Later this month, the end of May will not only usher in the summer season, but also the beginning of a new educational art endeavor brought to fruition with help from Samantha Robison, founder and director of aptART. One Blue Sky is a new project by Laura Rodgers, Director of The Good Works Foundation. The venture is founded and funded by the foundation, which “supports and promotes teaching kindness, caring and empathy to young children through books, games, media, group projects and activities that bridge global communities.” The U.S. portion of the event will take place in the historic mill town of Biddeford, Maine, with fourth and fifth grade students under the direction of art teacher Kate Gerwig. The second component will take place at The International School of Choueifat in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, with fifth grade students under the direction of Samantha Robsion.
One Blue Sky is a new, educational street art intervention “that aims to instill within children a shared humanity. The project will bring together children from different cultures and backgrounds on opposite sides of the world, to share in an artistic experience.” A press statement explains that “harnessing the power of technology, the two groups of children will work together to develop a pen pal like relationship and discuss their ideas about friendship and kindness. They will then work collectively to design a two-part mural concept, with one section painted in each of two communities.” The international endeavor seeks to reap multi-faceted benefits. “The focus is to show the positive commonalities that both groups share, simply because they are children. This communication expands the children’s ability to empathize.” This ultimately instills “a sense of empathy in children, prevents bullying, curbs aggressive and violent behavior and increases students’ overall academic success.”
A local non-profit organization named Engine will work to host the event in Biddeford, which perfectly complements their mission to “connect and inspire [their] community through art, design, and education.” Under the leadership of their Director, Tammy Ackerman, Rodgers stated that Engine “is responsible for all of our local needs. from organizing the across the world classroom conversation to finding the wall to paint.” Ackerman stated, “the power of art to create understanding and empathy cannot be underestimated. I am so pleased to be working with a professional group of people who are willing to give of their time for such a worthwhile effort.” In Sulaymaniyah, students will work alongside aptART, a nonprofit organization that has created meaningful and educational art installations for the youth in countries crippled by war and poverty such as such as Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Turkey, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique.
Michigan-based muralist Pat Perry is donating his time and talent to complete the mural, which is “intended to be a longstanding feature in the community.” Based on the results of the children’s discussions, Perry will “interpret [their] designs and create an image that the communities will proud of.” The artist has worked with Robison in the past to create amazing murals like City of Poets in the Iraqi town where One Blue Sky is actually taking place. Reporting on City of Poets in June 2018, Sami Wakim wrote that Perry “bases his work and illustrations on subtle details that reveal everyday encounters one might pass by and not think twice about. He brilliantly portrays unique and confusingly accurate observations to the surrounding world. As a prolific creator, many of his pictorials are inspired by his love for travel, experiencing new cultures and what he’s encountered along the way. A vital part of his process is the dedication to draw and paint on a daily basis. Which as an adventurer, he continues to cultivate spectacular imagery with his keen perspective.”
Rodgers attributes a great deal of the project’s anticipated success to the passionate team that has enthusiastically jumped on board. She wrote,”everyone has been exceptionally supportive and generous. It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life working with these talented and generous forces in life to make this all come together. Nobody on this project is getting paid. It’s all volunteer including myself.”
One Blue Sky’s incredible potential proves its strongest draw in attracting such a competent team. By focusing on children themselves, the project has the opportunity to help eradicate prejudice and division in the emerging generation of leaders. Rodgers herself stated, “I am a Jewish grandmother and I have a Muslim grand-daughter whom I adore. I found that I had misperceptions about faith and culture that were changed by this very personal experience. The One Blue Sky project grew from my desire to help create that kind of bond on a global scale. Helping children across the globe connect and recognize what they have in common, opens hearts and encourages understanding.” In their attempts to achieve this aim, the staff holds the collective “hope to squash preconceived cultural ideas and create friendships for children based on commonalities,” elaborating that, “it’s easy to be emphatic and kind to someone just like you but you have to be taught to be emphatic to those with very different lives.”
The large-scale wonder of mural art possesses the power to help us overcome this ideological impasse, by communicating that despite our differences, we share the same core desires, fears, and dreams. Rodgers touches upon this profound notion, ultimately stating that One Blue Sky will remind its young participants and viewers of all ages that “while there are many things that make people different, there are far greater things that make human beings the same. Regardless of where a person comes from, everyone laughs, cries, imagines, and hopes. The collaborative artwork will foster unlikely friendships and represents the connection between two groups of children who may have markedly different life experiences, but ultimately live under One Blue Sky.”
Please visit the Good Works Foundation or email Laura Rodgers for more information.
