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Home >> Events >> Newsletter Archive >> Vista del Mar Take heART Article

Take heART

Hilary Sloane has led an exciting life for the past thirty years, working all over the world as a talented visual artist, photographer, wardrobe stylist and a make-up artist. Yet she didn’t need to travel the globe in order to have some thrills. For the past ten months, she's enjoyed an extraordinary adventure right in her own neighborhood.

Hilary joined Create Now! as a mentor and we referred her to Vista Del Mar Child & Family Services. This large facility in West Los Angeles is both home and school to around 100 children who suffer the emotional, physical, psychological and social consequences of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Their Volunteer Coordinator Linda Karchem worked with our organization to set up an after-school Take heART workshop starting in April 2006, with eight teenage girls that live in one cottage.

Hilary worked with Create Now! staff to develop the curriculum for her eight-week class, for which we provided arts supplies. The syllabus included an introduction to art using various formats, which gave the girls an overview of different art mediums, to identify one they might feel a personal connection with. Techniques included basic drawing, photography, and creating self-portraits with a variety of materials.

Hilary remarks. “I know and trust that I’m touching them deeply, because I feel the connection to them during the class and that is the gift of this.”

The self-portrait exercise proved to be not only educational, but also a window for these girls to see themselves more deeply, and to come to grips with the many challenges they’ve had to face in their young lives.

The students in Hilary’s group loved her workshop so much that the class was extended to 10 weeks. Other girls at the facility begged to join and a waiting list developed for the next one. Joanie Langa, Rehabilitation Specialist at Vista Del Mar said, “The girls that come to Hilary’s art class seem calmer than the other girls. They look forward to it and they behave very well in the group. Volunteers are usually hard to come by because these kids are different, but I see positive changes in behavior and attitudes after her classes. Students are learning from Hilary, since she models good behavior. And I’m personally learning from her, as well.”

As a reward for their participation, Create Now! purchased tickets for Hilary and the girls to attend the powerful exhibit “Ashes and Snow” in Santa Monica. For many of these girls, this was their first time at an art exhibit of any kind. The experience gave the young women an additional lesson in the power of photography, and how lighting and position can change an image.

Create Now! ended Hilary’s Take heART workshop with a Wrap Party, which included pizza (a special treat). Hilary also gave each girl a beautiful rendition of a known work of art, to inspire them to continue to pursue art as a positive outlet for their feelings and emotions.

In addition, Create Now! put together gift bags for the girls, filled with CDs of their favorite music, candy, colorful markers and a Certificate of Accomplishment. For many of these young women, the certificate was very meaningful, as they had accomplished what they set out to do.

Currently, 10 girls are participating in Create Now!’s Take heART workshop. Based on the girls’ feedback, some improvements were made in content. A class on composition was added, which also taught the young women how to make their own personal Art Books. These incorporated collages, stamping, painting and storytelling.

For Halloween, Hilary taught them special effects and character make-up. This class was very popular. As a result, she taught them how to apply make-up for film and TV production and several of the girls are interested in this as a career path. She also did a workshop on temporary Henna tattoos, which delighted the participants.

“I’ve been here since Hilary has been at Vista Del Mar,” shares Ashley. “It's so fun, all the stuff that she has done with us. I love coming to her group when I have a bad day. I always have fun and it brightens up my day.” 

The impact of Create Now!’s Take heART workshop can be profound. Cindy Herceg, Rehab Coordinator at Vista Del Mar, tells us, “Ever since the implementation of this art class, the residents have shown improvements in the areas of behavior, willingness to learn new skills, mood elevation, controlled impulses, and attention span as well. We cannot emphasize enough how important and pertinent these changes have been in their behaviors, which has been a direct result of participation in this art program.”

Hilary says,  “Sometimes, the change is subtle. When a new girl first arrived, she wouldn't respond at all. Last week, she actually moved her chair close to me and watched as I drew a portrait. Another reticent girl finally consented to let me apply make-up on her. I know that it was much more about trust than about my abilities as a make-up artist.”

Hilary was so excited about her experience mentoring at Vista Del Mar that she shared it with her friends. One of them, Judy Lawne, a talented photographer, observed a workshop in action. Judy remarked, “One girl in Hilary's class looked like the prettiest calm, smiling girl you could meet. She was wearing a cast on her right arm. It turns out that she’d put her arm into the wall in a burst of anger and tore her ligaments. A couple of the girls came in feeling very "down.” Within 15 minutes, they got into Hilary's card-making project and vibes were up, positive and creative.”

Cindy Herceg remarks, “During Hilary’s classes, each child seems to control their impulses and there has been documentation noted as of late of less instances of foul language through the duration of the group. The girls are learning proper and appropriate social cues. One resident in particular stated that she has really learned patience and is learning tolerance in dealing with others in this group setting.”

The girls will be taught how to make their own fashionable T-shirts later this month. And Create Now! has invited the group to participate in an exciting new project where they’ll get to design the fabric for custom-made handbags through Freddy & Ma, an online company that allows people to design their own bags.
Create Now! will receive 30% of the proceeds of each purchase on a Create Now! designed bag, which will be shared with the young artist and also Vista Del Mar.

We hope that you’ll support the Handbag Project in 2007 and buy
designs created by the talented youth in our Take heART workshop.

Create Now! programs benefit the mentors as much as the youth. Hilary says, “What a gift this is to be there, to have a relationship, no matter how short, with these incredible young spirits. They touch my heart deeply.”  Hilary is impacting these girls just as profoundly, in ways that we can’t measure. These young women will be reminded of the effect whenever they see the arts projects that they’ve created in her workshop. 

Thanks Hilary, for taking your heART and giving it to youth who need it most.

We’d also like to thank our sponsors who have supported the Create Now! Take heART program: