Archive for the ‘32nd St. school project’ Category

Young at ART

by elyse / 02 23 09

In the spirit of the recent Academy Awards, I watched an intriguing documentary film this weekend about a four-year-old painter’s rise and fall in the art world.  Though not nominated for any award, My Kid Could Paint That, made me stop and think about how similar a child’s painting can be to a highly praised piece of art by an adult artist.

This is not the first time I’ve compared artwork by children to some of the celebrated art by famous abstract artists like Jackson Pollack or Jean Michel Basquiat.  As I spend time working with the student-artists at 32nd Street School, I am constantly elated by the imaginative drawings they create and am most impressed that the children’s work is genuine and heartfelt.  They are not classically trained artists corrupting their long-practiced styles in order to reveal something “true”.  Children make art for the joy of creating and expressing themselves, not to convey some premeditated concept.

I find it so interesting that so many artists spend their adult lives attempting to get back to the creativity and imagination that children effuse so easily.  I am continually inspired by the students I work with and feel so lucky to be a part of their arts experience.

I am including a slide show below of some of the incredible Elephant Heart drawings the students at 32nd Street School have created.  Hope you enjoy!


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Found In: 32nd St. school project, community, misc., photos

Art, Education, and the Freedom to Create without Purpose

by elyse / 11 14 08

I spent some time the other night catching up with my close friend, photograher Lucas Foglia. Lucas and I have a shared interest in using our art and creativity to benefit and bring awareness to the under served or unacknowledged members of our local communities.

As an undergraduate at Brown University, Lucas created an incredible collection of photographs documenting the relationships between the diverse members of a southside Providence neighborhood and the community garden that unites them.

Over the years, Lucas and I have had many great conversations and sometimes heated debates about how to approach and sustain our involvement in communities and how to focus our interest and creative output to enrich them.

Having been out of touch for several months, I told Lucas about the strides I have been making in my own business and specifically how I have found a way to use my jewelry and arts experience to engage with and support elementary students in my local community. I described the art supplies I am donating to 32nd Street School and the projects I am doing directly with the students.

He was excited to hear that I had finally found a way to incorporate my volunteerism and love of teaching with my passion for jewelry, but questioned the projects I was doing with the students. He asked me what exactly I was “teaching” the students and if I could be infusing them with specific lessons as we worked on creative projects. He sited an organization he had worked with called River of Words that goes into schools and using poetry and creative writing engages students as they learn about waterways and local ecology.

As much as I appreciate and see the great benefit of using artistic approaches to teach a curriculum, I also understand that students are often inundated with facts and lessons and that perhaps, sometimes children can learn and grow the most by just having the opportunity to express themselves with no further goal in mind.

In speaking with Lucas, I think I was able to further crystallize my intentions and goals for working with the students at 32nd Street School. My goal, as a volunteer and mentor, is to encourage the students to express themselves creatively, support their growing confidence in their abilities, and inspire them to be active and positive members in their community.


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Found In: 32nd St. school project, about the project, behind the scenes, community, evolution of the biz, misc.

A Special Message from 32nd Street

by elyse / 10 25 08

With Elephant Heart’s inaugural visit to 32nd Street School, I had the great pleasure of sharing the Elephant Heart project with Cindy Berger and her third grade class. We were honored to also have two additional guests in the classroom–LaVerne Brunt, 32nd Street School principal and Guadalupe Lopez, head of the school’s parent association.

These incredible and dedicated women took time out of their busy schedules to sit with the students and participate in our discussion about community partnership and the importance of giving back.

In the video below, these three women share their insights and excitement about Elephant Heart’s partnership with 32nd Street School.



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Found In: 32nd St. school project, about the project, behind the scenes, community, misc., videos, words from the school

First Delivery to 32nd Street School

by elyse / 10 21 08

Elephant Heart started off the school year with a big delivery of much needed art supplies to 32nd Street School.

Ms. Berger’s 3rd grade class graciously hosted us and accepted the supplies we donated on behalf of the entire elementary school.

I met with Mrs. Brunt, the school principal, spoke with the students about the Elephant Heart project and my commitment to enriching their arts education, and watched, together with the students and faculty, the two videos we made during my first visit to the school last Spring.

Take a peek at the video below to find out more.



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Found In: 32nd St. school project, about the project, about the school, misc., videos
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