No matter how salom is spelled or pronounced or the particular language or variation it is of,  we understand this greeting as a universal acknowledgement of one another. Literally translated to English, we are greeting each other with  “peace.”

Today’s camp whirled into a surprise magic carpet ride, sweeping us all the way to Bukhara alongside storytellers, Robert and Kelly. Accompanied by trusty guide and Bactrian camel, Pistachio, we traveled ancient trade routes making up the heart of The Silk Road. For thousands of years these trade routes aided in the global exchange of material goods, stories, ideas, religion, language, and all other forms of creative endeavors eventually criss-crossing and weaving throughout the world.  Like the United States, Central Asian countries are infused with a diverse and global array of people and art – and over many thousands of years.

Color groups “caravanned” through camp Monday to sample studios.  Today we heard the beginning to this week’s story The Golden Knucklebones and started making camp t-shyurts! Campers design personal camp t-shirts with tazhib, a traditional form of Persian design that exist in every literally every aspect of Persian life from architecture and dance to calligraphy and food!  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 and music to her favorite childhood song “I’m happy and I’m laughing and I’m grateful for the life . . .!”

ART CAMP IN HAITI EXCHANGE
Campers learned about our latest project beginning with a slideshow of children in Peru.  Campers noticed what they were looking at . . .was a reflection of themselves at Grace Art Camp!  And they were right. The images are from two art camps that were held in the Colca Valley one year after a team of artists and counselors went to Peru to share a 3-day art camp with local artists, teachers, and children.

The idea of sharing the Grace Art Camp experience with Haitian artists and children was seeded by Judy Prosper, an enthusiast and friend of Grace Institute, in collaboration with the generosity and commitment of Georges and Poupette Chemaly who will host a small delegation of Portland and Haitian artists at their home in Pierre Payen, providing a place for an art camp take place. With their inspiration, vision, and dedication, the local children will have the opportunity to explore their own creative side. In the spirit of  genuine exchange, we will also want to sponsor 1 or 2 Haitian artists to come to Grace Art Camp in Portland!

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