This past weekend, local organization Art With A Mission-Charlottesville debuted its latest exhibit, “Gukiza (to heal): The Art of Rwandan Children” at the McGuffey Art Center. The exhibit features artwork from Rwandan youth who have been working together through Rwanda’s Art With A Mission program.
Renee Balfour, director and founder of Art With A Mission-Charlottesville, has spent a lot of time in Rwanda, partnering with the country’s branch of the organization and the U.Va. Center for Global Health. She has worked extensively with youth-headed households — living arrangements run by people under the age of 25. There are an estimated 100,000 youth-headed households in Rwanda, Balfour said.
Through the Rwanda Arts Collaborative, youth heads of household have been introduced to the visual arts and have been able to open new revenue streams to help their families.
There are more than 100 of these paintings currently on display at the McGuffey Center, and the earnings from each painting sold goes directly to the childrens’ aid. Along with the paintings, the exhibit includes photographs and quotes from the young artists.
“No matter what condition the environment is in, there’s something about about the arts that is essential to the human spirit,” said April Ballard, coordinator of the Center for Global Health.
The exhibit runs until Oct. 27, and the Rwanda Arts Collaborative is currently offering classes in painting, dance, sculpture, poetry, paper making, collage and more. Each class is free and will be documented as a parallel to all the work being created in Rwanda.
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