8 June 2009
NO 1446
Hope
Life in Manhattan's Harlem is punctuated by heartbreaking episodes. Back in 1981, The Children's Atelier (meaning "studio" or "workshop") taught art classes for six- and seven-year-olds in an East Harlem afterschool center. One youngster in our art classes left a particularly vivid impression because of his temperament: explosively angry, uncommunicative, unable to cooperate with students or adults – a "powderkeg." Some years later, as a repressed and hostile teenager, the time-bomb ignited, and this individual participated in the infamous rape of the "Central Park Jogger" that so shocked the nation. Years of unexpressed rage exploded that night in horrible violence. For this young man, life had little value or meaning.
Could I have done more for him seven years earlier? Probably not. The art classes were grass-roots efforts when they began, without funding, unconnected to any sort of psychological counseling programs. Rather, they focused on self-esteem and multiculturalism, based on the notion that young people could substantially impact the process of social development through their creative self-expression. Consequently, if the youngest generation could actually see resulting changes from their efforts "out in the world," they would experience a profound and lasting transformation.
But, like many good urban youth programs, it was far too small and limited at the time to achieve its vision's objective. In the fifteen years that followed, however, I was able to help create a larger voice for children and youth, a truly powerful expression of the value and meaning of young people in late twentieth-century America. In this expanded vision, educators, psychologists, and other professionals have utilized the creative expression of youth in the profound service of developing healthier human beings. Coordinated interdisciplinary efforts across the country have helped to guide troubled young people toward healthier futures.
The Gorgeous Mosaic Project –
searching for meaning
The realization of this vision began with the birth of the Gorgeous
Mosaic Project, a national effort designed to connect and focus the
creative energy of America's children and youth by providing a
structured framework for its expression. In providing this framework, we
chose the most basic tools – ordinary lead pencils and colored
markers – found in nearly every classroom, home, and community center.
Millions of young people have used these tools to draw and paint 2-inch
square colored portraits depicting their own faces and those of friends,
families, and youngsters from far-flung places. These "tiles" have then
been mounted side by side with dozens, sometimes hundreds of others, to
create Gorgeous Mosaics, many of which are now mounted on the walls of
museums, hospitals, schools, public buildings, community centers, and
other locations. This project addresses the healthy and natural human
drive for personal "meaning" to justify our existence. Children and
youth, while often lacking words to articulate such a drive, can begin
to move in this direction through their pictures. For the young, image
making is the most powerful and tangible act of attaching reality to
feelings, emotions, and thoughts. Indeed, these pictorial symbols,
marks, color combinations, and shapes depict "maps" of youthful psyches.
To highly experienced professionals, they reveal the inner core of
being.
To children, they are just plain fun to make. And teenagers, once engaged in these appealing creative activities, find it "cool" enough to stay involved. Indeed, youngsters labeled as "ADD," even "ADHD," can continue to focus on the process unfolding at their fingertips within each 2-inch square universe. In fact, Gorgeous Mosaic programs have been successfully implemented, at appropriate levels, with young people challenged by mental retardation, autism, and learning disabilities, as well as a variety of psychologically based conditions.
The light of hope
What is hope? How can we make it real and palpable to millions of
youngsters? One key lies in the creation of a belief system that
supports a vision of a better future. Like minds of any age, and any
level of sophistication, those of our youngest generation need evidence
of their own potential. To reach them, we must reveal to young people
the very power and freedom that they hold in their hands, hearts, and
minds. By letting them express who they are on their own terms,
providing a structure within which they can work productively with
adults and peers, and showing them that they are part of a larger
endeavor, involving thousands of young people, The Gorgeous Mosaic
process can begin to tap into the spirit of hope by connecting with one
of the most powerful forces in the world – the creative energy of youth.
CHARLES GROSSMAN
Grossman, S. (1996). Using creativity to tap the
spirit of hope. Reaching Today's Youth, 1, 1. p. 39.
