By Andrew Kooman, Editorial Content and Public Relations Manager at Compassion Canada and Corrina Cameron, Teacher at LCH
Art is Powerful
Art is more powerful than we realize. Artists naturally have an audience, and with that audience a responsibility to use their voice for the greater good. Art has been used for hundreds of years to bring awareness to social injustice, to build momentum, to change hearts, and to incite action. This project, in tandem with Compassion Canada, allowed Grade 11 and 12 art students from London Christian High to use their platforms as artists to call attention to remarkable stories of highly vulnerable children in Compassion’s care. Compassion partners with the local church in areas of extreme poverty to help vulnerable children receive medical care, nutritious food, clothing and other basic needs, while also providing legal protections, emotional intervention, rehabilitation and foster care for highly vulnerable children. 2 million children worldwide are caught in the commercial sex trade. 16,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes. 17.1 million children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. These statistics deeply touched the hearts of the Art students at LCH, who responded in a personal way through creative expression.
“Creating art for the purpose of bringing awareness to a social justice issue affected my perceptions of the artist’s role in society. People create art for many different reasons but it is especially powerful when an artist shows the brokenness of the world and the hope there is in spite of that. This project showed me how we as artists can use our gifts and talents to bring awareness to the world of how bad the situations are in other parts of the world. People need to know about the stories others have to tell. Artists have the power to show people different perspectives of the world and bring positive changes to places that need it.” – Anna Lise, Student
How the Partnership Began
Students went to Compassion Canada’s head office for a tour and to learn more about how they help highly vulnerable children. “It was a privilege to show students from London Christian High our work,” notes John MacDonald, Creative Director of Marketing at Compassion Canada. “They were very engaged and used their time at Compassion to do research for their art projects.” After the visit, Compassion provided the students with photos and stories of highly vulnerable children. The students chose a story and began the process of creating a portrait. The grade 11 students chose between graphite, pen & ink, charcoal, and conte for their portraits, while the grade 12 students used watercolour.
“I’m very glad I got to be a part of this project to use art to spread awareness of highly vulnerable children. It is a different feeling of accomplishment when you know that you are doing this for a purpose and that your work has the chance to impact people in positive ways. Throughout this entire project from the first visit to Compassion to finishing the drawing, it has opened my eyes to issues that aren’t that present in my life and issues I might not have even gotten a chance to recognize. Throughout this project I’ve realized the power artwork can have to tell a story without words. I feel that as an artist, especially as a christian, it is important that we take opportunities like this to use art in a helpful manner.” – Ethan Schiestel, Student
The Travelling Art Show
The portraits formed a travelling art show as part of Compassion Canada events in Southwestern Ontario between October and December 2019. The artwork drew people in and engaged them in a different way, making the stories more accessible. The Grade 11 students also created intaglio drypoint etchings of these portraits to sell as a fundraiser for the Highly Vulnerable Children’s Fund.
“This was a challenging project for the students both technically and emotionally. To draw someone in detail is to know them: their face forever branded on your mind; their story forever imprinted on your heart. You have to be willing to be vulnerable as an artist to draw portraits. The stories of these Highly Vulnerable Children are hard to read. Some have been kidnapped, abused, neglected, trafficked, or orphaned. The students spent weeks creating portraits of them, opening themselves up to these stories. I’m proud of them for both mastering the different skills and their courage to wade into the pain and hope.” – Mrs. Corrina Cameron, Teacher
For more information about Compassion Canada, go to www.compassion.ca