Heart for Art, Butterfly Art Project
Art therapy project for children from poor neighbourhoods.
The goal
Turning children into shapers of their own lives.
- The Butterfly Art Project was founded in 2010 by Angela Katschke, a German art therapist, with the aim of empowering children to be creative and to become designers of their own lives.
- The Butterfly Art Project offers anthroposophical art therapy in the poverty-stricken neighbourhood of Vrygrond (about 30 kilometres southeast of the city centre of Cape Town) for socially disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access to art lessons.
- The art classes offered are designed to enable the children to enjoy their creative pursuits and artistic expression, thus strengthening their self-awareness and resilience.
The project
Joy and fun in painting, drawing and being creative.
- The children in the "Heart for Art" programme are between 5 and 18 years old and can develop freely in numerous artistic activities: Painting, wood sculpting, working with clay, drawing, comics, cartoon art, stage design, knitting, crochet, sewing, theatre performances and mural painting.
- The course content is designed to be age-appropriate, dealing with themes such as community, safety, culture and tolerance, feelings and emotions, and visions of the future.
- The Butterfly Art Project also offers its participants the opportunity to become community art facilitators, learning skills in fabric painting, hand sewing, embroidery and other handicrafts.
The success
Creativity opens the hearts of children.
- One example of the success of the project is Brad, who participated in the Butterfly Project in order to be able to return to school and be integrated into a larger school class. On Brad's very first day in the arts programme, he came in wearing a hoodie that completely covered his face and refused to sit down.
- He then participated in various art projects each week for two years, all of which were designed to give him a sense of achievement.
- The result: Brad became more open and began to communicate and express himself through creativity.
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