More Pictures of The Unwinding Wall

**VOLUNTEERS**

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!

We're still working on the wall and it's almost finished!  We'd like to finish building the wall by Thursday, the 2nd of April for a media shot and before the artist, Melissa, leaves Thailand!!!

Please come and join us!

Our last meeting was a great success with a total of 16 volunteers.

MEETING POINT:  Thapae Gate in front of Starbucks Coffee

DATE: Tuesday, March 31st

(WEDNESDAY, April 1st is tentative.  Call to confirm: 089 110 8860)

TIME:  8:30 am-3:00 pm

(Bus will leave at 8:30 am)

FREE Transportation and Lunch Provided!

The Wall Grows

Yesterday, we continued on the wall with much more progress than the first day.  The wall is beginning to give the first impressions of how it will look and feel when it is finished!  You can start to see the light glow through the bottles.  The green and red ones are especially beautiful.  So if anyone has any extra green and red bottles sitting around, please bring them!

Volunteer Info for THE UNWINDING WALL

**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED**

Build a mud bottle wall!  Play with mud, recycle, and give to Wildflower, a single mothers' community.  CCT will be creating a meditation space with single mothers to provide them with a place of refuge and quiet.  Come join us!

Friday, March 27th and Sunday, March 29th

10 AM to 5 PM

Lunch and Transportation Provided

Contact - Amp (Thai) 089-110-8860

Melissa (English) 083-6983-2064

PLEASE READ HERE if you volunteer yourself to help us with The Unwinding Wall:

1) Meet at the parking lot in front of Wat Suan Dok (Suan Dok Temple).  The bus leaves at 9:30  AM on both Friday and Sunday.

2) The bus leaves at 9:30 am and will return at 5 pm.

3) Please, dress appropriately: t-shirt, long or short sleeves but no tank tops, dark colors, shorts but not too short.

4) Be aware that you will be working outdoors, it is very hot; hats and sun block cream are a must.

5) CCT provides lunch and refreshment for everyone.  Please e-mail to confirm if you have any special dietary requirements (e.g. vegetarian).

6) Please e-mail to CONFIRM your name and the day you want to volunteer.

7) For those who want to go on Friday, please confirm before Thursday.

8) For those who want to go on Sunday, please confirm before Friday.

9) Please confirm with Wahd at wad@culturalcanvas.com.

10) If you wish to go by yourself, here are the directions:

Make your own way to Chiang Mai-San Kham Phang Road.  Keep going straight on that road until you hit the intersection where you will see Louis Silverware Factory.  Then, keep going straight until you see 7-eleven on your left hand side, turn left at the big arch next to 7-eleven (there is also a school opposite 7-eleven called Nong Kong school).A  After that, keep driving for about 2 km until you notice on your right hand side a large semi-circular stone sign with Thai writing that says "Bann Sub Anam".  Turn right at the sign, from there follow the small road going through rice fields until you see Wildflower Home on your left side with a big blue gate up front.  (Also look out for a temporary sign that points to the Wildflower Home on the way.)

Day One of The Unwinding Wall

The bottle wall construction has begun!  We spent the first day dancing in the mud and then began the bottle-laying process!  Everything has gotten off to a great start.  The mothers of Wildflower already had some experience with mud-building, so it was a great help.  

But before I jump into all this about building, maybe I should mention what we're building, why we are building it, and with whom.  The project is called The Unwinding Wall--a spiral wall we will build together with Wildflower Single Mothers' Community constructed out of cob and recycled glass bottles.  Wildflower is a non-profit organization located on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where healthcare, support, education, and a temporary home are provided to help mothers on their way towards self sufficiency.  Many of the mothers are from nearby hilltribes outside of Chiang Mai.  The idea of The Unwinding Wall is to create a quiet, discrete space for reflection, peace, and relaxation where the mothers may retreat to -- a place to unwind -- during a time of crisis.  The space is specifically designed to be semi-enclosed, allowing one to escape while not being completely removed from one's surroundings.

If you'd like to help, we're still looking for volunteers for anyone who is interested!  It's a great cross-cultural experience, not to mention a change to play with mud and learn how to build in one of the most eco-friendly ways.  It's amazing how cool a mud house stays in the hot summer months.

If you're interested, please contact Wad at wad@culturalcanvas.com

For more information, you can search for an open event on facebook, titled "The Unwinding Wall" or just go to: this link on facebook

Card-Making with Baan Piranan

This morning was spent painting with Nong Mai, Nong Somsak, and Nong Wichai--three boys under the care of Piranan. Amp, one of our staff members, set up a workshop for them to create an "I love you" card for Piranan. We thought it would be nice to do a project that could be a gift to her, for all her hard work, dedication, and love.

This was my first time to the home, and I have to admit I was a little nervous about working with the kids. I'm an artist, so I'm comfortable with painting, and I love kids but I had never worked with kids with disabilities, not to mention kids that don't speak the same language as me or are just now learning a language.

Minutes after meeting the boys, however, I managed to ease my qualms. They were not "children with CP" but palpable people, with as strong a character as any healthy human being. My ignorance had convinced me that I wouldn't be able to "feel" them, but once I did, my mind was changed and they became my friends, people I cared for.

Nong Wichai and I worked together on our part of the card. We had a great time swirling colors around, mixing them, and just drawing and painting. He was a little distracted at times, always curious about what the others were up to, but overall he enjoyed the time we spent together.

Later, we went for a stroll around the neighborhood and got some sun before lunchtime approached. Wad and I helped Nong Wichai and Nong Mai with lunch, and then finished the workshop by piecing together the card.

The short amount of time I spent with them helped me to understand the stigma that children with cerebral palsy suffer. While the reasons that Thais feel negative stigmas towards children with cerebral palsy are different, my own qualms were essentially formed from the same source--ignorance. Hopefully, we can continue to educate people about cerebral palsy and other sicknesses so that boys like Nong Wichai, Nong Somsak, and Nong Mai don't fall prey to ignorance, but rather the love and care that people like Piranan provide.

Kiera here again, just did my last official workshop yesterday. Canvas Art Program has been asked to create workshops based on sustainable craft for Wild Flower, a home for single mothers in Chiang Mai. I’ve had the pleasure of introducing Paper Recycling; the whole CAP team went out to join in with the workshop. The women at Wild Flower took to the workshop with creativity and fair; the results are very exciting.

The main Facilitator of the workshop was Amp, CCT’s Art director, and I could not have put my work shop in better hands. Amp had so much fun and she didn’t miss a thing. I’m not sad that I’m finishing up here at CCT working on therapeutic art projects; I’m excited that I am heading home; soon to begin workshops in Oz. I’m very grateful that I’ve had this opportunity and hope to return some time in the future, this program is fantastic and I’m already recommending it to my artist friends in Australia.