Mission of Hope Art Camp 2023
We are celebrating the success of Art Camp 2023 with our partners at the Mission of Hope for the Disabled in Liberia! Enjoy this report from Camp Director/Artist Mentor James Prowd.
The 2023 Art Camp ran February 27th – March 3rd and for the first time since 2019, we invited seven schools from our community outside the Mission of Hope. In the end we had five schools in attendance with 137 students total, which included students from Our Lady of Fatima School on the Mission.
We offered four classes:
PASTRY – led by Eliza Nyemah, assisted by Elizabeth D. Neste
CREATIVE ARTS – led by Daniel Kapu, assisted by Joseph C. Wilson
COSMETOLOGY – led by Joetta Togba, assisted by Marthaline N. Kollie and Odell Tarr
PHOTOGRAPHY?GRAPHIC DESIGN – led by James Prowd, assisted by Madison Kangar
PASTRY
Art Camp was great! The kids that took the pastry section were incredibly great. They baked some tasty food like doughnuts, fried chicken and also prepared dishes like macaroni salad, spaghetti salad, and baked chicken to name a few. The class was full of sweet aroma that kept the rest of students sniffing the scent from their kitchen. Eliza was amazing, and shared her passion for baking with each student and kept them busy till many at times they didn’t even notice it was time for lunch.
“I am so very excited to be able to share what I have learned with the younger kids. Mentoring them for a week is really fun. Having them come with the mindset that they have this emptiness with the thought that we are going to fill it is a thing that gives me more passion and helps them discover that right thing about their lives. I love kids and spending time with them gives me joy. Thanks to everyone who made it possible for this year’s camp to be successful and a special thanks to my assistant Elizabeth. I am always hoping for more of this in the future” Eliza
CREATIVE ARTS
The children made some home arts like paper bags, some porch art for hanging things in the house, and hand fans for blowing breeze during the heat. They also painted some wonderful artwork and pictures of things that are right with them and their community.
“Thanks to God almighty for His love and the gift of creating he has given to us. We had a wonderful time painting our minds on the boards so the world will know What’s Right with Us. I was always surprised when the kids suggested the good ideas on the activities they wanted for the next day” Daniel
COSMETOLOGY
This year the beauty class was wonderful. They had the girls doing various types of beauty activities like hair styling, makeup, and body treatments like pedicures, etc. The most fascinating thing about the class was that they enjoyed everything they did. The kids were so glued to the activities.
They said: “we want this camp everyday!” I am very grateful to Inverted Arts family for such an opportunity. I am happy to be a part of this family. May God bless us all until we assemble again for another camp.” Joetta
PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHIC DESIGN
The activities this year were wonderful and we had some great fun. Designing and capturing every moment was a great joy for us as we went through the camp. The kids captured all the photos and they also wrote and filmed a play titled “Friendship.” There is always something new learned during these times. As head of the camp, I enjoyed working with everyone; the mentors, assistants and especially the students with so much love in their eyes whenever they look at you. The filming and photography section was assisted by Madison.
Finally, we had a great time and thanks to the Inverted Arts family for believing in us and giving us the responsibility of leading the Liberia part of this Global Art Camp. The best we can do for our community is give back. May God bless us all!
