Report from a ARTCORPS Artist

Natascha’s Story

Chilean artist (Visual Art)

Natascha DeCortillas was placed in Uaxactun in the Peten, Guatemala. She was hosted by an environmental organization to help the community understand and protect the local environment. Natascha, a visual artist from Chile, primarily worked with children ages 5–18.

Excerpts from Natasha’s report (translated from Spanish).

Natascha:

I can't say that I was personally very creative, but I was working to develop creativity through my project, aimed mainly at children aged 5 to 18 years old. The creativity I fostered could be seen in each intervention and work by each child.

In the workshops with the younger kids we worked with clay.With the older kids, 11 and 12 year olds, we organized groups to paint the doors of the school using designs they made up.

And with the 13 to 18 year olds we made a dark room to take pictures and develop them. This got them all pretty well motivated, and me also, but the community became suspicious because the mothers said that "that box doesn't take pictures". But the kids said they tested it, so they defended the idea.

We painted a jungle mural in the school in Uaxactun. In the workshops we painted the walls and all the doors. I gave a talk to the teachers at the school about creativity, since they work with the children too, and in many cases we worked with the same children.

We worked together with a local community organization to repair the large mural in the community center. We painted a big mural that I designed and the kids painted.

I also made a poster for the NGO against hunting female turkeys.

I did not use that many local materials, aside from some basic experiments. For example, I used leaves for prints, drawings, mobiles built with branches, etc. Then again, the entire natural scenery was very stimulating. Everything was initiated by the observations of each child. The children learned to more carefully observe their natural surroundings, and to have their preconceptions challenged. For example, they could go see purple leaves, learning that leaves are not only green.

I also worked with the women's group, which made puppets and dolls, and a group of artisans in Bayal that uses local materials in their work (photos, catalogs, signs, handbags). These two were already very organized, and my interventions were solely in terms of production to communicate the NGO's message.

ArtCorps is very useful in recreating a forgotten dynamic in community and social work, and that it is vital to incorporate it into life - into any life. And that this can bring strength to the all too forgotten developing countries.

Communication with ArtCorps was difficult, and I felt somewhat alone, which complicated my start, when support is most needed. That said, the NGO supported me a lot and the mid-term visit in Antigua with the other artists and Blanca Estela was a positive experience overall.

The work was effective in the community. Working with a well-established NGO allowed for a solid presence in the community. In return, I was able to raise consciousness about the NGO's work on environment conservation and preservation.



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				Natascha’s Story Chilean artist (Visual Art) Natascha DeCortillas was placed in Uaxactun in the Peten, Guatemala. She was hosted by an environmental organization to help the community understand and protect the local environment. Natascha, a visual artist from Chile, primarily worked with children ages 5–18. Excerpts from Natasha’s report (translated from Spanish). Natascha: I can't say that I was personally very creative, but I was working to develop creativity through my project, aimed mainly at children aged 5 to 18 years old. The creativity I fostered could be seen in each intervention and work by each child. In the workshops with the younger kids we worked with clay.With the older kids, 11 and 12 year olds, we organized groups to paint the doors of the school using designs they made up. And with the 13 to 18 year olds we made a dark room to take pictures and develop them. This got them all pretty well motivated, and me also, but the community became suspicious because the mothers said that "that box doesn't take pictures". But the kids said they tested it, so they defended the idea. We painted a jungle mural in the school in Uaxactun. In the workshops we painted the walls and all the doors. I gave a talk to the teachers at the school about creativity, since they work with the children too, and in many cases we worked with the same children. We worked together with a local community organization to repair the large mural in the community center. We painted a big mural that I designed and the kids painted. I also made a poster for the NGO against hunting female turkeys. I did not use that many local materials, aside from some basic experiments. For example, I used leaves for prints, drawings, mobiles built with branches, etc. Then again, the entire natural scenery was very stimulating. Everything was initiated by the observations of each child. The children learned to more carefully observe their natural surroundings, and to have their preconceptions challenged. For example, they could go see purple leaves, learning that leaves are not only green. I also worked with the women's group, which made puppets and dolls, and a group of artisans in Bayal that uses local materials in their work (photos, catalogs, signs, handbags). These two were already very organized, and my interventions were solely in terms of production to communicate the NGO's message. ArtCorps is very useful in recreating a forgotten dynamic in community and social work, and that it is vital to incorporate it into life - into any life. And that this can bring strength to the all too forgotten developing countries. Communication with ArtCorps was difficult, and I felt somewhat alone, which complicated my start, when support is most needed. That said, the NGO supported me a lot and the mid-term visit in Antigua with the other artists and Blanca Estela was a positive experience overall. The work was effective in the community. Working with a well-established NGO allowed for a solid presence in the community. In return, I was able to raise consciousness about the NGO's work on environment conservation and preservation.

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