Our Children Through Art
-Frida Kahlo
“Feet: what do I need them for when I have wings to fly?”
Much as Frida Kahlo refused to let her imagination be grounded, the children who come to Cayuga Centers hold on to their hopes and dreams, despite the hardships they have been through. It is the job of our dedicated team of educators, therapists, case managers, and support staff, to help these children express themselves – a vital step towards healing. One vital way to do that is through art. A child’s pleasure in art might come from splashing paint, or squeezing clay. But through such play, testimonies often emerge. The pieces in this exhibition express, encapsulate and put out into the universe many of the unspoken truths that circulate in our children’s minds every day. Truths that more often than not, remind us of the sobering reality of their experiences, which every day we’re helping them to move on from. I hope that you will find the artwork here as moving as I do. Edward Myers Hayes President and CEO, Cayuga Centers
The Planet
Many of our children are transitioning from one place in the world to another, and due to this constant movement, The Planet project aims at giving our children a sense of belonging in this big, unexpected world. Children marked three spots on the globe to represent the places they came from, where they are right now, and where they want to be. .
“Right now I’m in New York, but the dad of my baby is in Connecticut. That’s where I hope I’ll end up” says 15-year-old Glendy, one of the young women in our Mommy and Me program, which pairs underage mothers with a foster home that specializes in caring for both mother and baby.
Paper Houses
“Can my house have 20 windows?” asked 12-year-old Esperanza while listening to instructions for this project. “As many as you like,” answered her art teacher with an approving smile.
“Many of the children creating these pieces have never had a stable home,” said art teacher and exhibit curator Ana Negron, and because of this, her team invited youth to create the house they hope to one day live in.
The Glass House
Certain colors hold different significance for people around the world. In some places, a color might be used to reflect a certain emotion. Others may hold a religious or cultural meaning. The Glass House project challenged our children to think about which colors they felt best represent them, and through colorful self-portraits, think about the many different emotions one color can express. “Miss, I’m using red because today I’m feeling passionate,” said 6-year-old Mariana when her art teacher asked what the color red presents to her. “Color coding and the infinite options that come with mixing them, is a tool of expression that leads us to better understand the experience of our children,” said art therapist Mellissa Ulloa. “This is a nuanced experience that only certain organizations such as ours have taken active steps to consider.”
“Color coding and the infinite options that come with mixing them is a tool of expression that leads us to better understand the experience of our children.”
Quilt
“Flags serve as symbols that help children from different regions in the world recognize and identify themselves,” said Ana Negron, the teacher leading the quilt project, “but national flags represent a country. We want our children to have a symbol of representation that doesn’t tie them to a geographical place.” .
By eliminating the preconceived meaning of flags, this project is a way to erase borders which might limit our children’s imagination. Art teachers encouraged the children to create a personal flag that uniquely represents them, and as such, introduce them to the concept of connectivity through individuality.
Envelopes of Hope
In the spirit of free expression, our children wrote letters in the form of a picture about a fond memory they had while at Cayuga Centers. “I’m painting my letter blue. That’s my grandmother’s favorite color. Maybe one day she will get to see it,” said Carlos, an 8-year-old from Guatemala who has been with us for 3 weeks, and who was raised by his grandmother while his parents worked in the US. “With this interactive piece, we want to challenge viewers to rethink what we as adults consider unmemorable and what, in the eyes of a child, may become something to remember forever,” said David Criollo, the art teacher leading this project.
Cultural Masks
In different carnivals and festivals around Latin America, it is common to see people wearing masks representative of each country’s unique culture. Rather than flags or idioms, our young artists explored new ways that a mask could represent their country of origin.
“I think people from my country must really like cows because that’s all I saw in the festivals while in Honduras,” said 11-year-old Carmen, who expressed a sense of pride while making a unique mask about her native country.
“By using everyday materials and finding alternative ways to connect with their sense of nationality, we wanted our children to find different ways of expression, and through it challenge themselves to explore their cultural belonging without having to use words.”
Infinite Sky
For this piece, the children painted two complementary portraits – one of the sky as they remember it in their home country, and another of the sky as they see it in New York City. “I miss how beautiful the sunsets were in San Miguel. Everything is blue here and you never see the sun,” said 12-year-old Rodrigo, who has not been able to adjust himself to the New York City winter and who is eagerly awaiting reunification with his family back in El Salvador. This juxtaposition of skies illustrates how a child’s perspective and memory can be altered depending on their circumstances. “Not everyone will hear the birds singing or feel the warmth of the sun when there are other aspects affecting your life,” says art teacher Jasmira Torres. “This is especially true for children whose only wish is to be back home with their families.”
Monster Names
To highlight the importance of out-of-the-box thinking, the Monster Names project asked children to reimagine their names without using letters and instead create a wooden monster that represents this reimagination. “What if instead of an S I write a comma and add it to a leg?” asked Santiago, a 15-year-old who recently arrived from El Salvador and who is moving to New Jersey next week to be reunited with his aunt. “We wanted them to find meaning even in the oddest of shapes, to challenge themselves and find beauty and creativity through negative spaces,” said David Criollo, the art teacher leading this project.
Giving Hands
“Because the intuition of childhood is so often taken for granted, we wanted to create a piece that reflected that,” said art teacher Ana Negron while explaining the thought process behind this art piece. “This piece serves as a metaphor for the sincerity and wit we are constantly receiving from them.” Through sculptures of tiny, extended hands, the teachers and students created a physical representation of all the things children give to teachers every day.
The joint effort between teachers and children represents a continuous giving and receiving, a giving that we as an organization, hope to always return.
The Creators – The Children of Cayuga Centers
UC Program – 140 participants
The 140 Unaccompanied Children working on this project are between the ages of 5 and 16 and most of them have migrated from countries in Central America. Through the UC program, we aim to not only give them temporary relief in a bilingual foster home but to offer them learning and therapeutic support while we work to reunite them with a sponsor or parent. Presently, the average length of stay is under one month.ACS Program – 6 participants
The 6 children working on this art project have come to us through a program we created in conjunction with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). This program serves New York City youth and their families and through it, we provide youth with a safe foster home, medical care, and psychological support in order to help them reach their life goals and full potential.Address
101 Hamilton Ave, Auburn, NY 13021 (315)253.5383Follow
About Cayuga Centers We’re a nonprofit organization that aims at helping children and families grow as independent, healthy and productive individuals through a variety of services such as therapy, education, and foster care. By doing this work, our goal is to become a beacon of hope for all the families and individuals in our communities.