Fall Term Highlights!

The Refugee Project provided therapeutic arts and art therapy programming for 148 refugees and immigrants since October 2015. With the PRMHC, this included groups serving Iraqi women and children, Burmese Chin and Burmese Karen refugees. The seven week Iraqi group created tapestries at individual, familial and generational levels which 1) enhanced social support and promoted social engagement; 2) nourished a sense of pride and respect for one’s identity; and 3) connected language to meaning in the context of family and community.

Hope Mead demonstrates painting ceramics

BuildaBridge artists used ceramics, music and visual arts in a seven week term with the Burmese Chin and Burmese Karen groups to encourage individual creative expression while learning social skills of working together, turning mistakes into opportunities and academic skills that met the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities. Natalie Hoffmann led the project at Southwark School, creating a mural with nearly 20 students to illustrate the diversity of the school. Final touches are happening soon so stay tuned!

Southwark School mural in process

With PPR, the Fall 2015 ten week term served adult and children refugees from eleven countries all of whom were first and secondary survivors of torture. Artists used drama, movement and the visual arts to create self-portraits of their emotions, explore themes of travel and home as it related to their journeys to Philadelphia and the metaphor of water for movement, flexibility and change. See 'Boat Full of Emotions' for details.

Spring Classes are coming soon!

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PPR Field Trip to Bartram's Garden

On October 27, 2017, Sofya Mirvis, Chelsea Faulkner, and Julie Kring-Schreifels, teaching artists at BuildaBridge, led a group of six people on a field trip to Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. This trip began with a very tranquil and engaging tour through Bartram’s Garden. During the tour, everyone got to try out different types of edible wild fruit, flowers, and plants, including: passion fruit, figs, and locust pods. The clients also picked out their favorite plants, fruit, and/or flowers while on the walk through the garden to later draw, paint, or put on a sun print. When we got back from the tour, the group was given a demonstration on botanical illustration. In the demonstration, they learned about the history, the techniques necessary, and the resources that were available in the classroom for botanical illustration. Two alternative activities were also given: sun prints and printmaking. After the demonstrations, everyone excitedly and diligently got to work. Overall, the trip...

Refugee Project Celebrates World Refugee Day at City Hall

On Saturday, July 9 volunteers from BuildaBridge led creative arts activities at Nationalities Service Center's World Refugee Day 2016 celebration. The event took place in the courtyard of Philadelphia Hall. The event was attended by many from the public as well as several familiar faces from our PPR and PRMHC classes. Visual artist Arielle led an arts activity where visitors were encouraged to create " prayer flags ." Prayer flags originate in Eastern cultures, and were originally used to promote compassion, wisdom, peace and strength (Wikipedia). It is believed that each one's message of goodwill will spread to the space around them. Each visitor was asked to use paint, glitter, glue, and sequins to create a flag representing "What does HOME look like to you?" Among the flags were images of hearts, smiles, and the word "love." We at Refugee Project think that the idea of home being "love" is an especially great example of how "home...

Rebuilding a Future

From L to R: Julie Teixeira, two PPR clients, Christine Byma, Rebecca Asch, NSC case manager Laura; seated row L to R: Jessica LaBarca, PPR client, Julia Crawford, PPR client The Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR) Spring term concluded May 18th with a time of sharing, food and celebration of clients' accomplishments. Clients in one group shared the Shoji lanterns they recently created while clients in the second group shared the art journals they created. The Shoji lantern project is described below. Shoji comes from Japanese architecture and is a wall, room divider, or door covered with translucent paper, allowing light to shine through. Shoji lanterns were used to light the front of temples and shines and were later used to provide light during tea ceremonies. The Shoji Lantern project focused on two main themes, building and light. Building and emergent sub-themes such as patience, resiliency, and rebuilding were reflected in the art making process as gro...

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