Day 10 - It is so hard to say good

The last day we are here with our students is definitely bitter sweet.  We start class a little later to allow us to prepare for celebration.  Today we did something different, we ordered a cake with writing celebrating 5 years of art and then went to Nairobi Java with 2 big thermoses so we could get Kenyan Tea and serve it.  Both a cake and tea is a rare event for our students and the first time that we provided this at celebration.  We got to school, set up the cake and tea, got ready with all our certificates as the students poured in and did a daily meditation.  It was exciting, there was a buzz all about and for Margaret and I, it was somewhat painful.  You see these tremendous humans in front of you and you are really not prepared to say good bye for another year and as we are ending, it always feels like it has just begun. 

We both shared our perspective about this years amazing art that was created and asked what they thought.  They liked what they did and appreciated us there.  We also asked about their thoughts on art all year around in a more accessible environment and they all thought it would be great.  It keeps us thinking about how we could expand Art in Kibera to be more than this once a year episode.  Thinking thinking thinking..... Margaret made a point when we were talking about how well they had done and that we were filled with gratitude for this opportunity to work with them each year, she asked: "who knows the song "Don't stop believing"?  Blank looks, she asked them to look it up but to let this be what they leave with.  Don't stop believing... It is so true.  We believed we could bring an art program and it just celebrated 5 years.  Our students believe in their ability to excel and the 5 graduate institute students are all going to great colleges and universities and one to the Buruburu Institute of Fine Art, all because he was inspired by taking our classes 5 years ago.  They believe and we believe in them.  

As we looked around at the art and our students, it was overwhelming to think that we have been with some of these students for 5 years.  Students come up and shake your hard, some hug you, some tell you how much they appreciate you and some just smile and look like they have enjoyed their experience.  The hardest thing is when they run after you to hug you and tell you that they love you and will miss you.  They stop to ask for one more picture or just want to make sure that you know your presence meant something.  I cannot begin to tell you how hard it is to leave.  The funny thing is that I bet they have no idea how much they give us and it often seems like so much more than we give them.  They embrace us as if it might be the last time you will see them, and for some that may be true.  Enough already, I have tears in my eyes!

We left the school to run errands, one was to Kibera paper to get paper for the Children of Kibera Foundation in the US, then to lunch then to visit Anne Wangari at work and have tea with her colleagues and then out to dinner with Anne, Margaret and I.  Its all a process of ending the two weeks of our life here each year.  Last minute details, settling your accounts, visiting to see where friends work or what they do, dining to share that last meal, all as an attempt to keep the experience still going when in fact it is time to go home.

We are back at Pedro Arrupe Center, said good bye to Father Terry thanking him for another great experience and off to pack.  Sitting here typing this I know Margaret is still packing and I have completed my packing.  Our plane leaves at 8:15am starting the journey back to our lives, for me to my boys and partner and for Margaret back to her mother and brother.  Excited to be going home to see our loved ones and sad to be leaving so many behind.

Thank you for being on this journey with us.  I believe that this blog had some issues with ability to leave comments but I received nice notes that we were in your thoughts.  We never know what is next with this program, it could be next year again, or next month.  Stay tuned. 

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

Day 9 - Last day of art immersion for 2012

All,

It is an alarming realization when you get to the Thursday of the second week of this program that it is the last day that we do art with our students this year.  Today art class started out sluggish and picked up momentum.  We had the whole class for nearly 7 hours yestreday and some of them had errands around their homes that they had to handle that did not get handled yesterday.  We did daily mediation, and dove in. Although they have been so wanting to do painting and we brought it back this week for them after a week of sculpture, today they wanted to do sculpture and origami and such.  It is funny to see them get into it and I think for the students, they realize that we are leaving too.  We did our art creation diligently, many questions were asked, and then as we were closing class and preparing the room for tomorrow's celebration, you realize that although its an end to our art immersion for them, its a beginning of a year of art exploration without us from some of the basics that we have delivered.  It is amazing to come back and hear what they have accomplished, built on what was learned while we were here.  This carries through their established art club that happens during the time we are gone on a weekly basis.  This is the first time that I have felt uncomfortable that they will not be getting art immersion until next year so this may be the opportunity to expand to maybe a regular presence in the art space for the students at St. Al's and maybe others in Kibera.  Margaret and I have our thinking caps on for how we may bring the art more regularly.  They are such good artists that it feels a shame not to expand their horizons more than just when we are present.

During class, I prepared the certificates we distribute, this evening Margaret completed them with her nearly perfect hand writing by putting each of their names in.  Tomorrow morning we will celebrate the 5th year of the Art in Kibera program in a special way; we ordered a large decorated cake and if we can find a way to bring in tea, we will and it will truly be a treat for all.   FYI--If you do not know Kenya tea, you should!  Its equal parts milk and water boiled together then the tea leaves are added while boiling then sifted and then sugar is added.  It basically replaces my coffee addiction while I am here and I love it.  One of the left overs from colonization.

After class ended the student were still preparing the space for display by hanging and setting up their art and cleaning the room.  It is always such a nice event the last day of our class.  After class we went off to the Children of Kibera Foundation to work with the administration on some ideas for how to look at photos that convey they mission of their organization.  We showed them some website that do that well and pictures that can tell stories.  They are not the client and when they see the pictures they already understand their mission.  How do you get others to?  It really is about art.  How do you get people to understand, buy in, connect with your story and some how take part? Its about what and how you present information.  It happens in everything we do and its how you gain peoples attention. It was fun to be able to work with them and I hope we were helpful.

We did something very awkward for us, we went to KFC for lunch.  Yes there are many KFC's in Nairobi and they are big and nicely decorated.  At the end of the day, its fried chicken and really does not differ from that in the US.  Its good as your having it and then you realize that you don't like eating that food once you have had it.  Margaret said we were preparing for reentry to home in DC, and it was a reminder upon reentry that we should not be eating KFC!!!!!  After lunch a little last minute shopping at the Masai Market and then I was able to spend some time with Sr. Mary Owens, ED of Nyumbani.  I am on the board of this organization in the US and we always take time to catch up about the past year and the future on each visit.  Nyumbani home is the first Kenyan orphanage with Children with HIV and Nyumbani Village is a home for grandparents and children that have been impacted by the loss of family to AIDS, creating a self sustaining community that creates family and generates carism.  When the father/mother son/daughter die from AIDS, the children and the grandparents are the ones impacted as the model is that the middle of this equation takes care of both the young and the mature in age.  When this is not present they both are left in need.  The model is to bring actual or fictive grandparents (sho sho's) together with children to create this care model in the village.  This is so beautifully done at Nyumbani Village and it is just so amazing to think they are almost to 100 grandparents and 1000 kids.  This is also the 20th year of Nyumbani and in the US, we are having our annual benefit on September 28th,  Please see Nyumbani.org for more info.

We are excited and saddened by the fact that tomorrow is our last day.  Happy that we had another year, sad that we are done.  It is amazing to see the progress and to see the happiness and excitement for the work they do.  The students always give such appreciation for our presence and it is in fact us that are receiving the gifts of them.

It is always a wonderful experience taking you all on this journey with us.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

Day 8 - Kuona Trust and Maryann Muthoni

We only have one class left tomorrow and celebration with the artists on Friday.  It feels like there is a leak in time and it just gets faster and faster.

At St. Al's, class was wonderful and the art that is being created is exciting and engaging and not traditional to what we have seen in the past.  We have always encouraged our artists to tell their story and they have perfected this.  It ends up being their major focus.  To move them into more free form art, we have asked them to paint more freely, work that is both abstract and available for interpretation has been encouraged and returned good results.  The sculpture has added a dimension to how they look at their art and it shows up in some cool, not so obvious outcomes in the work. We had a great session that was cut short by about a half hour as we rallied the class to get on the bus and go to the Kuona Trust to see an installation piece called "the woman's vote" by Maryann Muthoni.

All gathered onto the bus and then we were off to The Kuona trust.  The Kuona trust is special to us and the students of St. Al's.  It's a home away from St. Al's for our artists and have always felt very welcomed there.  The last two years our students have had exhibits.  Last years was "Landscapes of the mind".  Because of the exhibit Maryann had going, we were unable to show.  This provided us an opportunity to bring the students for an artist talk between her and the students.  They loved her and she was so engaging as is her exhibit.  Her exhibit focuses on the importance of the woman's vote and perceptions and feelings about woman as voters, leaders, etc.  Our students were engaged considering how timely this is with the vote happening next year.  The students were vocal about their point of view and they definitely shared points of views that brought on rich discussion which is exactly what Maryann hoped this installation would achieve and it did with our students.  The students also walked around the trust to visit with the other resident artists and see them creating art, ask questions and make connections.  Renee Mboya, Programme Manager and Sylvia Gichia, Kuona Trust Director, have been amazingly supportive of our connection and Renee was amazing as a facilitator with the discussion and the installation.  What a rewarding day for us, our students and the Kuona trust.  They do good work and the Art in Kibera program hopes to continue to partner with Kuono to provide art to our students and others in Kibera.  The world continues to be a very small place.  My Kenyan Sister, Anne Wangari, is very dear family friends with Maryann Muthoni and family and we realized this when I told Anne about the exhibit.  Today I shared pictures with Maryann and she said to me, Wow, I've been to their home you are showing me....Small World.

Today we had another bit of Great News.  One of our graduates who was unable to be part of yesterday's graduate institute, Jacob Kikoyo, was at a meeting..... This meeting proved to be very successful because today he returned to class with an acceptance letter from the BuruBuru Institute of Fine Art, welcoming him to the school and their art programme.  So exciting to think of one of our students who has been with us for five years is going to art school.  We could not be more proud and excited.

Our days fly by so quickly and then you realize you are packing your bags to return home.  Each year this experience grows and has a very different feel from year to year.  What a great thing to see our students develop, grow, prosper and move on. Its hard to leave them, its hard to know that you do not know what each one is doing or are able to keep track of each one, so we are so grateful to be able to have the connections we have with them as they are in school and especially when them move on and we can keep in touch.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

Day 7 - one long and amazing day

The train will soon be entering the station for our final destination for the Art in Kibera 2012 year.  It moves quickly once it gets momentum and boy has it ever.  Today was evidence that our student do care and listen after we talked with them about being on time.  Most of them were on time and only a few late.  Progress!

We started out as usual, got into our sculpting and then changed gears mid way through to painting.  It was like a new slate, we cleaned the room, got ready and started painting.  I asked that they not create from what they had in the past but what might have inspired them from our sculpture sessions.  They also have been looking at reference materials that Margaret brings each year such as art magazines and postcards of art.  There is some very interesting work starting to happen.  Its nice to see that they continue to develop in new medium as well as ones they are so familiar with like painting. After our normal three hours of class with our group, today was our special in session for our Graduate Institute; former students who come back for art.  We all gathered and went out to Kitengala glass. Its a bit of a trip, it takes almost an hour with the traffic and the really hard roads that approach this art oasis in a rural setting.  It was all boys this year in the institute and a lot of laughing and looking at the views on the way to Kitengala.  One of our students had never seen a gazelle before and saw one on this ride and it made me realize that although they are in Kenya does not mean they have seen the wildlife or for that matter, so many other things that other Kenyans have access to.  There are these constant reminders that they come from the Kibera slum, enough said.  We talked about where they come from outside of Kibera and all from various parts of Kenya.  One said, Kakuma and my heart stopped for a moment realizing this is the refugee camp and then he continued to say that he was a refugee.  The realization of what people have been through and the privilege we live in comparison to their living situatiuon is alarming.

We got to the art center and they were all eyes and ears.  The watched and took in everything.  We looked around and the artist Edith who would teach us mosaics today was jovial and excited and kept saying to Margaret and I "they are so excited".  We got down to business after a tour where we collected glass that we would use for our mosaics and got to working.  Edith was a great, maternal teacher and they really responded to her.  It was great to see them get so into it and be so excited about it.  It was such a great idea to do this and I owe this all to Margaret who sought them out last year.  She, herself, is a glass artist and it was a perfect fit.  They worked hard and produced amazing pieces.  They also had fun together and we with them.  It was Dennis, Mike, Castro and Norbert.  Every time something funny happened, Castro would say-"well Charles, My Grandfather used to say...." Or my Grandmother told me when you hurt yourself........"  It was very funny.  We also got to meet with glass blowers and they thought that was the coolest. They show gratitude is such subtle and low key ways.  They thank you by smiling at their work, or being excited about something or their embraces.  its all very wonderful and often I say we get so much more than we give it feels.  They beam with light and you realize that you must be hitting a cord somewhere.  This makes a difference to them and to us. The pieces they produced today were also really great.

We are also very proud of them. All 4 of the Graduate Institute participants that joined us today got into school. Two of them will be starting at Kenyatta University, one the the two best schools in Kenya and the others are going to local colleges.  This is a big deal.  These students have been with us now, 5 years; it is hard to believe.

After a nearly 12 hour day, we had a great Japanese meal at Misoni and then back to the ranch for rest.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.  Until Tomorrow!

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

Day 6, weekend and 4 days left

Can I just say it? Wow!  Weekends for us in Kenya are anything but restful. On Saturday we were out the door at 7am to Nyeri with Anne Wangari to visit my Kenyan Mom and Family and introduce Margaret to Central Province Kenya.  It was, as always, amazing and meaningful.  I know so few people get to experience true Kenyan life and we had a little country in Nyeri this weekend.  We took Margaret to see Nyeri town where the locals conduct business and then to Anne's family home with the rich red soil roads and the beautiful farm with everything from Macadamia's to Coffee.  Since my Kenyan Father passed in 2010 the farm has needed additional support and that sometimes is a challenge but Maitu (means mom in kikoyo) is getting by. We had a wonderful Kenyan lunch of makimo, chicken, cabbage and stew with chapati, all delicious.  After which Maitu took us on a tour of the farm to show Margaret as Margaret collected local leaves for her glass art at home. It was a 2.5 hour trip each way but well worth it.  It was great to see Maitu, the farm and other family members at the home.  It truly feels like returning home when we drive up the drive.

Sunday had a later start that provided some respite and then off to Kibera to deliver the Sunday Girls Club Art program at Red Rose School, a Children of Kibera Foundation (CoKF) school.  There were about 40 young girls and I as Margaret's assistant, we delivered some high level art history about a few famous artists and paintings and then worked with them to develop sketch books that they could personalize and use on their own.  It was a really wonderful project.  Having these type of programs where children go to school on the weekends keeps them busy, engaged and hopefully out of compromised situations.  It was great to see Margaret with these girls and they really enjoy her.  The work that CoKF is doing is meaningful and important.  Then off to dinner with Ken Okoth, Kiberan, Kenyan, friend and founder of CoKF who also is running for Kenyan Parliament.  We had the pleasure of his time and company with his wife Monica and brother and sister in laws in from Florence, Italy.

Monday was the realization that we have 4 days left, 2 field trips, projects to complete and a celebration to have all before we get on a plane bright and early Saturday morning to return to DC.
The day was drizzly which I knew would mean students would come in late and that is exactly what happened.  I put off meditation until more students arrived and then one of our forms 4's asked about when we would be having meditation. I  was pleased that people wanted to meditate but before meditation I wanted to refresh them on the concept of respect and reciprocity.  Talked about us coming to serve them with art immersion, that we would like them to come on time.  This is not usually a problem particularly when schools in session but is has been on this trip.  They all got it.  Our teaching on these trips is so much more than just art.  We then went in to meditation and continued to make found object sculpture and paper sculpture.  Pretty darn amazing. It really is about giving guidance, support and freedom and then sitting back and watching. We also talked about the art we will doing the remainder of the week and asked if they wanted to switch gears from sculpture to painting and we heard ever so clearly, we want both.  Done. You can have both.  At the end of our class we did a closing meditation with Classical Music from my favorite album Paper Music which is Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn and others.  I share this with you because it is the St Paul Chamber Orchestra with non other than Bobby McFerrin.  One of my favorite musicians who uses his voice as an instrument.  I also had the honor of being in the Let Freedom Ring Choir this year with Georgetown University at the Kennedy center with Bobby McFerrin as the guest artist.  It was amazing.  After meditation I shared that he uses his voice and the students loved it.  After class as we were walking through the halls we could hear people using their voices like instruments.  It was so moving.

We gathered Anne Wangari from work, had lunch at Nairobi Java and then off to a very Kenyan experience; the Kariako Market which is downtown and its were all the "stuff" that shows up at the markets is made.  There was not a non Kenyan in site except for Margaret and I.  We saw the real deal.  It was an experience that very few non Kenyans have.  It was cool.  I saw how shoes, jewelery, bags, etc are made.  After which we went to visit Triphose, a friend through Anne and got to meet her new baby boy Benjamin.  Triphose and her family are Rwandan refugees.  They seems so out of place, once a teacher and her husband a medical doctor, now living in the slum making bags and other sewn goods to get by. Lovely people.  Two of their children are in school in Canada for University.  Life is so interesting, the stories so varied and the reality right in front of you.

Back at the ranch, a simple dinner with the Jesuits and off to capture our experience to share with you.  As I reflect, these experiences are a combination of beautiful, hard, hopeful, moving, educational and spiritual.  From sharing our passion of art, to abject poverty, to the country to refugee experiences.  Sometimes taking all this in makes my head want to pop.  Then I just breathe and realize we are so very fortunate to be able to experience this Kenya for all its greatness and opportunity.

Thank you for being on this journey.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

Day 5 - First week already over

It is amazing to me how this program always seems to start off slowly and then all of a sudden we are running to get things done and then wow, your at the end of your first week.

We have completed our first week with a true fulfillment in the progress of our artists. Although today started out slow because it was raining in Nairobi, we got there.  We were on time, the students were not and they slowly trickled in.  In you have any concept of Kibera, you do not want to find yourself in the rain in the slum.  With troughs of waste and refuse and then the mud coupled with the smell the gets conjured up, I too would have wanted to stay home.  We lost about 8 of our students today but all went well.

 Sculpture has really taken off in a way I did not expect.  Like I said yesterday, the paper sculptures ended up being way more than we could have ever expected, well today with the "found objects sculpture, it was even more exciting.  Some of the found objects that were used were interesting from cut up plastic bottles to metal pieces to cardboard, wood and styrofoam, all made interesting sculptural art.  One of our students designed a home with a yard and all; Margaret asked him if he wanted to be an architect and he responded, no a civil engineer!  Enough said.  Another sculpture was the interior of a home made out of various materials, one made a pair of flip flops, taking Creating from the soul (sole) to a whole new level.  One sculpted a coffee cup, many made different vehicles carrying loads of objects, a flower girl basket and one made a soda dispensing machine.  They get it and used their found objects to interpret through these new sculptures.  Pretty amazing.  We gave them assignments and off they went to find more found objects, write more about their exploration of art and really to get ready for next week. We, as always, start and end our day with meditation and it is so obvious it has an impact.

This weekend for us will be a busy one; first off the Nyeri with my Kenyan sister Anne Wangari to see my Kenyan family and have them meet Margaret for the first time.  Sunday is a visit to Nyumbani for Sunday mass and then Sunday Club with the Children of Kibera foundation where we will do some art projects with the students.

Next week will also be a great race to the finish....We have a visit with the Artist I told you about on Wednesday and then Tuesday, the "Graduate Institute" students will be taught how to do Glass Mosaic from a Master Mosaic Artist at Kitengala. This is in addition to our daily classes with the students.  Can we say large Mosaic at St. Al's in 2013.

We are always with mixed emotions at the end of the first week because we realize how exciting and full swing this program is at this point and the realization that this will be ending in another week sets in.  We experience it every year and are honored to be able to work with our students, its just the reality that it does not last but these two weeks.  I also realize that we spend all year around thinking about it and the students have art club that is based on these two weeks until they get a new installment.  With all that being said, its the contact that feels so great and seeing them face to face and realizing that we already miss them.

We thank you for being on this journey with us.  PLEASE comment on the blog so we know you are seeing it.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

Day 4 - Breakthrough......

Our day started out smoothly with a timely arrival to the school.  Today was a wonderful day for us because it felt like we had a breakthrough and turned a corner with sculpture.  Margaret and I were questioning if we had made the right decision to introduce sculpture because although the creativity was there with the paper made cylinders, etc, we weren't sure they were getting much out of it.

Today when we arrived to class, we did our starting meditation and out of the gates went the artists, creating, talking, creating, thinking, etc.  While they were doing their art creation, I ended up creating a hanging sculpture to show them that they could move from the cylinder made of paper to using paper free form to create and wow did it happen. Some of the most amazing mobiles, sculptures of Giraffes, etc happened.  And it just happened.  We realized that the structure of using paper cylinders to create objects and sculpture were just to get them going.  Once we gave the license to use the paper how they see fit, it went over the moon.  Using paper seems like an odd technique for sculpture but using a fairly 2 dimensional subject to create 3 dimensional objects helps create the movement to 3D.  I don't know how or why, but it works.  The class was abuzz and it felt great to see our students really engaged.  It was also a bit of a relief.  We ended class with cleanup and meditation because we are going to work with our found objects to make sculpture starting tomorrow.  I could not be more excited to see what they come up with.  The really are Smart, Beautiful and Important.

After class off to the Masai Market, where I feel like after all these years of visiting Kenya, that this really is a tourist souvenir shop for the masses.  I asked a merchant if in fact that was what it was and she said its both for the tourists and the locals.  I really appreciated her honesty.  The stuff I used to get excited about buying is now just stuff.... Ughh.  After this we were off in search of bendable wire that for some reason can't be purchased at hardware stores or the Nakumatt!  Heaven forbid you can't find something at the Nakumatt, Kenya's Walmart.

After this we went to are really wonderful art opening at the Kuona Trust.  We met the artist Maryanne Muthoni who's installation exhibit titled "The Woman's Vote" was both timely and relevant considering that next year is the Kenyan Election under the new constitution.  It basically was about the importance of the women's vote and how little it is heard or valued though they are the mainstay of this society and so many others.  Really wonderful exhibit.  Our students are coming next Wednesday for a Meet the Artist talk just with her and our students.  It will be great for them. 

The Kuona Trust is a special place.  It is a central artist hub in Nairobi with local and international artists in residence.  We feel very connected with this organization and feel like they are a major supporter for us and our students at St. Al's.  They are so engaged with our work and look forward to what ever the future may hold related to them working with our students.  It is great to be at an event like this today and have artist come up and recall when we met over the last few years.  It makes us feel part of this community. We love it.

Another great day and more progress.  We are fortunate and filled with gratitude to be able to do this work.

We are happy to have you on this journey with us. Until Tomorrow!

Be well,

Charles and Margaret