Art by traumatized children basis for Modesto fundraiser

The children’s words express hurt.

“I don’t like it when they get drunk and do drugs. They act crazy.”

Frustration.

“I feel angry when someone makes fun of me because we live in a shelter.”

Hope.

“When someone is down, this monster helps them get back up.”

And artistic vision.

“I use the color brown because it is the color of dirt. Like rough times.”

The brief statements were taken from children in the ARK (Art Restores Kids) therapeutic program offered by the Stanislaus Family Justice Center. They accompany drawings that formed the foundation for Wednesday evening’s fifth annual Art of Justice show/sale fundraiser for the center.

The show, at Cressey Manor on 17th Street, features the children’s artwork alongside interpretations by adult artists. This year, the kids’ work inspired 87 pieces of art, valued at more than $24,000, said Cindy Schneider, director of Art Restores Kids and coordinator of Camp Hope for the Family Justice Center. A few already sold at a preview night, and a few others are being held back for auction, but art lovers looking to support a cause will have a range of artwork – painting, sculpture, fabric, metalwork, multimedia and more – to choose from, ranging from $15 to $2,100.

Children in the ARK program typically have experienced domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault or some other form of trauma, Schneider said. “People think kids are resilient, but when they go through this trauma, that keeps them at a very high level of anxiety,” she said.

In ARK, which has classes at the Family Justice Center and off-site at Wright and Wilson elementary schools, Modesto Gospel Mission and Healing Nations, various workshops let children express their feelings through artwork and talk about what they think and how they feel.

Some traumatized children have trouble behaving themselves in school, Schneider said, and ARK helps them self-regulate. They know they have to do well in school to attend the workshops. “I’ve even had kids tell me that when they’re sick, they want to come to school because they don’t want to miss the opportunity,” she said.

Many of the kids’ pieces at this year’s Art of Justice event were done in workshops titled “Heart Stories,” “Monster in Me,” “Wearing Different Faces” and “The Scream,” based on Edvard Munch’s famed 1893 painting.

In the latter workshop, “we talk about the appropriateness of screams,” Schneider said, “like if someone tells you not to scream, like if a stranger is coming to get you and they say don’t scream. We’re giving kids the message that there are times that you need to use your voice, you need to scream.

“Then we’ll go out with paper bags and they will scream in the bag, they will practice screaming. Then when they come back to the workshop and they have their paper and paints, we tell them to imagine that their scream is captured in the bag and they’re going to pour it out on the paper. When they’re screaming, we talk about visualizing: What colors did you see, how did that scream feel, what did you think about that?

She pointed to the words of one little girl that accompany her artwork: “I use dark colors because when I scream I feel like I’m screaming out dark colors.”

In January, the Family Justice Center held this year’s “choosing night” for artists, where they “pick the piece that speaks to them,” said Shneider, who then gave each artist a color photocopy of the child’s work for reference. In some cases, the link between a child’s work and the interpretation is obvious; in other cases, it’s anything but.

Russ Owens is one of several artists to interpret “aggressive coloring” warm-up exercises done by kids. Basically, it’s crayon scribbling that lets the children release feelings and energy. The piece Owens chose was accompanied by the young artist’s words, “Something in your body is making you crazy.”

Owens titled his mixed-media piece, in which some of the scribbling is represented by actual barbed wire, “Guarded.” His statement that hangs next to his artwork reads in part, “ ‘Something in your body is making you crazy’ translates to me that the Earth is a beautiful place with a lot to offer, but there are so many things that if we allow in ... will drive us crazy.”

Modesto artist Chella has been painting for Art of Justice all five years. “I just enjoy looking at their artwork and finding how much they can express so freely and spontaneously.”

She interprets the children’s work in her own style, which is plein air and sometimes nonobjective and nonrepresentational, she said. This year, she chose a 10-year-old’s simple drawing of an angry person with the words “It is a guy with bad feelings.”

“When I interpreted that, I said to myself, well, under this bad feeling there’s good feelings,” said Chella, who worked the words “Under bad is good” into her painting. “I wanted to make it a positive work, so I made it brighter and more joyful.”

Of Art of Justice, she added, “I really think it’s a good cause and I look forward to it every year.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Art by traumatized children basis for Modesto fundraiser."