by redclay | Jul 25, 2021 | Visual Arts
I don’t know who had more fun this week – our artist art, or the kids at Casa Chirilagua. Once again Sharmila asked the kids (4th, 5th, and 6th graders) to create their superhero with special superpowers that the world needs. And as always, the most important part of our work is the voluntary sharing the last 20 minutes of the class. Who is your superhero? What are its superpowers? Why? Even the volunteers got into the act and as Sharmila said on her Facebook page: “There are a lot of healthy social skills that can develop when kids feel safe and free to engage with older adult/mentors during such creative endeavors.” Check out these world-saving creations!
This superhero can instantly teach you any kind of music or any musical instrument instantly.
A robot who looks mean but actually is very nice and cares for his family. His hands shoot stones and laser so he can protect his loved ones.
A super hero that saves people from hurricanes and calamities.
Meet Forest Man and Plant Dog. They keep planting and guarding trees so our earth always remains green.
A superhero that has magic powers in his hands. He has bionic eyes with laser sharp focus and can zap you.
Delicate girl made with floral petals. She is gentle and kind.
They both created the sunflower sisters and their superpowers are camouflaging and tele-transporting and also distracting people.
A super hero that just wants to go hug people and spread love.
by redclay | Jul 18, 2021 | Visual Arts
We’re happy when our artists are happy! Bonus if our partners and clients are too. So we hit the trifecta earlier this week when our visual artist Sharmila Karamchandani was able to go back onsite at Friends of Guest House. While Zoom classes allowed us to survive the pandemic, it wasn’t the same. We (and all of us) struggled with blurry images, poor connection, not enough cameras at our partner sites, people leaving mid-class because of connectivity, lack of supplies, etc. “What a relief it was to feel that joy again to see all the women face-to-face!” Sharmila wrote on her Facebook page.
To celebrate her return to Friends of Guest House, Sharmila chose one of her (and my) favorite projects – masks. Each of the women made two masks where one side shows what she feels on the inside and the other side shows how she seems on the outside. The women were honest with themselves and put it all on paper, Sharmila said, and they credited Friends of Guest House with helping them to dive deeper and really get to know themselves. Don’t you just love nonprofits? What do you think of their masks?
by redclay | Jun 24, 2021 | Visual Arts
Who is your Super Hero? Wonder Woman? Batman? Or, as we did with the women at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria, VA, we made our own. Our super heroes have magic in them that help us and help the world. Take a look at what creative and healing superheroes the inmates created under the guidance of our amazing Heard teacher Sharmila Karamchandani. Don’t you wish these superheroes really existed?
This creature has a calming face and body of strength. The red fingertips have healing quality. She comes into your life to make you realize your own beauty.
Meet the Pain Relieving Octopus! It has healing tentacles. Wherever you have pain the tentacles can heal you upon touch.
by redclay | Feb 17, 2021 | News
We hope you enjoy reading about our origins. And stay tuned – there’s more to come! And we’re having lot of fun sharing this with you. So maybe we were born in Ecuador? Tell us what you think? And just click here to open the links: Listen to Sharmila teach a class in Hindi, or visit Keely’s site to learn more about her improv business!
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