Art Camp started in a whirl  with a surprise magic carpet ride that landed us in Bukhara. Accompanied by the trusty Bactrian camel, Pistachio, we explored stories, melodies, and art found in the multi-layers of history along the ancient trade routes known as The Silk Road.

We learned that “salom” is one way to say “hi” along the many trades routes through out Central Asia as well as many other places in the world.  No matter how this word is spelled or pronounced,  we understand this greeting as a universal acknowledgement of one another – it translates literally into “the absence of conflict” or “peace.”

This week’s tale from Afghanistan, The Carpet of Dreams, has inspired ruby glass pendants, individually designed ceramic coins and tiles, camels made from upside down handprints and dressed in an array of caravan finery, as well as Uzbek handpuppets, dancing and percussion with zils, theatrical renditions of this week’s story parts, to name  just a bit.

In the t-shyurt studio campers design personal camp t-shirts with tazhib, a traditional form of Persian design that exist in every aspect of Persian life from architecture and dance to calligraphy and music, infusing movement, poetry, smell, everything!  Marjan Anvari, an artist from Iran, and this summer’s Guest Artist-in-Residence, shares her love and expertise of tazhib as well as the words to her favorite childhood song translating  to “I’m happy and I’m laughing and I’m grateful for the life . . .!”

Today campers learned about Art Camp in Haiti, our latest project that includes all of us!!

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