Vision Board Collages: After-School Workshop 6 at Red Hook Initiative

On May 8, 2015, Arts & Dreams shared a Vision Board Collage workshop with the middle-school young women at Red Hook Initiative, our 6th in the series of empowering art workshops after school. 

Patricia Geremia led a discussion about using inspiring images as visual reminders of experiences we want to enjoy. The act of sorting through clipped images from magazines and books and then arranging them, maybe with some key words, is a creative way to feel hope that our dreams can come true!

The young women made gorgeous collaged Vision Boards with mixed media. They also created special notes to honor their mothers for Mothers' Day weekend. At the workshop close, every participant talked about what their Vision Board meant to them, and said "I love you" to themselves while looking into a mirror.

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Thank you to our supporters and to RHI! Photos by Patricia Geremia

Self Portraits: After-School Workshop 5 at Red Hook Initiative

This workshop was about beauty. Working with middle-school girls and high-school young women at our 5th workshop at Red Hook Initiative, the discussion centered around our concept of how we appear, and what each of us finds beautiful.

Each participant was seated in front of their own oval mirror. If we looked at ourselves as beautiful, and we loved, accepted and approved of ourselves exactly as we are, how would we feel?

Laura gave instruction on how to recognize facial proportions, and coached everyone to embellish their favorite features. The students could work abstractly with designs and textures that resonated "beauty", or create a figurative self portrait using oil pastels, markers and appliques.

Laura sprayed each drawing with fixative outside, then the group re-gathered to share what their portrait meant to them. The workshop closed with each participant looking into the mirror and saying "I love you, (their name)." 

All photography provided by Patricia Geremia

Beautiful Tote Bags: After-School Workshop 4 at Red Hook Initiative

April 17, 2015 - Arts & Dreams worked with middle-school aged young women at Red Hook Initiative in our 4th empowering art workshop. The focus was on personal power. We had a rich and rewarding discussion highlighting how empowering it feels when we practice self love. The young women opened up with comments and questions about bullying, snide remarks from other kids, feeling unliked, aggression and fighting. Laura and Patricia shared that the better we get at affirming ourselves, the stronger we feel, and the more supportive people we attract. The negative people begin to sense that we love ourselves, and they don't mess with us as much. And if they do, we speak up, tell an adult, believe in our worthiness, and we don't take shame personally. 

Bullies often are suffering more than we are, that's why they lash out. When we love ourselves, we don't need to lash out. We feel healthy. Students painted tote bags with fabric paints, bringing beautiful colors, phrases and designs to a plain cotton bag. These bags will serve to carry our things as well as our hopes and dreams.

Thank you to Deanna at RHI, our middle school artists for their honesty and creativity, and all of our donors for making our work possible.
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran

Tshirt Postivity: After-School Workshop 3 at Red Hook Initiative

Arts & Dreams shared the 3rd empowering art workshop at Red Hook Initiative (RHI) on April 10, 2015. Co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia worked with high school student leaders and LGBTQ activists.

We talked about issues facing teens today, the pressures of life, depression, suicide, sex, drugs, gangs, parents and school. In terms of empowerment, life is filled with challenges and it's our choice to consider them as opportunities and to learn how to love ourselves through them. 

The discussion focused on encouraging students to view themselves as leaders, hope-bringers, and unique individuals worthy of living their dreams. One key to help us remember to follow our dreams, let alone believe we're meant to have those dreams, Laura explained, is to practice self-love.

To boost self-love, we gave everyone a white t-shirt, multi-colored fabric paints, and beginners' painting instruction.

Each workshop participant painted beautiful tees with positive messages and designs, wearable art to uplift and inspire them. Then the students discussed why they chose their words and images and what the project meant to them.

We introduced the practice of mirror work to close out the workshop, as we always do, because it feels good to say loving words into a mirror, and everyone tried it.

Thank you, Ericka, the wonderful group leader, and everyone at RHI for an amazing workshop.
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran

Gratitude Journals with High-Schoolers: After-School Workshop 2 at Red Hook Initiative

Arts & Dreams worked with high school students to create Gratitude Journals at the Red Hook Initiative on April 3, 2015. 

Our activities focused on creating art that empowers self-love and hope, led by Arts & Dreams' co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia. 

First we discussed the power of feeling grateful for every blessing, and how gratitude brings more to feel grateful about.

Everyone received a blank journal with unlined pages where they can draw, write and express their dreams, hopes and fears. Opening to the first blank page, they all wrote a list of 10 things for which they're grateful and shared their lists, feeling that magic spark of gratitude for all that's going well. Then participants decorated their journals with paints and appliques.

We closed the workshop by looking into a mirror and expressing a kind and loving word to ourselves. Thank you to RHI and all of our donors and supporters for making Arts & Dreams empowering art workshops possible. 
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran

Affirmation Paintings: After-School Workshop 1 of 2015 Series at the Red Hook Initiative

Friday after-school programming was in full swing at the Red Hook Initiative (RHI) in Brooklyn. Pizza and salad was available for youth to enjoy and music was coming from the main room as the students unwinded.

For the middle-school aged young women of RHI's Mirrors of Strength group, Arts & Dreams shared the first of 11 workshops. Our activities focused on creating art that empowers self-love and hope, led by Arts & Dreams' co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia.

Once Laura shared her background challenges growing up and then making art to heal herself after her brother's suicide, a rich experience took place.

Through discussion and painting, the group seemed to express a real understanding of their worthiness of living the life of their dreams, and engaging in acts of creative kindness to self. They painted personal positive affirmations on stretched canvas, discussed why they created their art and spoke loving words to themselves in a mirror.

A big thanks to Deanna Cherry and Jade Elias for making this workshop series possible! Also to everyone at the Red Hook Initiative and all of our generous donors for their support. 

Photos by Patricia Geremia