*HealingThroughArtForUkraine

Gathering people around a table to create art, having a cup of tea together, and sharing stories with each other is a reminder that people are people.

 

These are wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Often during trauma, the victimization portrait is the only portrait we are able to see and seeing the necessary humanization of the individual is often overlooked. How do we begin to offer healing if we only view the individual as a victim?

 

I believe in helping people feel dignity again, I believe in building community and I believe in the power of a paintbrush stroke to bring people together and to remind them and ourselves to paint a new portrait for individuals that are displaced due to conflict, crisis or climate. 

 

I want to help people find their imaginations again, even during trauma. I want people to remember how beautiful imagination is as a daily practice, creating a ripple effect of hope that is undeniably powerful.

 

IMAGINE.CREATE.HEAL.

 

Suzanne is an American artist and founder of Artist Giving Back. She created and funded AGB in response to the ongoing Ukrainian refugee crisis. Suzanne travels from her home in Colorado to Krakow multiple times a year to run her program. The first launch of this program in Krakow was May 22nd just weeks after its inception by Suzanne. A July trip followed and now another trip in October which will incorporate an art show of the refugees work that that was created with Suzanne.

Her program goes beyond emergency needs such as food, clothing and shelter as those are currently being provided by her partners at JCC Krakow.

Artist Giving Back is meeting the secondary needs by returning dignity and building community through the process of creating art.

Art is an international language, like love or music. It's is a language that everyone speaks.

 

Donations are appreciated to help purchase and provide art supplies to this population and to assist in the future of keeping this program running.

 

For more information, questions  or to donate please visit,   www.artisitsgivingback.org