 |
| Part of the soon to be painted wall |
A few months ago I was surfing the web looking for possible sponsors when I found The Pollination Project. Not only did I instantly like the organization and its objectives, it happened that for once, as a small grassroots project in Guatemala run by a foreigner, I was able to apply! The Pollination Project was very honest in stating that it can only reward a small number of all proposals they receive and that it really helps if you have a reference from one of the organization they work with, which I didn’t. So I didn’t have much hope, but was getting excited anyway while writing my proposal and my project getting shape.
Three weeks ago I received the exciting news I was rewarded a $1000 grant! The next day I immediately signed the contract and wrote to Laura, director of the high school in Chimachoy, whom I hadn’t notified about the project yet, as up until then I had no funding and I hate promising something I might not be able to fulfill. Luckily, Laura was as enthusiastic as I am and -unbelievably- within 48 hours I had all the necessary permits, the collaboration of the teachers and students of both schools and the local citizens’ committee. Laura also talked to the mayor and he promised to provide his stonemason for preparing and stuccoing the wall. We’re about to get started!
Within the next few weeks I’ll go to Chimachoy to talk to all people involved, pay for the supplies to plaster the wall and conduct my first introductory workshops for the students of both schools. After a general introduction about the history of muralism and its significance, we’ll be exploring local culture through a series of art, journalism, photography and storytelling in the next few months. The children of the elementary school will determine the theme of each section of the wall (a cultural element of the community), which will be investigated deeper with the students of the high school. Then the students will express all different aspects of their own culture through photography in a week long project directed by Dutch photographer /teacher Sabrina Gaudio. The results of those workshops will be the base for the final design. And then it’s time to get the painting started! We’ll first prime the wall with the help of the younger kids. The older students will then apply a grid in chalk and copy the design before the real work can begin. When exactly is hard to say, it all depends on what the weather will be like, but by the beginning of September I hope to have the whole 75 meter long wall finished for a grand inauguration.
I’m incredibly grateful to The Pollination Project for rewarding me this grant and am looking forward to working with this organization! $1000 is a lot of money and we can get the work started, but in order to conduct all the workshops I’ll need more donations. The more money, the more workshops, the deeper the impact of this project in the community. In order to develop all the activities planned, I figure I’ll need a budget of $2250. Since the wall is 75 x 3 = 225m², that comes down to only $10 per square meter, which is a bargain, don’t you think? So the first 100 square meters are sponsored, looking for 1250 more! So if you want to sponsor a square meter or more, please donate through the Paypal button on this page or contact me at carinsteen@yahoo.com for additional bank info. More news will follow soon!
