Art surrounds and encompasses our spirits. Where there is darkness, beauty, doubt, mystery or a mix of each, humans create art.
On many occasions, art helps people who have seen trauma and misfortune in the healing process. It allows them a target for their energies, a channel to funnel their emotions and the promise of beauty from dedication. Art is a coping mechanism, a communication tool and a therapeutic endeavor worth its weight in gold.
Three local artists have begun bringing art classes to The Nest to share their skills, their expertise and their encouragement with the women and children residing in the shelter. A new Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) board member, Diane Gremillion Easter talked with her friends Marty Lane, an ENMU art instructor, and Martina de Waard-Dein, an artist with Josie’s Framery. Together, the three designed a weekly group class for the residents at The Nest.
“I thought of art journaling because it’s not only a great tool to express yourself but it can also help as part of a healing process,” Easter said. “I learned about journaling from an online art class I took last year. Marty Lane taught the course. Since I have known Marty for several years, I asked her if she could teach art journaling to the residents at The Nest. She was very interested in the idea.”
Each week, the women travel to The Nest with arms full of watercolors, colored pencils, pads of paper, brushes and journals. The residents gather around the dining room table and learn about different artistic techniques. They are then encouraged to begin creating and the artists aide them in finding inspiration and constructing their works. The children also participate, making everything from posters to poetry, under supervision from shelter staff and the group leaders.
“We all thought that it would be a wonderful idea to include the children in this program where they, too, could have their own art project,” said Easter. “Martina has a special education teaching background and agreed to help with the children’s art project.”
At the end of each session, the participants are permitted to keep art supplies for themselves and encouraged to continue working on their projects over the week.
“The whole idea was for them to become comfortable using these mediums and then learn how to express themselves in their own journal books,” Easter said. “But, overall, we wanted them to have fun. The children were also excited about doing art and were eager to get started. Most of them created masterpieces.”
Easter believes that the program has been effective in providing therapy and stress management, and in helping the women and children to build confidence in themselves, learning creativity and critical thinking, and stimulating their imaginations.
The art program has been successful so far. Many residents have begun asking shelter staff when the next class is, or whether the instructors will be visiting the shelter on any particular night. The instructors have expressed an interest in furthering the program by expanding the classes to include more subjects and techniques.
“As a HEAL board member, it has been a very rewarding experience for me to see the residents happily creating their own artwork, letting go and seeing that they are enjoying it as well,” Easter said. “The children are also happy to see what they have created and being able to share their work with their mothers. It’s also a wonderful way for them to connect together since they are all trying to go through a difficult time and get on with life. It’s not about becoming an artist. It’s about expressing yourself, letting go, and being happy.”
Pictured are Diane Gremillion Easter and Marty Lane, local artists who started the Art Enrichment Program at the Nest.
