The Mei Hwa Project, Daxi, Taiwan (2014-Present)
Mei Hwa (Beautiful Flower) Elementary School (美華國小) is located in a remote, rural area in Daxi, Taiwan. Most its students are from poor, indigenous, skip-generation and new immigrant families. In response to dwindling energy at the school, and a three-year drop in student population from 108 students to 43, the school invited Lily Yeh to lead a revitalization project through art.
Over the course of ten months, working closely with the Mei Hua Principal and Zizhuo Shi(the sponsor, organizer, and leader of the project), Lily guided the content and activities of the Awakening Creativity program with the goal to create a large piece of public art on Mei Hwa campus. Through the program, she also sought to empower the school community to view deficits as opportunities, to envision change, and to take action. The result of their work together is the three-story Mei Hwa Gyro Tree of Life mural, which was completed in March of 2015.
Phase III: the Installation of “Heaven, Earth, & Four Guardians”
Phase III The imagination and the rendering skills of the students so impressed Lily Yeh that she incorporated their works directly into the large mosaic floor design she created for the school campus. [gallery link="none"...
Phase II in 2016
This is Barefoot Artists’ second year working...
Mei Hwa Update, 2015
The Barefoot Artists program at Mei Hwa Elementary School aimed not only to create a beautiful mural, but more importantly, to bring change in the community, from viewing themselves as the unwanted and the weak in the society to becoming poised and creative people who...
Lily’s Reflections on the Mei Hwa School Project in Daxi, Taiwan
The Mei Hwa Gyro Tree of Life Mural Project was a great success despite many challenges. Execution of the project was chaotic and difficult with so many pairs of hands, from kindergarteners to retirees, from the school community to volunteers from the local Daxi...
Introduction, Mr. Jian-Wu Wu, The National Gyro Master in Taiwan
Mr. Wu has dedicated his life for two decades to the development of the unique local gyro culture. And more importantly, Mr. Wu is a passionate educator. His creativity has turned the gyro sport into performance art. Under his gentle...