![\"Artists](\"http:\/\/artbridgesblog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/artistswithoutborders-logo.jpg\" "\\"Artists"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I recently met with Brian Hardie,\u00a0a Vancouver-based\u00a0visual artist,\u00a0in Toronto. He told me about the founding of a new non-profit initiative he is researching and developing called \u201cArtists Without Borders<\/b>.\u201d Brian has been spending the past six months connecting with and meeting people to explore and expand the idea and the\u00a0model for this initiative.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Artists Without Borders<\/strong> is an international charity providing art programs for school-aged children in communities where access to essential learning opportunities is limited due to conflict, poverty, natural and climate related disasters. The organization believes that the children most in need will benefit by engaging in creative activities such as drawing and painting, sculpture and related crafts, music, and dance. The highest priority are those communities most in need.\u00a0\u00bb\u00a0<\/i>(from\u00a0Artists Without Borders pdf<\/a>, click the link to read more.<\/small>)<\/p>\n Over the course of our conversation, we discussed the need to learn from successful outreach programs where artists are going into communities in Canada\u2014some were remote, some under-resourced or under-serviced, some correctional centres, some communities were facing issues including youth suicide, homelessness, or poverty. The successful outreach programs we discussed\u00a0included: DareArts<\/a>, ArtsCan Circle<\/a>, Blue Print For Life<\/a>, Sistema New Brunswick<\/a>, Leave Out Violence (LOVE)<\/a>, to name a few.<\/p>\n We also talked about the need to look at lessons learned. When artists go into communities that they\u2019re not familiar with or have never lived nor stayed in, what are the challenges, risks and potential dangers to both the artist and the community? What kinds of training, preparation, work, post-work debriefing and evaluations are needed in order for an outreach project to be successful?<\/p>\n Brian also showed me an amazing video Landfill Harmonic: The World Sends us Garbage…We Send Back Music<\/a>\u00a0about children and youth making instruments from junk found in a landfill site in Paraguay and how they went on to form the Landfill Harmonic. So inspiring!\u00a0http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fXynrsrTKbI<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to know more and connect with Brian about the development of Artists Without Borders, please reach him at: brian.hardie@gmail.com<\/a>. Visit his website here:\u00a0http:\/\/www.brianhardieart.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0-Seanna Connell, Project Director<\/em><\/p>\n ArtBridges\/ToileDesArts Sponsor<\/small><\/span> I recently met with Brian Hardie,\u00a0a Vancouver-based\u00a0visual artist,\u00a0in Toronto. He told me about the founding of a new non-profit initiative he is researching and developing called \u201cArtists Without Borders.\u201d Brian has been spending the past six months connecting with and meeting people to explore and expand the idea and the\u00a0model<\/p>\n
\n![\"Spamalot](\"http:\/\/artbridgesblog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Spamalot_Web_Banner2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"