Expressive Arts Nepal: The Journey Continues!

Today!  Today, as I look back at the fruit Vulnerability brings forth,  Today!
We began our gofundme campaign to support Year 2: Establishing Expressive Arts Nepal!

Expressive Arts Nepal: Expressive Arts for Inner Peace and Community Health
This campaign is raising funds to support the establishment of Nepali owned and organized healing efforts and peacebuilding work in Nepal.

Our PartnershipSadhana Thapa, the President of Expressive Arts Nepal, lecturer for the Bachelors of Social Work program at Bright Vision International College in Nepal, and worker with Read Nepal, strives to establish pathways for whole and peaceful living for all Nepali people. 
Rev. Mary Putera, faculty member with European Graduate School Arts Health and Society Division, and PhD candidate in Expressive Arts is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Social Justice Artist/activist and Community Peace worker with 20 years of experience in culturally diverse settings. 
Two years ago Sadhana and Mary met in Nepal through Expressive Arts work efforts. During that time, Sadhana shared her dream to become an Expressive Arts therapist and begin an Expressive Arts Center in Nepal. In 2015 with the help of  an extraordianry team of Nepali people and generous economic supporters, the work began.

Expressive Arts Nepal, in its first year, provided 2 professional training for Nepali leaders in the fields of Social Work, Education, Health Care and Trauma Recovery work.  Expressive Arts Practice workshops have been held in a variety of settings including schools, hospitals, rural village gatherings recovering from natural disasters and safe houses. Supervision and support as Sadhana Thappa and her team engage the work are also in place.
YEAR TWO!Goals:
Sadhana Thappa will begin her Masters In Expressive Arts Therapy at the Eurpean Graduate School in June of 2016.
Bi-monthly Expressive Arts Practice studios will be in place.
Two 5 day intensive courses: Principles and Practices of Expressive Arts Therapy and Community Art for Social Transformation and Peacebuilding will be provided.
Four practicum experiences will also be provided as experiential learning opportunities in conjunction with each of these courses.

All Funds Raised designated as follows:$3,500 to provide 1/2 of Ms. Thappa's Educational expenses.
$1,000 to cover operating expenses including rental of office space, and internet service, and provision of Bi-monthly Expressive Arts practice for Asha Nepal, an organization caring for human trafficking survivors.
$5,000 to cover all expenses for the two 5 day training intensives described above including travel costs for the instructer, rental space of the training facility and art materials needed.
Our goal is to have all funds raised by June!

Equipping Nepali people with the practice of Expressive Arts and Community Art is to support the healing of Nepal and expand the efficacy of Global Healing and Peacebuilding.  All people groups, have within them, deeply unique art offerings needing pathways of expression and sharing for the sake of the healing of our world. Expressive Arts Nepal, as an orgainzation, is a pathway for the living artistry of Nepali people to be fostered and shared for the sake of local and Global healing and Peace.Sadhana and I are so grateful to receive every contribution no matter the size!  Please join our efforts today!  Consider giving
a One time gift!
Monthly Support!
Periodically as you are able!
Donation to this gofundme campaign directly!  gofund.me/p5u74qd4
Or:
To Make a Tax Deductable donation: 
checks may be sent to: 
Sunset Covenant Church
18555 NW Rock Creek Blvd.
Portalnd, Oregon 97229

Please know we are so grateful for every dollar given!
Together may we be Living Artistry!

Hope Rising Amidst Balance That comes through sensing!

Dear Friends,

I have returned from Nepal four months ago and today.

In my last blog, before leaving I wrote, "Peace is like Joy, flowing from the abundance of God's goodness experienced within around and through us, while in the company of one another.  This kind of peace is like laughter erupting from the belly!  Song leaping from the lungs! Colors VIBRANT and radiance dancing through space, embodied beauty in all human forms."

Upon my return, I would add "Peace comes as we engage in the hard work of self exposure repeatedly with a group of people over time, in particular space, amidst a deepening hope, bathed in prayer, and budding faith that we all are living artistry!"

As I arrived in Nepal, I had no idea how "cracks" would become the foundation of my experience, literally! The Introduction to Expressive Art Therapy and Community Art Practice for Peace courses would be held in a location that was full of cracks from the earthquake and aftershocks, and yet safe enough to hold us for a week before it was demolished.  We gathered, all 25 of us, our lives cracking open with curiosity about what our time together would be like and become!  These cracks, places where we were all willing to engage in something new, would become OPENINGS for self-disclosure, discovery, distinctive identity and group cohesion! Our cracking open into new experiences of art making became holding basins of our song, silence, drawing, painting, poetry and masterful making of wholeness from pieces. Yes CRACKS became Openings though which gifts could emerge! Cracks, became friendly openings just the right size for us to risk presenting ourselves in various modalities of expression welcoming the art emerging.

Our first day ended with everyone feeling a little bit "shaky".  We were crossing from the landscape of expectations into explorations and possibilities, and it was hard work.  This was a class like no other for these Masters of Social Work students, professors, professionals and school principles.  It was a class like no other for me as well.  So much deconstruction of original expectations, pedagogy, and plans had happened, the uneasiness, even queasiness  that comes when venturing into territory unknown was fully present by the end of the day! I had introduced Expressive Art practice in the room and the vulnerability of each one was palpable!  The Art had begun to emerge even through the noise of personal defenses that appeared as constant talking or perpetual silence, staying in previously established friendship packs, even role taking such as being the "helper" rather than participator.   And thats when I knew, we would be OK!  In the art emerging, people were being cracked open and that which was in them and within the group was being made visible, sensible through sound, movement colors and play! Here are a few pictures of the first day.

Our first skill came that very first day! We experienced within ourselves the strength to show up in the midst of difficulty!  We decided within us and amongst us we had the strength to continue saying yes to new experiences, new levels of exposure, and new places of vulnerability.  It was so much fun and so scary!  

Isn't this life though?  Wherever we go,  we are faced with people different from us,  aren't we?  Our everyday lives are filled with cross cultural challenges that we may accept of block.  We are faced with experiences and opportunities to risk curiosity and the potential that what we "know" may be challenged by what we experience as we engage with people different from ourselves!  This group of Nepali people amazed me with their courage, commitment, and care for one another and the process and me!  It is a joy to share what Hope Rising Amidst becomes when we engage the very center of ourselves, our living artistry! Stay tuned! There is more to come! And hopefully more to inspire!

Joy fill you!

Mary