BuildaBridge Community Programs

A client creates a painting based on Aboriginal dot painting in Open Studio As an art therapist, I have noticed people’s hesitation in engaging with the creative process: “I’m not good at art,” “I’m not an artist,” or “It isn’t perfect.” The underlying thread of these responses relates to our inner critic, and our fear of failure or of having others see and regard us as incapable. The art, tangible and concrete, becomes a symbol of one’s perceived “incompetence,” and often, self-deprecating comments accompany the sharing of one’s artwork. While leading an Open Arts Studio group at Nationalities Service Center (NSC), I heard a few participants mutter the same words in response to their artwork: “No good.” We were working on Aboriginal dot paintings that particular session, using Q-Tips dipped in acrylic paint to create pieces inspired by this particular tradition. Their compositions consisted of dots in various colors used to create bold outlines of subjects of their choosing. A...

Symposium attendees worked as a group to make a finished art piece On December 2, 2017, Assistant Director of Community Programs Stevie French was honored to represent BuildaBridge as a presenter in Thrive: Trauma-Informed Practice in Community-Engaged Art. The 5-hour event was hosted as part of Thomas Jefferson University/Philadelphia University’s Asano Humanities and Health series. BuildaBridge Assistant Director Stevie French presenting on trauma-informed community art-making The symposium aimed to bring together  “arts and health professionals, students and community members in conversation at the intersection(s) of trauma-informed practice and community-engaged  art.” The event was open to the public, and was attended by individuals from fields including medical, mental health, pharmaceuticals, education, and community non-profits. Stevie delivered a 5-minute presentation and a breakout workshop. Her presentation focused on the role of metaphor and non-ve...

My name is Marilyn Rodriguez and I have been working with BuildaBridge for about a year now. I have truly enjoyed teaching the very diverse population in which BuildaBridge serves. I especially enjoy the concept of an open art studio. The staff prepares a brief demonstration for a task that the participants may choose to do in the open art studio or the participants can try something else. The participants are given a wide range of art materials to choose from in this context, if they decide not to do the activity that the staff members gave the demonstration on. The staff then helps the participants articulate what they would like to voice, whether it is through art or music. The most beautiful component I have witnessed is how music can be transferred to so many different languages and then can be merged into one. A good example of this in the open art studio environment, is when everyone sings the BuildaBridge song, some people chime in with their native languages. This song has als...

My name is Debra Cotterall and I am a board-certified music therapist who has been working as a lead teaching artist with Buildabridge for over 3 years now. Throughout the month of February 2017, I had the pleasure of working with fellow music therapist, Grace Clements and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) Afterschool Program in order to implement a therapeutic, creative-arts based series of four lessons aimed at promoting students’ sense of self-efficacy and positive vision for the future in order to further increase personal resiliency. The curriculum aimed to support students’ holistic development through creative and academic experiences to foster inclusion, hope, resilience, self-efficacy, mastery, and vision for the future. Each lesson primarily integrated the music modality, exploring a variety of musical elements as they related to real-world application in everyday life. Music and movement were utilized to assist students in processing and coping with current resettlemen...

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...

Full view of the classroom-size tape-art mural, which dealt with themes of healing and safety. Tape Art - Safety Theme The families class at NSC is doing a curriculum on safety The purpose of the activity this class was to foster participants’ awareness of their own ability to rise up in the face of instability and make change. Participants were prompted to use tape as a tool to draw a temporary mural. Staff set the stage of the mural by drawing on the wall with painter's tape, drawing a storm with clouds, lightning and rain. Participants were prompted to draw images of items, people and scenarios that they wanted to keep safe and protected in their life and in the box of safety, under the storm on the wall. The instructors then metaphorically “exposed” the things in the safety box by removing the tape barrier between the storm and the box. Participants then taped onto the mural ways of staying safe in the storm. They depicted umbrellas, shelters, and windshield wipers. They...

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...

As we move into May and warm weather finally arrives, both our PRMHC and PPR programs have been progressing. At Southeast by Southeast, Burmese Karen refugees have been using ceramics to explore ideas of support. The children created unique plates, cups, bowls and boxes using a variety of clay techniques. The items will be donated to newly-arrived refugee families in need to support them in their transition to Philadelphia. Burmese Karen children paint designs in glaze onto clay plates they made The Iraqi group in Northeast Philadelphia evolved to include Sudanese refugees as well. Parents and children in that group have been learning how to make colorful mosaics from broken pieces of ceramics. They are exploring the concept of identity, including their identities of their native countries as well as newly-formed identities in the United States. The Iraqi/Sudanese group learned how to make mosaics using many different tools At Nationalities Service Center, our Mixed Adult group is usin...

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 Scho...

BuildaBridge features artists Hope Mead and Robert Kelleher in this video illustrating how art-making has made a difference this semester.  Groups this semester took place at the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative's (PRMHC) new storefront site in South Philadelphia, Southeast by Southeast.

The PPR (Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience) Families and Children’s group reflects on the mural that they have been working on for the past several weeks.  PPR is a collaborative between BuildaBridge, Nationalities Service Center (NSC) and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIASPA) providing services and programs to survivors of torture. The weeks’ themes have been “travel” and “home”, two issues of concern for all refugees. They reflected on what could be in the conversation bubbles next to each of the people.  The figures in the boat were made by tracing each of the group members’ silhouettes, and the stars that reflect light to the waves in the ocean were made by participants tracing their hands.   Jeane Cohen (Lead Artist), Mimi Scalia (Assistant Teaching Artist) and Hayley Strickler (Volunteer) led the workshops.  Each workshop examined a topical aspect of self reflection, identifying barriers, tools, and skills for resilience related to that aspect. ...

"We Iraqis have long stories" said a participant in BuildaBridge's therapeutic arts group for Iraqi families living in Northeast Philadelphia.  This group, comprised of Iraqi mothers and children who have lived in the U.S. for over three years, will be focusing their efforts this Fall on telling their stories through a group made tapestry.  Operationally, a tapestry is a single composition which is comprised of many threads. Conceptually, a tapestry displays a meaningful moment in time that is a symbol and a distillation of many smaller experiences and moments. In addition, many people with unique lives and backgrounds come together to form one community.  The group will keep this metaphor - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, at the forefront of their art experiences to create the piece.  Since October, 28 participants have attended three groups.  Over the next few weeks, participants and BuildaBridge artists will create story-based pieces about the...

This Refugee Project is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. On October 9th, BuildaBridge was presented with the award check from the PA Council on the Arts.  Hosted by PECO and led by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the event highlighted each of the grantees from the five-county Philadelphia region.    Maud Lyon, President of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance with BuildaBridge Co-Founder Dr. Vivian Nix-Early and PRMHC Project Manager, Danielle Bossert        

BuildaBridge thanks the City of Philadelphia's Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy for the recognition of our Refugee Project.  On Thursday, October 1st, BuildaBridge was honored in a ceremony for our work exhibited at City Hall with the Mayoral Certificate of Artistic Excellence.  The works represented five years of our project with 500 refugees from 13 countries with the help of 33 BuildaBridge artists.  BuildaBridge exhibited pieces from The Refugee Project, which is comprised of participation in three collaborations: the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative , the Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience and a partnership with Nationalities Service Center's Refugee Employment and Advancement Program . The presentation also recognized programs by the School District of Philadelphia.   Helen Haynes, Chief Cultural Officer with Dr. Vivian Nix-Early, Co-Founder of BuildaBridge Certificate received by BuildaBr...

      BuildaBridge is pleased to announce the publication of its Year 4 Report of involvement in the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative (PRMHC).   BuildaBridge PRMHC Year 4 Report

For a third time in four years, BuildaBridge is honored to be exhibiting its artwork at City Hall. This if the first time, however, that the Refugee Project has been featured on its own. As part of the City of Philadelphia's Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Art in City Hall is a program presenting exhibitions showcasing contemporary artwork by professional and emerging Philadelphia artists.  The program strives to link visual artists with the larger community by providing the public with a greater knowledge and appreciation of their artistic achievements. The artwork highlights BuildaBridge's roles in the Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience, the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative and its partnership with Nationalities Service Center's Refugee Employment and Advancement Program. The exhibit is on the 2nd Floor of City Hall, and can be viewed until October 2, 2015. For more information from City Hall,  read more here. 

Arts and culture are some of the most fundamental forms of self- and community-identification humans use to mold their identities and share their stories. Refugee populations are contributing to their new American communities through the arts as a means of sharing their cultures, histories, stories and above all, shaping their identities in a new environment.  BuildaBridge facilitates such efforts with refugees from over ten countries through the Refugee Project   - a multi-faceted program with memberships in two city-wide collaboratives designed to assist refugees, at all stages of resettlement in identifying adjustment strategies based on the strengths of their communities. The Refugee Project supports and facilitates art-making experiences for refugees as they pursue success, recovery, hope, healing and resiliency in a new culture. This June, during World Refugee Awareness Month, BuildaBridge launched its second season of arts programming for Nationalities Services Center's...

Mark, a refugee from Iraq, had been coming to the Mixed Adults creative arts therapy group at the Nationalities Services Center (NSC) for over two years as part of BuildaBridge's involvement with The Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR).  Sunday was the last group of the Spring Semester, and it also happened to be Mark's last group meeting for good.  “My case is closed here (at NSC),”  he announced, “So I won’t be coming again.”  There was disappointment all around.  He was the major translation help for the other Arabic-speaking group members, and he was the ‘senior statesman’ so to speak, for knowing how the group “went”, and for helping new members.  However, there also seemed to be a self-pride in his “graduation” from the NSC case management service. The group, led by BuildaBridge art therapist Rebecca Asch and drama artist Francesca Montanile, was finishing up the Altered Book project.  Sunday's prompt for the art-making was drawin...

This is a video message from the Bhutanese refugee community in South Philadelphia who called Nepal home for over twenty years. They are concerned for their brothers and sisters who have been affected by the earthquakes. They are praying for the victims, survivors and families and for the rebuilding and restoration of Nepal. BuildaBridge assisted this community in creating artwork that illustrated their memories of Nepal, concerns for the earthquake victims and their hopes for the future of Nepal. Since many from this community are unable to travel to Nepal help, they created this video message as a gesture of their concern for and solidarity with those in Nepal. The BuildaBridge-led workshops, artwork and video were made possible with support from: The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program:  Southeast by Southeast The Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative The Department of Behavioral Health and DisAbility Services Artists:  Jessica L...

During the course of three workshops, BuildaBridge assisted this group of Bhutanese refugee adults create a visual representation of their memories, concerns and hopes for Nepal. During the close of each workshop, the group sang the Nepal national anthem featured here as a gesture of their solidarity and concern for Nepal.