Young Gardens of Lebanon

The gardens of Lebanon are blooming again!

Do you remember our last year's exhibition "Gardens of Lebanon"? The project is continued, and this time kids from Poland and Lebanon create "Young Gardens of Lebanon".

In Poland - for now, 5 artists - art teachers - participating in the "Gardens" are involved in activities in Poland (I. Janowska - Primary School No. 13 Siemianowice, A. Chrzanowska Małys - Studio ACM Gliwice, J. Korzeniowska - Pałac Młodych Katowice, M. Sołtysik – Pałac Młodzieży Katowice, M. Sontag - SP "Płomień" Katowice). From May to October, they will conduct classes bearing the "Young Gardens of Lebanon" logo in their studios, cultural centers and studios (the plan is to create a photo gallery of these activities). We already have the first works!

In Lebanon, we had our first meeting with 10 kids and parents at the Mar Mkhayel Cultural Center in Beirut.
Chloe Younes – coordinator of „Young Gardens” in Beirut: „We were nervous about no one actually showing up but people started showing up, one family after the other. An introduction was made about Domus Orientalis and where we work. Then, another introduction was made about Magda and how she started the mother project Gardens of Lebanon that from it came our new project Young Gardens”.

Introductions were made and then our art teacher Romy Karam who gave a glimpse into the history of art, a small history about cubism and realism and explained to the children what will she be teaching them in the upcoming workshops.

Chloe aslo told to the families that we knew them from previous projects we had helped them with. She also told to an Ukrainian family that attended that we were helping their people back home in Ukraine, that we are not strangers to them.

Sumar Sleem – Head of Misson of Domus Orientalis in Lebanon and Syria: „We can feel there’s a story behind each young talent. One is an MMA champion  and painter at the same who believes she needs to express herself. Another is a young teenager who lost both her parents in the blast. Father died immediately but mother stayed in coma for months before dying. Her aunt is raising her bow. We know them since a long time but provided them with support. One is the daughter of our first beneficiaries in restoration project and emergency
And others benefited from solar lamps offered as a part of Light for Beirut project”

Sumar adds very important words, which describes the core of the Mission of Domus Orientalis: „What we are offering then is targeting their human essence, dignity and value not their mere needs”
 

At the end it is worth to mention words of Magda Sontag – the founder of „Gardens”: „There is always something more important that money is needed for - education, health, vaccines - and that is obvious. But if at least one of these children works through some trauma during Romy activities, or leaves his pain in the painting, or finds hope and a way of expressing himself in art, then .... it was worth all our work!

Follow upp the blooming of Gardens! Soon we will be back to you with updates. And please check out here more infos about YBTE (Young Team of Domus Orientalis) and their projects in Lebanon.