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Home >> Programs >> Art at Maryvale

Art Unlocks Young Creative Minds

by Grace P. Chung

From the serene surrounding of Maryvale’s property, one would never have guessed it was home to children who are victims of abuse and wards of the court.  Aside from the iron-clad gates at the front entrance, it looked just like any ordinary private school.   So was my first impression as I arrived there that first Saturday morning in July 2007.

I was greeted with open arms by Anne, the Volunteer Coordinator at Maryvale, who in the coming weeks played the roles of mentor, colleague, friend and advisor on how to work with the five girls assigned to my group.

The girls’ ages ranged from 7 to 9 years old.  Each was ecstatic about art class and very inquisitive about their class schedules.  They greeted me every Saturday for the duration of my project with a big warm smile and “WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TODAY?”  Needless to say, I was inspired by their energy and curiosity to learn.

Meeting them for the first time was a nerve-wracking experience and somewhat intimidating.  I needed to find a way to spark their interest toward art and at the same time pay careful attention not to provoke any bad memories of experiences with the subject matter I was to teach.  I found this quite challenging due to the fact that although I had worked with girls in their age group, they all came from normal families and backgrounds.

The first day, the girls and I sat around the little round table introducing ourselves like the “knights of the round table.”  I told them a little about myself: “Grace Chung,” age “31,” a “Graphic Designer,” why I became a Graphic Designer and my passion for artistic expression.  They in turn told me their names, their ages, and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Our very first project was T-shirt making with fabric-friendly crayons.  The girls had a blast!  Each of them drew text and images dearest to their hearts.  For the eight weeks, I taught the girls many projects, such as the art of journal making (decorating journal covers by cutting snowflakes out of Mylar stickers), the paper art of origami, free-form clay molding and mask making with finger painting.  In return the girls taught me about their worlds, about the importance of identity, the importance of order, and the deformation affects of chaos.  For instance, all the materials they received in class had to be the same in form, color, quality, texture and order.  Anything out of the norm would be disorderly, chaotic to their world.

At the end of our eight-week project, there were special opportunities for these young ladies.  Create Now! gave them a party, complete with treats and gift bags.  They also arranged for the girls to attend Cirque du Soleil's performance of "Corteo" at the LA Forum.  The girls were elated, enchanted.  The looks on their faces were full of wonder and curiosity.  They told me before we went in the tent that they really loved my Art Class, but they were afraid of clowns.

As the show went on they asked me a lot of questions like... Who is "Shakespeare?" and Why did they have a hole in the center of the stage? and Why does the clown have to die? and Is he really dead? and Why is he dreaming?  They forgot all about their fear of clowns. 

They really loved the horses and the two little people.  The girls said "How cute. It's like watching Thumbelina (female performer) and Thumbelino (male performer).”

I feel for these girls.  I am impressed that they have come so far despite what they have been through.

My experience at Maryvale was astounding, fun and quite special  I thank Create Now! for this volunteer opportunity.  I was privileged to grow and learn alongside of this amazing group of girls.

 

ABOUT THE MENTOR

Grace is a creative Multi-Media Designer with 10 years of experience.  She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Otis College of Arts & Design.  She taught her eight-week “Introduction to Art” workshop at Maryvale in Rosemead, CA during July and August 2007.  Feedback received from both Maryvale and the girls was outstanding.  When the class came to a close, one child asked Grace to adopt her so they could live together.  Ynette said, “My favorite thing was origami. I got to make stuff that you never learned before.”  Create Now! will be setting up a second workshop for Grace at Maryvale next spring.  

Special thanks to American Apparel for donating the T-shirts for our Take heART! project and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission for their generous support.