The Football Foundation of South Africa, a non-profit organisation situated in Gansbaai aims to promote social integration by empowering the youth, using sport as a vehicle for change. They recently organised a sports-and-art event, working in collaboration with artist and photographer, Jared Aufrichtig.
Organisers had noticed how local art and entertainment resources were limited, with children living in the Gansbaai area having almost no access to art classes or supplies. To respond to this issue, they organised a creative workshop for Gansbaai’s local youth community that encouraged self-expression and artistic fun. During the week-long project, children, with Jared as their mentor, collectively painted a large and colourful mural.
Jared Aufrichtig, an artist based in Cape Town but originally from Long Beach, California, looks for connections between art, photography, surfing, skateboarding and music. He’s a sponsored surfer and skateboarder, as well as an accomplished musician and DJ. His varied portfolio of work jumps between South Africa and the US but he’s particularly interested in our edgy and inspiring youth culture.
Jared began each day with hands-on lessons about mixing colours and painting, while also focussing on the meaning and importance of art. Working in scheduled groups, the children were able to move between painting, learning and playing, with each day jam-packed with engaging activities. The main event, painting the mural, taught the importance of working together to produce a single piece of art, learning from each other and Jared, as the workshop progressed.
The children were given freedom to add to the mural, teaching that there is no “wrong” or “right” art. Once it was complete, Jared named the piece “A Multicoloured Family”, which speaks of accepting difference and diversity – a message relevant throughout South Africa.
Documenting the FFSA’s Mural Project, Jared shot a black and white series on his late grandfather’s 50+ year-old Leica M3.
Find out more about the workshop from the Kickstarter campaign and their Tumblr account.
Source: http://10and5.com/
