Building a better society through the arts
The magic of creativity lies in the hope and eagerness that grow in us when we think that those tiny seeds we plant might turn into something big and beautiful.
With this philosophy as its foundation, Lon-art.org, an organisation that aims to educate and create social awareness through the arts, held its first social exhibition, Seeds of Creativity, in April this year in London.
For this first of many exhibitions to come, Lon-art.org gave visibility to lesser-known artists. One of the artists invited was Ana Caro, the young Colombian student who directed “The Magnificient Lion Boy”, the only UK film selected for the Cinéfondation category at the Cannes Film Festival 2013.
Along with Ana, Di García, María Gilino, Carolina Gutiérrez, María Jacas, Jaime Millán and Mikey Watts offered workshops in seven different artistic disciplines (animation, satirical caricature, pastels, plasticine, ceramics, film and illustration), so that both children and adults could share their own understanding of the concept of the exhibition. These workshops ranged from the deconstruction of the concept of plates as a symbol of women’s domestic slavery, to the use of illustration to caricature the sometimes ridiculous politics we witness daily. The results of all the workshops were displayed during the exhibition, creating an organic whole with the pieces displayed by the artists.
Education and critical thinking are the keys to freedom. Lon-art.org is deeply aware of this and has been working since 2009 to make education more accessible through the arts. We hope that, one day, our seeds will grow into the empowerment of the groups and communities with which we work.
During the exhibition, other London-based organisations sowed their seeds of creativity with Lon-art.org. Among others, Lon-art.org collaborated with 3Space, a charity that offers organisations that benefit the community temporary access to empty properties free of charge, as well as The Freedom Arts Projects, a community of musicians, artists, filmmakers and storytellers that wants to create an environment in which all young people can experience freedom in expression.
The global society in which we live today can provide us with many opportunities. However, without education, critical thinking and, of course, creativity, such opportunities slip away from us. As flowers need time to grow and bloom, the better, more integrated society that Lon-art.org works to build will need time to grow. In the meantime, we will keep sowing our seeds of creativity.