Hello World!: Art Olympics

I want to share with you some of my students art work as well as a project I've been working on. For the past couple of weeks I've held art workshops with my art club in order to help put together an art manual that I and another volunteer are putting together. These pictures will be used to demonstrate examples for the art curriculum that we are writing up. This art manual is apart of the Art Olympics project that we have been working on for the past three months. We're trying to provide students across Cambodia with an opportunity to learn the history, skills and technique of art. Most students in Cambodia grow up without ever experiencing the joys and wonder of art and due to the poor education system most schools are not able to provide any funds for any sort of art classes. This is where we step in and try to help. We have over 30 volunteers who have signed up and each one will get to team up with a counterpart and teach art classes for a period of 2 to 3 for months. The grant that we have written is requesting funds and donations for art materials and such. We're also doing an art competition at the very end and which ever student's pieces get the top votes will get to come into Phonm Penh for a day and take an art workshop with an established Khmer artist as well as have their art work displayed in an art gallery.

This is the third year that this project will get to carry on. We're following the footsteps of the volunteers before us who have paved the way. I wanted to step up to the plate and take on this project this year because I have such a strong admiration for my art students. We have come a long way and have grown in so many ways. A year ago I struggled teaching them art because of my lack of Khmer speaking skills and also because I was at a loss on how to teach art to a group of students who have never practiced art or who haven never seen iconic images (the kind that we're used to seeing while growing up in America, such as the Mona Lisa, the Scream or the Last Super.) But now, 18 months later, my students and I are able to bond and communicate in a way where I'm able to present to them a new art lesson and they are able to run with it. I remember the first time I showed them Salvador Dali's art work and their response was total confusion but eye opening. One of them told me that he doesn't understand what he's looking at or what the art work means but that he likes it. Sometimes I can't talk about my art students without tearing up because of how proud I am of them for their dedication and perseverance. They really have come a long way and I am constantly amazed with their talent and imagination. They'll always have a special place in my heart.

We're still low on funds and haven't reached our goal yet. If you would like help us out please check out our website at https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-303-008
Anything will help and my students and I will forever be grateful!