DrawBridge: An Arts Program For Homeless Children

Creating a Sense of Place: DrawBridge hosts Graffiti Artist Daniel Gallegos

2009-06-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

In April 2009, DrawBridge and The Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center in Oakland invited guest artist Daniel Gallegos to help the children in our art group design and paint a graffiti mural in the center’s teen room. Daniel, a longtime artist, was involved in the graffiti art movement in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1980's-1990's. He has done graffiti projects with children all over the world.

The first week we had Daniel teach the children the fundamentals of graffiti. They practiced designing, drawing, and coloring their own graffiti art using a roll of white paper, pencils, ink pens, and crayons.

Daniel returned the next week to help the children design and paint the mural. Daniel sketched out the letters and the kids filled them in with different paints. It was so great to see everybody working together on a single art piece, that will become a permanent fixture at Henry Robinson. After all the letters were painted, Daniel went back over them with spray paint while the kids watched.

The mural was a huge success! All the kids were very excited about the process as well as the end result. It was a fun and educational experience for all parties involved! Through the art, we are hoping the children have been able to create a stronger community and a sense of place at Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center.

Drawing Dreams: Artwork from DrawBridge

2009-06-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

DrawBridge Kids Visit SFO Exhibit of Their Work!

We're On Our Way Now!

The Artwork Stretched for Miles!

Just Relaxing

Share the Love! Kids and the art of edible Valentines

2009-04-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

We recently received photographs from an event we had for Valentine's Day. Many of our art groups participated in a cookie decorating and sharing event for the children of DrawBridge. After the sprinkles settled there were some wonderful creations to be seen, shared, and eaten!

Art Therapy for Our Facilitators

2009-03-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Our art group facilitators recently participated in a brief art therapy exercise aimed at exploring the issues and challenges presented by discipline and boundary setting, in the context of DrawBridge art groups. We often think of discipline in a negative or harsh light, but this exercise was aimed at shifting our understanding of discipline, re-focusing on the experience of children, and creating models for positive boundary setting during art groups.

Many of the behaviors displayed by children are actually a request for adult boundary setting. The act of setting limits can provide a safe container, a sense of security, and relief for children. They experience this sense of safety when an adult figure is providing leadership and predictability.

This is especially true for homeless and vulnerable children, who often lack a core sense of consistency and security in their daily lives. It is also likely that these children have had fewer opportunities to let go, relax, and play. When parents are experiencing major stress, disruption and insecurity, children often take on adult worry and feel responsible, at fault, and ashamed. It becomes very difficult for them to concentrate on learning, growing and exploring life's challenges and gifts with wonder and joy. When limits are set in a balanced and compassionate way, they are intended to create safety, but also to allow for the freedom and play that is essential to a child's development and formation of a healthy self image.

Having re-imagined discipline as a potentially positive experience for the children in our groups, it was time to start drawing! First we imagined what a positive, safe, creative art group would be like and placed this in the center of a large circle.

Next we drew four disciplinary or boundary setting challenges around the center circle. Finally, we drew our creative solutions to each of these challenges, encircling everything we had drawn before.

The act of working through a set of challenges visually, allowed many of the participants to think more creatively about the issues they resolve in their art groups. At DrawBridge, we believe that we already possess everything we need to heal. Art making is profoundly helpful in its ability to make these internal resources accessible. Art allows us bring our insights out into tangible form. We encourage everyone to explore art and their own imagery and to follow the path of growth and healing that these images suggest.

DrawBridge Children's Art at SFO!

2009-03-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco International Airport Museum will be displaying works of art created by the children who participate in DrawBridge art groups. (Terminal 1, Children's Art Area. Exact dates TBA.) Over the last month, the children at our groups have been excitedly creating in anticipation of this show. Here is a preview of some of their work.

Welcome to our Blog!

2009-01-08T17:16:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a long time coming, but DrawBridge has finally entered the "blogosphere". We're very excited to begin sharing our thoughts and posting images from DrawBridge events, children's art groups, and other community events.

We also hope our blog will become a forum for discussing art project ideas, art therapy techniques, and other topics helpful to those who work with at risk and homeless children.

If you would like to find out more about our program, feel free to check out our website at http://www.drawbridge.org/

DrawBridge