American Visionary Art Museum to feature Lily Yeh

The amazing American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is launching a potent and timely exhibition ESTHER AND THE DREAM OF ONE LOVING HUMAN FAMILY in January 2019. It features the historic and current experiences of victims of Holocaust, genocides, and ethnic cleansings to urgently underscore the great danger of demonizing any human being as an undesirable ‘other.’”

We are honored that this exhibition will also include Lily Yeh’s three paintings depicting the before and after of the Rwanda 1994 Genocide along with original drawings by survivors in the Rugerero Survivors Village, Rwanda. These works emerged in Yeh’s workshops during her visit there from 2009-2011. Their stories and images provided the source materials and inspiration for her three paintings.

Art works by survivors:

by Niyonsaba Espérance

by Imanishimwe Françine

by Indihafi Jane

“Escaping Into the Forest,” by Lily Yeh, 2015

“Escaping Into the Forest,” by Lily Yeh, 2015

Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 4 Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 4

DEJARLO SER

Llegamos al final de nuestra estadía en Gorlitz y nos inspira saber que los artistas de aquí tomarán esta experiencia y la alentarán para que crezca y florezca como desee. Lily sintió esto en nuestro primer día de taller al observar que “los artistas de aquí ven la belleza y quieren despertar el alma. Nos unimos para viajar en forma colectiva a tocar nuestras almas. A través del arte somos llamados a liberar el camino”.

Desde la perspectiva de Barefoot Artists, el éxito de este esfuerzo particular no estuvo necesariamente en un resultado concreto sino en el proceso; en que hubo compromiso, entusiasmo, e imaginación que antes de este campamento parecían no tener un espacio inclusivo y seguro para desplegarse. Nuestra parte en esto fue menor, sirviendo únicamente como catalizadores al compartir una determinada metodología.  Lo que surgió a través de la guía de Bohemian Crossings les pertenece enteramente a ellos, y es perfectamente oportuno para este momento y espacio.

DEBAJO INCLUIMOS UN VIDEO DE LA CEREMONIA DEL HUMO GUIADA POR TONY HARWOOD DE AUSTRALIA.

Gorlitz es un lugar rico, estas son personas ricas –no necesariamente en recursos y dinero, sino en profundidad de experiencia, en dolores y sufrimiento, en resiliencia, en esperanza. Un ensayo de Michael Meade aborda con elocuencia las preguntas que surgieron y las conversaciones que tuvimos mientras estuvimos en Gorlitz, donde nos conmovieron las historias individuales, el trauma histórico de la comunidad y la crisis global que nos une a todos.  Él expresa: “el contrapeso a las formas colectivas del terror y de los actos trágicos de inhumanidad debe encontrarse primero que todo en el despertar del alma individual al subyacente sentido de la vida pleno e intrínseco.  Debemos encontrar un sentido mayor a nosotros mismos, o quedarnos aislados, divididos y sujetos a crecientes angustias  y sentimientos de desamparo.  En el gran drama de la vida el alma humana despierta se convierte en la cantidad adicional y la calidad especialmente viva necesaria para ayudarnos a inclinar la balanza del mundo alejándolo de la destrucción hacia la creación continua.”

Continuamos buscando nuestro camino, por lo menos dando pasos, en el camino del despertar. Como compartió uno de los integrantes del equipo durante nuestras reflexiones finales, “El primer día estaba triste. Ahora estoy agotado, pero contento.  ¡Tan contento que me dan ganas de gritar!”

De nuestros ejercicios de taller surgieron poemas que compartíamos  las noches en que nos sentábamos alrededor de la mesa durante la cena, por lo tanto, quizás corresponde que también finalicemos con uno.  Estas palabras de Federico García Lorca capturan aquello en lo que cree Barefoot Artists y lo que hemos sentido aquí, lo que se nos ha ofrecido en vulnerabilidad y corazón abierto. Gracias Bohemian Crossings y Gorlitz.

EL POEMA,
LA CANCIÓN,
LA IMAGEN,
SON SOLO AGUA
EXTRAÍDA DEL POZO DE LA GENTE,
Y SE LES DEBE DEVOLVER
EN UNA COPA DE BELLEZA
PARA QUE PUEDAN BEBER,
Y COMPRENDAN ELLOS MISMOS.

– Federico Garcia Lorca

Gorlitz, Germany Update 1

Spanish Version Available A colleague noted that the Barefoot Artists generally create projects only in places of extreme poverty, even though there is suffering and brokenness in comparatively rich communities.  Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in the world...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 2

Spanish Version Available  Danielle Hoefler, an artist and advocate, came to Gorlitz six years ago and is the main organizing force behind Bohemian Crossings.  She is a strong, passionate and compassionate presence who believes that the depression weighing down some...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 3

Spanish Version Available Working with Youth This week, Bohemian Crossings summer camp has welcomed youth groups to the site to create story poles.  We have been delighted to meet little ones from a day care, a group from the refugee community, elementary classes from...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 4

Spanish Version Available Let It Be We are at the end of our stay in Gorlitz and are inspired knowing that the artists here will take this experience and encourage it to grow and blossom as it will.  Lily felt this on our first workshop day, noting that “the artists...

read more
Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 3 Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 3

Trabajo con Jóvenes 

Esta semana, el campamento de verano de Bohemian Crossings recibió en el lugar a grupos de jóvenes para crear postes de historias. Nos encantó conocer niños de una guardería, un grupo de una comunidad de refugiados, grupos de nivel primario de una escuela pública y jóvenes de secundaria de la escuela Waldorf local. Los postes son decorados con pintura, botones o se tallan. Los más chicos practican primero sobre un tubo largo de papel antes de trabajar juntos pintando un poste largo con huellas de manos y pintura por goteo.  Los más grandes se dividieron rápidamente en grupos de dos o tres con taladros y herramientas de talla en mano. Los adultos de la comunidad de vez en cuando se detenían y creaban su propio poste y diseño. La energía es espontánea, se siente acogedora y diversa.

El equipo de Bohemian Crossings es en sí mismo un grupo diverso de artistas que aportan talento para la poesía, la narración, la música y las artes visuales. Después de que los niños se lavan toda la pintura que les quedó impregnada sin llegar a decorar el poste, se reúnen alrededor de los integrantes del equipo que tocan la guitarra, el banjo y la armónica y cantan canciones folklóricas de Estados Unidos, Irlanda y Alemania.

La incapacidad para controlar el resultado de ese despliegue de entusiasmo y energía al principio nos resultó incómoda; por lo menos nos exigió corrernos de nuestra visión original de un tipo de resultado unificado y cohesivo.

Sin embargo, lo que surge se siente poderoso. Dentro del grupo, parece haber una fusión de las distintas personalidades, y energías que, por momentos, compiten, y empieza a emerger un sentido de orden en lo que inicialmente se sentía como un espacio vacío y caótico; sentimos que nuestra conexión se profundiza con el deseo compartido de crear belleza.

La cohesión, sin embargo, no proviene solo de nuestros esfuerzos; al contrario, parece tomar forma a través de los jóvenes. La armonía, el lenguaje común sobre el cual los adultos hemos estado conversando (y a veces discutiendo) en los últimos días está aquí. ¿Cuál es el lenguaje  común? Probablemente no estarávisible en forma evidente en una pieza artística pública. Nuestros postes formaran un bosque aleatorio de color y formas que, esperamos, puedan ser por lo menos una semilla física de esperanza para inspirar el despliegue de esfuerzos similares con el paso del tiempo.

No. El lenguaje común, la nota armoniosa es ésta: la alegría –una luz que con mucha  elegancia  absorbe el gris.

Gorlitz, Germany Update 1

Spanish Version Available A colleague noted that the Barefoot Artists generally create projects only in places of extreme poverty, even though there is suffering and brokenness in comparatively rich communities.  Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in the world...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 2

Spanish Version Available  Danielle Hoefler, an artist and advocate, came to Gorlitz six years ago and is the main organizing force behind Bohemian Crossings.  She is a strong, passionate and compassionate presence who believes that the depression weighing down some...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 3

Spanish Version Available Working with Youth This week, Bohemian Crossings summer camp has welcomed youth groups to the site to create story poles.  We have been delighted to meet little ones from a day care, a group from the refugee community, elementary classes from...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 4

Spanish Version Available Let It Be We are at the end of our stay in Gorlitz and are inspired knowing that the artists here will take this experience and encourage it to grow and blossom as it will.  Lily felt this on our first workshop day, noting that “the artists...

read more
Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 2 Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 2

Danielle Hoefler, artista y asesora, llegó a Gorlitz hace seis años y es la fuerza organizadora principal detrás de Bohemian Crossings.IMG_3945 Es una presencia fuerte, apasionada y compasiva, que cree que la depresión que sobrecarga a algunos en la comunidad está enraizada en una falta de esperanza. Nos comparte: “la gente que nació en Gorlitz no necesariamente ve la belleza que existe aquí”.  La ciudad se compone mayormente de una población de avanzada edad; muchos de sus habitantes pasaron gran parte de sus vidas bajo el régimen comunista e incluso antes de eso, algunos sufrieron, el régimen Nazi. “Después un día,” continua, “de forma totalmente inesperada se cae el muro y sus vidas se tornaron completamente diferentes, cambiaron de la noche a la mañana. De repente se encontraron en un mundo que sencillamente no conocían ni entendían. Todo estaba perdido.”

Con la caída del muro llegó el éxodo masivo de 1/3 de la población de Gorlitz, el cierre de casi todas las fábricas y de las principales industrias regionales. Durante un tiempo, la zona se tornó casi sin ley y se convirtió en un gran centro para el mercado de las drogas y en hogar de las mafias rusa y polaca. Actualmente, el alcoholismo, la drogadicción y la pobreza continúan alimentando la desesperación.

A medida que transcurren nuestros días aquí en Gorlitz, se vuelve más fácil sentir la melancolía; hay una sensación de reticencia en las calles. Comenzamos a ver más allá del encanto inicial de las calles relativamente calmas y pacíficas, preguntándonos en cambio qué soledad y vacío podría estar comunicando esto.  Gran parte de la visión de Bohemian Crossings es crear un espacio seguro y libre para que las personas puedan expresarse, no de manera solitaria sino en comunidad. Sin embargo, los desafíos inherentes a la construcción de la comunidad pueden rápida y fácilmente disipar la energía y la intención positiva. Muchos de nosotros conocemos la frustración que se esconde detrás de la frase  “poner orden en una jaula de grillos”. En Alemania, como aprendimos a los pocos días de nuestra llegada, la frase utilizada es “poner orden en una bolsa de pulgas.”

IMG_1185

Para crear comunidad por lo general es importante brindarles a las personas un espacio abierto y libre para expresarse; indudablemente aquí parece existir  una fuerte necesidad de dar forma y configurar sentimientos y experiencias. Para tener éxito en el trabajo conjunto, necesitamos escucharnos nuestras historias, pero también necesitamos elevarlas a otro nivel, encausando la energía, los estados de ánimo y las voces en un coro armonioso. Logrando una coreografía con los grillos o las pulgas, por retomar la imagen, creando de algún modo una pieza de arte cohesiva, por ejemplo, que represente la visión colectiva. Con los postes intentamos encontrar ritmo, simplicidad y un patrón repetitivo que pueda servir a este propósito – un lenguaje común de color, formas y líneas que exprese emociones y experiencias diversas.

Cuando esto no sucede, cuando no se logra la belleza que podríamos haber imaginado, resulta fácil desalentarse. Sin duda esta ha sido la experiencia de Barefoot Artists en muchos de nuestros esfuerzos. Comprendemos que existen formas artísticas poderosas que son provocativas y que confrontan los sistemas existentes, apoyándose por lo general en voces fuertes, e individualistas. El objetivo de Barefoot Artists, sin embargo, es crear una expresión cohesiva que incluya las voces individuales de todos los participantes.

La intención de Bohemian Crossings es ofrecer un espacio abierto en donde cada persona a través de las artes y la creatividad, pueda descubrir el potencial y la belleza que lleva dentro. Su esperanza es  que la energía y la alegría desarrolladas a lo largo del proceso puedan ayudar a transformar el estado de ánimo y la inercia de la ciudad. Trabajar con este grupo de individuos talentosos, valientes, y abiertos nos brinda una oportunidad increíble para explorar la poderosa danza entre lo individual y lo colectivo. Es una oportunidad para hacer más preguntas, comprender mejor el proceso y aprender juntos de qué modo dar el siguiente paso.

Gorlitz, Germany Update 1

Spanish Version Available A colleague noted that the Barefoot Artists generally create projects only in places of extreme poverty, even though there is suffering and brokenness in comparatively rich communities.  Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in the world...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 2

Spanish Version Available  Danielle Hoefler, an artist and advocate, came to Gorlitz six years ago and is the main organizing force behind Bohemian Crossings.  She is a strong, passionate and compassionate presence who believes that the depression weighing down some...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 3

Spanish Version Available Working with Youth This week, Bohemian Crossings summer camp has welcomed youth groups to the site to create story poles.  We have been delighted to meet little ones from a day care, a group from the refugee community, elementary classes from...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 4

Spanish Version Available Let It Be We are at the end of our stay in Gorlitz and are inspired knowing that the artists here will take this experience and encourage it to grow and blossom as it will.  Lily felt this on our first workshop day, noting that “the artists...

read more
Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 1 Gorlitz, Alemania Novedades 1

Anja copyUn colega señaló que Barefoot Artists por lo general realiza proyectos únicamente en lugares de extrema pobreza, aunque hay sufrimiento y piezas rotas en comunidades comparativamente ricas. Alemania es uno de los países más ricos del mundo y Gorlitz es una hermosa ciudad medieval con un casco antiguo intacto; sin embargo, hay heridas aquí que son profundas. Tal vez esa es la razón por la que Gorlitz atrae a artistas de todo el mundo, llamados por el potencial en gestación que yace en la oscuridad, la vitalidad y la esperanza que se sostienen entre escombros y deterioro. La pregunta que asoma parece ser: “¿cómo respondemos a ese desplegarse del alma individual que quiere reconectarse con el alma de Gorlitz?”

Anja, una artista local, lo expresa de este modo: “Gorlitz tiene un alma grande. Esta alma toca tu propia alma, en cada momento, en cada movimiento, ve tu corazón. Hay tantas personas aquí deprimidas y que no están en contacto con su propia alma; no aprendemos a entrar en contacto con nuestra alma. Luchamos contra nuestra alma y esto hace que nos volvamos carentes. Si podemos ver nuestra alma, podemos florecer y enamorarnos de nosotros mismos y encontrar la paz. Eso es lo que me dice Gorlitz.”

El equipo de Barefoot Artists está compartiendo la metodología de crear postes de historias con la gente. En este proceso, primero establecemos un entorno acogedor para que emerjan las historias personales de los participantes. Buscamos que las historias se desenvuelvan en narrativas simples que después se expresan en imágenes visuales. Basándose en las expresiones individuales, los integrantes del equipo trabajan juntos para encontrar un lenguaje común que abarque nuestras emociones e inspiraciones. Este lenguaje común brinda el cimiento para una instalación artística pública, que se enraíza tanto en las experiencias personales como en la memoria colectiva de Gorlitz.

El proyecto de Gorlitz se lleva a cabo en una antigua fábrica que ahora alberga a una ONG y también a talleres de varios artesanos. Varios edificios de ladrillos evidencian distintos grados de deterioro. Plantas de tomates crecen en una huerta diseñada por grupos de jóvenes sobre una montaña de escombros. Bohemian Crossings realizará un campamento de verano esta semana en donde grupos de escolares crearán postes de historias para sumar a los postes del equipo. Aspiramos a que, al trabajar juntos, podamos crear algo bello que transforme este lugar y genere un efecto contagioso trayendo esperanza y alegría a Gorlitz.

Gorlitz, Germany Update 1

Spanish Version Available A colleague noted that the Barefoot Artists generally create projects only in places of extreme poverty, even though there is suffering and brokenness in comparatively rich communities.  Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in the world...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 2

Spanish Version Available  Danielle Hoefler, an artist and advocate, came to Gorlitz six years ago and is the main organizing force behind Bohemian Crossings.  She is a strong, passionate and compassionate presence who believes that the depression weighing down some...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 3

Spanish Version Available Working with Youth This week, Bohemian Crossings summer camp has welcomed youth groups to the site to create story poles.  We have been delighted to meet little ones from a day care, a group from the refugee community, elementary classes from...

read more

Gorlitz, Germany Update 4

Spanish Version Available Let It Be We are at the end of our stay in Gorlitz and are inspired knowing that the artists here will take this experience and encourage it to grow and blossom as it will.  Lily felt this on our first workshop day, noting that “the artists...

read more
Q&A with Lily Yeh #10

As a popular keynote speaker at various events throughout the nation, what do you hope to inspire in your audience?

Barefoot Artists

I believe that we all have the inborn gifts of creativity and imagination. When we manifest that inborn talent, it lights up like a torch. My role as an artist is not only to nurture and manifest my own creativity but more to inspire and light up the dormant pilot light in other people. So we can shine together to dispel the darkness of greed, selfishness, ignorance, and pride that is spreading darkness and falsehood in our world

 

I share my experience through presentations to show that each person’s action does matter and we all can make a difference in the world. I hope to inspire and move people to action. There lies our hope for the future.

-Lily Yeh

Q&A with Lily Yeh #9

How has your life or creative process been impacted by the personal stories of those with whom you work and the communities you have served?

(from Lily’s Tedtalk) Some of the experiences are so profound that they changed the course of my life.

Barefoot Artists

In May 1989, I exhibited my work at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. I had the privilege to witness the student-led democracy movement unfolding at Tiananmen Square in 1989. The heart of this momentous event was the hunger strikers. They were university students who decided to put their lives on the line to have their voices heard. They wanted democracy for China.  Many had written their last wills.

 

I was struck by the power of the hunger strikers. Their simple actions of sitting and refusing food set the whole nation on fire. . .

 

I realized that the power of these students came from their utter dedication in what they believe in through action. I realized that if I want my life count, being an artist is not just about making art. It is a way of life. It is about delivering the vision one is given and about doing the right thing without sparing oneself.

 

I was transformed by my experience at the Village of Arts and Humanities. I went through another transformative experience in a hell-hole place called Korogocho. I visited it for the first time in 1994. I returned ten times in the following years.

 

Korogocho is a huge garbage dump situated on the outskirts of Nairobi. 150,000 people live there. Thousands try to eke out a living from the garbage dump in the center of the settlement.  People experience violence on so many levels –filth, the lack of clean water, air, opportunities, and the ravaging hunger. It is the violence of poverty and deprivation. With deep sadness, we are seeing that massive population live in similar dangerous situations in our turbulent world today.

 

“What was one to do in face of such devastation? For an artist, bring colors.

 

Following the steps of Christ, Father Alex Zanotelli not only helps the poor; he lives with the poor. His church, St. John’s Catholic Church, is located on the edge of the huge garbage dump. It is a place where hundreds of children and adults find comfort and refuge. That became our project site.

 

No one could have imagined that beauty could exist in such a place, including me. But as our brightly colored images emerged, the mood in the community began to change. When we dared to place the freshly carved angels on top of an abandoned quarry structure, to guard and bless this endangered community, the spirit of the people soared.

 

Creating art in forlorn and forsaken places is like making fire in the frozen darkness of a winter’s night. It brings light, warmth, hope and it beckons people to join in.

 

Word spread. People heard that an artist from America was working with residents in the dumpsite community in Korogocho. At the dedication, over a thousand people attended. Our honored guests included members from various embassies, the Kenyan government, representatives from private foundations, and universities. Most of them had never set foot in this pain-inflicted community. To our surprise, American Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal appeared in person to honor the occasion.

 

On that day, I felt the immense power of art. Through our collaborative action in creating beauty, we empowered ourselves to push open the weighty hell gate of the vast slum so that fresh air and sunlight poured in. Father Alex commented, “It is important that we bear witness in places like Korogocho. It helps people to feel that they are not forgotten and they do not suffer in isolation.”

 

I visited Rwanda in 2004 and saw the mass grave in Rugerero in the Rubavu district. The grave was made of rough concrete under a rusty corrugated metal roof, undecorated and unmarked.

 

“I asked myself, “How could people heal when their loved ones were buried in such a place?”  A survivor told me,” Every time I passed there my heart broke. It was like killing us twice.”

 

I wanted to bring the concept of beauty into the design of the memorial.

 

Survivors asked me to construct a bone chamber so that their loved ones could be buried properly. The idea frightened me. The bones are intimately connected to the national psyche of terror and profound sorrow. But together, we managed. When the chamber became too moist for the bones, we tiled the whole surface of the monument to keep it dry. Low tech, but highly effective.

 

How appropriate that it was the making of the mosaics that helped us to solve the problem! In this grief-stricken community, through working together with the broken tiles, piece-by-piece, people began to transform their suffering and despair into hope and joy.

 

On April 7, 2009, the day of the national mourning, thousands of people walked for miles in a somber procession to the genocide memorial. Folks lined up to enter the bone chamber. I was startled to see that they not only paid tribute to the victims, but some had to open the caskets to look at the bleached bones. Fifteen years later, it was still too much to bear. But somehow through the piercing pains and howls, healing began.

 

Survivors said to us, “When we see beauty we see hope. Our loved ones can come home now in honor and dignity.”

 

“Art and beauty heal.”

-Lily Yeh

Q&A with Lily Yeh #8

How have either approaches to or expectations of creative placemaking changed over the past several decades?

Barefoot Artists

When I first started my work in inner city North Philadelphia 30 years ago, the word “community” was not so much in the awareness of the mainstream, be it in the arts, academic, governmental, or social groups.  When discussing designs for public spaces, people often think of places well managed or in development. People rarely think of poor neighborhoods deserving beauty and art.

 

Then in 1970s, the conceptual artist and activist Joseph Beuys invented the term “social sculpture,” which is based on the idea that “that every aspect of life could be approached creatively and, as a result, everyone has the potential to be an artist.” (Wikipedia) His new approach to art and society has impacted a whole generation of artists.  Many began to bring or create art in disenfranchised neighborhoods not frequented by art.

 

I have to say that my impulse of entering into an inner-city neighborhood and then stayed there for 18 years to create art with the people was not influenced by Joseph Beuys. It is a personal quest and came from my own culture and tradition, far away from the mainstream American art. There, in places on the fringe of mainstream society, I stay and continue to work today. Through our work that comes from our heart and through the process that honors all participants, we transform the fringe into our center. It is from that center I work wherever I go in the world.

 

When I was 15, Father took me to a teacher and I started learning traditional landscape painting. It became the love of my life. For seven years, from high school through college, I dedicated myself to the study of this tradition. It defined my identity and anchored my development as an artist.

 

Through studying Chinese landscape painting I came in contact with a special place, which the Chinese describe as the “dustless” world. “Dust” here refers to not the physical but the mental pollution of ignorance, greed, and ego hood that contaminate our mind and world. This dustless place is serene but dynamic, translucent in its rich spectrum of colors, and full in its emptiness. It is a place of trees, rivers, people, mountains and mist, and yet through them, it reveals a place of pristine beauty and mystery. This place has become my spiritual home.

 

I think my continued effort to transform abandoned spaces into art parks has to do with my longing to recreate this “dustless place.” The forgotten places allow one the freedom to explore and invent new art forms to achieve that goal.

 

It is amazing to see that “creative placemaking” has become a hot subject in the world of culture and art today. I think also in the fields of politics and economic development. Many universities and colleges contain “community-based art” course in which students can study and do hands-on projects.

 

I do believe that art is the most accessible and effective tool to transform society. Every person is born with the innate gift of creativity and imagination. When empowered, we all can rise and shine with our talent and capability. When this awakened collective energy is guided by kindness and compassion, it will lead us to build a more just and sustainable world.

-Lily Yeh

Q&A with Lily Yeh #7

What words of advice do you offer to artists or organizations who are interested in expanding the reach of their work to communities in need?

Barefoot Artists

Communities in need have much to teach us. There is plenty of talent and capability in the so-called communities in need. If we can approach the people there in humility, we would have more success in gaining people’s trust and discovering the hidden treasures in the community in physical, emotional, and spiritual situation. That has been my experience.

 

Do projects with people in the community that empower them, honor their own talent and sensitivity, bring beauty and joy. This will lead to success.

-Lily Yeh

Q&A with Lily Yeh #6

With more than 30 years of experience in leveraging the transformative power of the arts, what do you feel are effective methods for identifying the needs of a community and building trust within that community?

Barefoot Artists

I don’t usually go into a neighborhood to address the needs of a community. For me, examining a neighborhood through its deficits is like putting the wrong foot forward in entering the community there.

 

I entered and worked in inner city North Philadelphia because I was invited. Sensing the unusual and potent opportunity to do something positive and innovative compelled me to continue. When the work honors people’s sensitivity and memory, welcomes people’s participation, and helps manifest their talent and ability, the people in the community will embrace it. When people see that their effort turned abandonment into form and beauty, people feel empowered and proud. When the process is open, inclusive, nurturing, and joyful, people begin to open their hearts. That is how we gain people’s trust.

 

We also gain the trust from the community by listening to them, working with them, creating opportunity that will improve their lives, helping the residents to express themselves so that their voices are heeded to. In the process of working together, we set up our programs to best address and tend to the many needs from the community. In many ways, the needs from the community shape our programs and give them purpose and meaning.

-Lily Yeh

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