“I like the sound of the pool, when it splashes. Blue is my favourite so I like looking at it and it smells like summer time and feels fresh, the pool makes my 5 senses happy!”
“Good thing you forgot taste.”
“Yeah the pool doesn’t taste good at all.”
The children at this location loved Artasia, they happily participated and brought a lively energy each and every week. By the end they were repeating their five senses and making new connections to their environment.
The final week of programming the children were sad to see me go, they put in their best effort for their final art work. I asked them what they wanted to imagine in their school and one girl said a fairy! She proceeded to draw that fairy when it came time to imagine, it had pink wings and sparkles flying around paired with a rainbow in the sky. The school was transformed into a whimsical wonderland for her. 2 best friends were inspiring each other and came up with twinning designs. Staring an orange unicorn with a purple sky filled with gold hearts, green trees and a coloured in playground and a pink frame. Even though they are the same they’re still different to each child’s style. A few rainbows as well, the children love drawing rainbows! stand alone, with a sun and even one with the sun and rain together.

When answering questions one child would say one thing and others would be inspired by their answer and elaborate more. Each child is so unique and special, even when they try to do the same thing their own style and personality show through in their art. That’s why Artasia is so impactful, it gives so many children a voice and chance to express themselves, it’s my first year and seeing all the artwork that’s come out of programming has been really special.