural Bolivarian school listening to a local farmer’s instructions on how they would cultivate a vegetable garden in the space designated for their class. Collectively, the school is working to grow enough food to be self-sustaining. For a country that imports roughly two thirds of its meat and produce, teaching its young citizens how to make use of available farm land is an important part of a community-specific education.

Although the farmer teaching this particular class is part of the faculty, meeting with all 200 students (preschool through seventh grade) throughout the year, the overall education is well-rounded and comprehensive. Keeping in mind that this school is in a rural town of 1,200, I was pleased to find it was striving to stay abreast of the times and soon would have their entire computer lab online. At a glance, the curriculum seemed to balance the sciences and arts well. They also ensured that students were exposed to a change in scenery with field trips to museums in nearby cities.

Major bonuses, such as visits to the science museum in Caracas, were used as incentives in student government campaigns by children aspiring to be a part of the direction of the school. I was amazed that when we met with the principle to talk about changes implemented in the school since Chavez’s rule, we were also greeted and addressed by the 7th grade class president, a 7th grade congresswoman, and the head of the environmental committee (appointed by the student government after being caught littering on the playground). These children proudly contribute to the school in a unique capacity beyond as students.

The school seemed to run around the clock since, in the evening, tiny chairs and desks were pushed to the sides as adults met for literacy and GED classes. The entire outfit seemed very advanced for a poor and developing nation. I definitely left inspired.

7″ x 9″ watercolor, $70 ($10 donated to Kentucky Youth Advocates)
SOLD
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I expect my email inbox to be cluttered with messages of shock that my first blog post after returning from Venezuela is not about Venezuela. Sorry to surprise you, but I didn’t want to pass on this painting from earlier in the month. And to be honest, I am still digesting what I witnessed while on my trip. Additionally, there wasn’t one single free moment to paint while I was knee-deep in appointments and photo collecting. So, please be patient.

This piece is an illustration of Child Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. The annual event was “an opportunity for those interested in children’s issues to gather and show legislators that Kentucky cares about its children.” Activists from 41 counties around the state were welcomed by a class of singing pre-schoolers leaving a fresh impression as participants went on to speak to their legislators.

The large and diverse group also heard from some of these politicians and child advocacy groups. It was a great opportunity for anyone working for the benefit of children to network and promote their specific mission. Passion and commitment was as thick as smoke, hopefully drifting into the nearby offices of the legislators.

7″ x 9″ watercolor
SOLD
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Obviously I have contacted many non-profits and given them my pitch, but never have I had a response like the one I got from ArtBridge. Instead of the usual, “we would love to have you” I got, “we would love to have you teach our kids about portraiture.” Forget what I was after, ArtBridge was focused on their goal of bringing art to the homeless children in 8 Houston shelters.

Each year, ArtBridge programs serve more than 2,000 children whose families are indigent, in crisis, and struggling to meet their needs…They have experienced family chaos, neglect, and often, domestic abuse. Some have been abandoned and are living alone in shelters.

How do you turn down an offer like that? So I did indeed end up introducing myself to a small group of people half my size and explaining to them what “painting journalism” means. Then I asked each of them about their day and to model their mood for the person sitting across from them. Although restless 8 year olds don’t make very good models, I did eventually have a room of artistic journalists attempting to capture what they saw on paper. Short attention spans made completed pieces nearly impossibly, but there was at least a lot of dialogue about the events of the day. I was flattered to be drawn by several of the kids (proudly displayed on my fridge) and got some big hugs before I left. It was a humbling and heart-warming experience.

If you’re one of my Houston readers and have an artistic flare, I’m sure you would enjoy volunteering with this amazing organization.

6″ x 8″ watercolor, $60 ($10 donated to the Home of the Innocents)
SOLD
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“Christmas on Campus;” it’s a term near to the hearts of every University of Dayton student and alumnus. While attending the university, COC is the transformation of campus into a fairytale playground for an enormous sea of local children “adopted” by students for the evening. Post graduation, the name changes to “Christmas off Campus.” In this case, alumni chapters organize an event in the same spirit to coincide with the real McCoy. This year I suggested that my local chapter volunteer at the Home of the Innocents.

Since 1880, this nonprofit has been serving children who are medically fragile and/or victims of abuse, in addition to housing and supporting pregnant and teen mothers. Their doors are never closed and many of their clients really do call the Home of the Innocents “home.” It’s a facility with a waitlist that speaks to its tremendous success.

Glad to help such troubled children during the holidays, our group of 36 volunteers wrapped donated gifts for the Home’s residents. With several hundred kids, each receiving multiple gifts, we obviously had our work cut out for us. A wrapping frenzy ensued as volunteers dipped into meticulously labeled bags of toys and clothes. Tables were crowded and scissors were stolen, but we finished the job. I hope the children who are facing the supposed happiest time of year while coping with loss, grief, and sickness will at least momentarily forget about their worries while they destroy our fine display of wrapping expertise.

6″ x 8″ watercolor $60 ($10 donated to Kosair Charities)
SOLD
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Can you go wrong when a baseball stadium hosts a multicultural holiday extravaganza where parents can shop for holiday decorations while volunteers keep frosting out of their youngster’s hair in the midst building gingerbread houses? The owner of these pigtails would tell you, “No way.”

The holiday season, in all of its glitz and glory, had exploded into full force at the Festival of Trees and Lights, benefiting the neonatal unit of the Kosair Children’s Hospital. Who wouldn’t have a smile on their face when you’re a little person who can freely self administer sugar to the blood stream or a big person who can buy a handcrafted wreath for the front door?

Without a doubt, the event benefited a worthy cause. Kosair Children’s Hospital, with 87 beds, has a 96.3% survival rate of some of the most medically fragile infants. This illustration should give you a solid idea of their clientele. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

Tags: neonatal, holiday season, painting

8″ x 10″ oil on wood panel
SOLD
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Tomato and mozzarella salad in a martini glass to bourbon slushies, the signature chefs at this fundraiser for March of Dimes wowed attendees with tantalizing treats. Not a single guest was found without a mouthful, fork in hand, or jaw dropped at ballroom filled with cuisine as aesthetically pleasing as it was delicious. A few of the smiling faces in pristine white chef hats dishing out their masterpieces were Quang Dinh of Blu Italian Mediterranean Grill (one of his dishes painted above), Peng Looi of Asiatique and August Moon (as if one kitchen wasn’t enough), and Michael Crouch of Bourbons Bistro.

For once, the shame of gorging yourself on irresistible delicacies took a back seat to the pleasure in knowing that your ticket to partake in the gourmet feast was going towards efforts to combat premature births. Through research, education, community services and advocacy, March of Dimes is taking on the problem and strives to “improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.” Many parents are surely thankful that the organization is working hard to prevent their child from being one of the unfortunate 1 in 8 who are too early.

Technorati tags: March of Dimes, premature birth, painting.