ARTS CAN DO ARTS CAN DO SOCIAL CHANGE FOR CHILDREN THROUGH THE ARTS IN CHINA 23.11.2013 Yashian Schauble Founder and Director of the Australia China Art Foundation (ACAF) Kindness is a golden chain by which society is bond together - Goethe ARTS CAN DO A WORD FROM OUR DIRECTOR I was born and educated in Shanghai, and like many reflection of a shared human concern for children that young people at the time, later took the opportunity our community shares. to study abroad. The Chinese miracle has enabled me to achieve independence, empowered me to peruse my In Australia we have received great support from the love of art. It has also brought me to Arts Can Do. local Chinese community and this support grows all the time. China’s economic progress has lifted more people out of poverty than any other event in history, giving tens I have been overwhelmed by support from artists in of millions a life that the last generation could not have China, Hong Kong, Australia and elsewhere. They have imagined. touched my heart and soul by giving up their time to work with children and donating works to be sold to Inevitably, there are some who miss out on these benefit the Arts Can Do program, furthering the cause opportunities. One such group is the children of migrant of this endeavor. workers. In remote villages in China, I have met children of a generation who seldom see their parents. These A great big Thank You to all of them. I hope you will children are raised by elderly relatives, and as a result find it in your heart to join with the artists in supporting often suffer from isolation and emotional deprivation the children and purchase a work of art tonight in aid that affects their mental development, social skills and of Arts Can Do. education. These children are the forgotten casualties of the industrialization of China. Sincerely Bringing artists to work with these children has proven to help unlock their minds. As an art collector, I appreciate the profound insights that art can give and am delighted to have been able to establish ACAF, initiating charitable projects which actively bring the benefits of art at therapy to disadvantaged children. The first Arts Can Do Centre in Xucun Village last Yashian Schauble, Founder and Director of the Australia summer was an outstanding success. Later this year we China Art Foundation (ACAF) will open a permanent centre in Shanghai to work with children of migrant workers. This will also serve as a training centre for our volunteers and a base for artists and art therapists. We greatly appreciate the support of our corporate sponsors who have contributed so generously to our work and to this event. Although many represent a lifestyle far removed from that of the children of my great working, their support for our cause is a wonderful 1 2 ABOUT ACAF The Australia China Art Foundation (ACAF) was established to promote cross-cultural understanding, generate a vital network of creative exchange and build a reciprocal awareness of each countries cultures and values. We undertake art exchange projects between Australia and China, but also bring artists from all over the world to realise our programs in China. Our work is primarily education-focused – it is about demonstrating the value of art within communities, and to new audiences. Yashian We have a small team of dedicated professionals from different cultural backgrounds who work from our bases Schauble in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, Beijing and Shanghai to evaluate, enrich and expand our programs. ACAF was founded by Yashian Schauble, a Shanghai born, Melbourne educated Australian-Chinese business woman who divides her time between China and Australia, and has traveled the world extensively. ACAF is a not-for-profit organisation registered in Australia. 3 Sophia McKinnon Education Program Manager of the Australia China Art Foundation Sophia McKinnon brings her years of experience with art Sophia McKinnon and education in China to the development of the Arts Can Do project in Xucun. She will also work on the exten- sion of this model to other centres in both villages and industrialised cities. Although born in New Zealand, Sophia grew up in Beijing where her father was a diplomat. Following schooling in Beijing, New York and Wellington. Sophia studied Art and Anthropology at St Andrews University in Scotland before going to work with Beijing’s pioneering Red Gate Gallery and more recently the Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art (UCCA). ACAF Sophia’s passion for contemporary art and her experience in the art world in China and in the West is a great asset for both ACAF and our supporters in building understanding across our cultures. [email protected] Sophia can be reached on [email protected] 4 ARTS CAN DO ACAF has launched a pioneering art education program in China, called ARTS CAN DO. It brings artists on sponsored fellowships to work with the children of migrant workers in isolated villages and in cities. Disadvantaged children are taught and encouraged to reach their full potential by developing life skills and confidence through the making of art. This is especially meaningful in a system which,in the poorer areas, often does not provide art education in the school curriculum. Children of migrant workers lack properly resourced education and sufficient care. They often become shy, lacking motivation and confidence. This results in learning difficulties, and a discrepancy can occur between their age and level of emotional maturity. Commonly these children feel angry, out of control or insecure and withdrawn. Arts can awaken the senses and make the child more aware of their surrounding environment. Isolated children do not receive that close interaction children normally share with their parents. While art may not be a substitute for familial closeness, it can give a child the joy of considering their own perspective and seeing that materialise as a unique response worthy of attention. While at the simplest level this improves hand-eye coordination, this also teaches how to physically interact with the outside world. Through making art children express themselves and at the same time see that they can make work that others can share. Through artistic expression, their voice is nurtured and heard. ——“ 5 ARTS CAN DO: Our Centres 6 Our first Arts Can Do centre opened in Xucun, Heshun Arts Can Do centres throughout China. Our next program county, Shanxi, during the summer. Xucun lies in a basin begins at the end of November in Shanghai, in collabo- in the highest area of the East Taihang Mountain, a re- ration with the Jiuqian School. Jiuqian offers free week- gion of high mountains and perilous roads. Xucun has an day and weekend classes for migrant children throughout elementary boarding school, located 30 kilomereers from Shanghai, fostering a sense of community and bolstering the nearest town, with 99 students in total. Their fam- their access to resources and teaching. Our Arts Can Do ily incomes are desperately low, depending largely on a centres will run through the two campuses on Jiuquan, small farm plot to survive. To provide children with better in Pudong and Puxi. We aim to familiarise the children material resources, the young and able peasants must with a broad spectrum of artistic fields – in addition to leave their village to work in the cities. In this region more visual art, we will also provide introductions to dance, than 60% children are left at home in the care of their music, performance, theater and design through lead- grandparents and may see their parents only once a year. ing practitioners throughout the year.throughout the year. Our centre opened in July, with support from the Xucun Art For the artists, the opportunity is immense and completely Commune and Xucun Primary School, and over 100 chil- unique. It not only provides a new environment for them dren from the surrounding area came to attend classes to work in and respond to, but allows them access and led by leading Sydney painters Sophie Cape and Luke introductions to a side of China seldom so closely ex- Sciberras, and top Melbourne photographer Josh Roben- perienced. 2013 artist fellow Sophie Cape commented, stone. Through free-from lessons, children were given “As an artist I couldn’t have asked for a more powerful an introduction to basic art techniques and observa- and rewarding experience. To be completely integrated tional skills, worked together on collaborative projects, into the lives and homes of a beautiful ancient rural vil- exposed to different practices, and encouraged to fill lage in China was the ultimate source of education and their notebooks with what interested them most. The inspiration…our main goal as artists and teachers was outcome was astounding – and one child, Huang Xin, to inspire imagination, creativity and individuality. I hope is the recipient of a scholarship which will sponsor his that if these kids never draw again, it will influence the travel to Beijing to visit museums and meet with art- way they see themselves in this world, what is possible”. ists. Due to the success and efforts of the artist fel- lows, we have been invited back to continue the Arts Can Do centre there as an annual summer school. This for us, is just the beginning. We hope to open 7 Sophie Cape Luke Sciber- ras Josh Robenstone Sophie Cape 8 SUPPORTING ACAF AND ARTS CAN DO Tonight, we hope you are able to glimpse the value in what has taken place already, and will join in supporting us as we move forward.