Last Thursday evening; on my way to assist with a BuildaBridge group for Burmese children in South Philadelphia, I pulled up to the street address greeted by yellow caution tape, police and crowds of neighborhood on-lookers. My car window was down and I overheard the words spoken, “somebody was shot.” My heart sank into my stomach.
I pulled across the street and parked my car. When I got out and started walking down the sidewalk, I saw Zing and her three children standing on the corner. It was a relief to see them and we waited together outside for a while, waiting for some communication with the teachers inside the classroom, which was directly behind the caution tape that we were not allowed through. After some time passed and still no word, Zing asked if I wanted to go with them to a Burmese family’s home a few blocks away where apparently there was a birthday party happening. When we got to the home, as we walked in the front door, a wave of warmth came over me. Not only was the temperature warmer-compared to the cold, Spring day outside-but we were greeted with such a warm welcome!
We were immediately given chairs to sit upon. I saw some familiar faces and waved; and some of the children recognized me and said, “Hi Miss Danielle.” The children were laughing and running about, the adults were sitting on the periphery chatting or contentedly watching the children’s activity, the birthday boy’s father was walking around and taking pictures with a proud smile on his face. I was sitting with a smile in my heart, taking in this joyous occasion. Cake was brought out and we all gathered around Steven, sang Happy Birthday to him and then bowed our heads in prayer. This celebration, this birthday party was the perfect antidote to not dwelling on the tragic act of violence that happened just minutes ago. My phone rang and I received an update from Natalie and Liz, the other artists in our team. The relieving news came, everyone was safe and they had proceeded with the group as normal for the children who had already arrived. Shortly after, Zing and I left the party to return to the classroom, the caution tape was gone. We got back just in time for the children to share their artwork with us, they appeared calm and happy. It was comforting to know that they were safe inside the center, creating art, while all the commotion was going on outside the classroom walls. Instead of leaving the night with a heavy heart, still at the bottom of my stomach, I left feeling hopeful and confident… because of the birthday party, because of the BuildaBridge artists' efforts to maintain safety, structure and a sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos, and for this reason, I call this a tale of one teaching artist’s transformative moment.
- Danielle Owen, Assistant Art Therapist
The shooting that occurred just minutes prior to BuildaBridge's Thursday night art group with Burmese children remains under investigation by police. The good news is that all twenty of the children attending that night were not harmed. BuildaBridge artists responded by remaining calm, flexible and adaptive. While half of the children attended the birthday party, the other half proceeded with the normal group that evening, processing the incident through art-making experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
I pulled across the street and parked my car. When I got out and started walking down the sidewalk, I saw Zing and her three children standing on the corner. It was a relief to see them and we waited together outside for a while, waiting for some communication with the teachers inside the classroom, which was directly behind the caution tape that we were not allowed through. After some time passed and still no word, Zing asked if I wanted to go with them to a Burmese family’s home a few blocks away where apparently there was a birthday party happening. When we got to the home, as we walked in the front door, a wave of warmth came over me. Not only was the temperature warmer-compared to the cold, Spring day outside-but we were greeted with such a warm welcome!
We were immediately given chairs to sit upon. I saw some familiar faces and waved; and some of the children recognized me and said, “Hi Miss Danielle.” The children were laughing and running about, the adults were sitting on the periphery chatting or contentedly watching the children’s activity, the birthday boy’s father was walking around and taking pictures with a proud smile on his face. I was sitting with a smile in my heart, taking in this joyous occasion. Cake was brought out and we all gathered around Steven, sang Happy Birthday to him and then bowed our heads in prayer. This celebration, this birthday party was the perfect antidote to not dwelling on the tragic act of violence that happened just minutes ago. My phone rang and I received an update from Natalie and Liz, the other artists in our team. The relieving news came, everyone was safe and they had proceeded with the group as normal for the children who had already arrived. Shortly after, Zing and I left the party to return to the classroom, the caution tape was gone. We got back just in time for the children to share their artwork with us, they appeared calm and happy. It was comforting to know that they were safe inside the center, creating art, while all the commotion was going on outside the classroom walls. Instead of leaving the night with a heavy heart, still at the bottom of my stomach, I left feeling hopeful and confident… because of the birthday party, because of the BuildaBridge artists' efforts to maintain safety, structure and a sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos, and for this reason, I call this a tale of one teaching artist’s transformative moment.
- Danielle Owen, Assistant Art Therapist
The shooting that occurred just minutes prior to BuildaBridge's Thursday night art group with Burmese children remains under investigation by police. The good news is that all twenty of the children attending that night were not harmed. BuildaBridge artists responded by remaining calm, flexible and adaptive. While half of the children attended the birthday party, the other half proceeded with the normal group that evening, processing the incident through art-making experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
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