April 15th Update

I just wanted to reach out with a quick update on how things are going with our help to Ukraine and the refugees fleeing to Latvia.

We keep funding families with first aid help, as a lot of them show up with just the clothing that they have on. We are finding safe homes to stay in, some of the families are staying in apartments where we cover the cost (the owners are giving big discounts), we also have been paying for hostels before we can start looking for a more suitable place.

Several of the families have found jobs at the local day care, giving private piano classes etc. It is amazing how resilient these mothers are, they are very focused and want to work as soon as possible to take care of their children and themselves and not wanting to ask for more help. I am personally in contact with several moms and not once they reached out to ask for more assistants, (i keep checking on them) not only i truly feel for them, I also admire and respect the way they are going about these unthinkable circumstances.

We also have been supporting this amazing volunteer Victor, he has a van that he fills up with first aid and delivers to Ukraine, on the way back he brings as many refugees as he can.

We are in contact with Evas friends in Kharkov hospital, sending support as we can. Eva's mom is still in Kharkov as well, still in her apartments with all her animals, Eva is not able to talk her into trying to get out, but she is safe as she can be.

I keep getting sweet messages and photos, so I wanted to make sure, I forward these to you, as you are the reason these people have much better circumstances in this hard time they’re going through. And I also want to be very transparent with what we are doing with the funds and how we are helping, so if you ever have any questions, please reach out.

At this moment, we have enough funds to keep doing what we are doing. BIG Thank you for that!


Big shout out to my friends in Latvia, who are there and taking Ukrainian people in, organizing their paperwork, going to job interviews, supporting them in sickness and just being there, listening and inviting them into their homes. So much love and kindness.

Our future hope, at Art Makes You, is to restart art camps/art therapy for kids with war trauma in Ukraine and Latvia.

http://artmakesyou.org/art-camps

I hope everyone is having a peaceful Easter weekend. All our thoughts are with the people in Ukraine.


March 21st Update

Dear friends,

New update on our work since the last post two weeks ago. Crazy to think that the war started almost a month ago!

I have to say, the only silver lining in this madness is the unbelievable solidarity humans are sharing right now, as the only difference between us and people in Ukraine, is the fact that we are living in a free and safe country, our kids are safe and no one is destroying our homes.
Thank you again and again to everyone who feels the same and wants to do something to better the situation, thanks for your ongoing support.
Donated money goes a long way, I personally assure you, that the funds are going towards organizations and friends who we personally know, no other way, as unfortunately there are a lot of fake charities on the rise using the situation.

I also have to say a BIG thanks to several of my dear friends back in Latvia - Dagnija, Laura, Edite and Linda who I'm in close contact with and are taking their time and efforts being the "boots on the ground" and connecting refugees with housing, first aid, medicine, food, clothing and simply sitting down and being their shoulder to lean on. Truly, you are the heroes! Proud to support you!

We are continuing donating funds to Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services in Ukraine feeding people on the streets in Lviv, Ukraine.


Sharing funds with Latvian doctor associates who are leaving to Ukraine to volunteer in children's hospitals and taking a lot of supplies with them.
As the local government in Latvia is getting tight with their budget and space and can't accommodate Ukrainian refugees, ( Latvia is not that big, less than 2 million) a lot of people are stepping up and opening their homes and taking in families. We are in contact with several families and are supporting them with daily expenses to make this easier on their family budgets.
Just recently we have discovered an amazing organization "Attistibai un nakotnei" who has shifted gears and is now supporting refugees by opening their office building for 59 Ukraininas 20 of them are children and while they are waiting for more normal accommodation, it's a good and safe space with beds and meals provided.

We are supporting the organization "Lidojosie Engeli" - several amazing women are organizing First aid supplies and delivering them to Ukraine as well as gathering anything needed for refugees in Latvia.


Also, supporting the Meduza Project - independent Russian journalists relocated to Latvia to continue their very important work - informing and delivering the truth to Russian people.

On a very personal note, Eva's mom is still in her apartment in Kharkiv with her dogs and cats refusing to leave.
My home in Latvia is full with kiddos and their moms, no idea what the future holds. The nearby school is holding about ten more families and I have neighbors close by opening their homes so there is a new community that can support each other.
Lots of conversations with family and friends these days, lots of dark thoughts and anger. How this will end is hard to project, but we do realize, Putin will not stop at nothing, there is no common sense. But like I said, I do believe and constantly witnessing the good in people, the good is a lot, a lot more than anything else.
Please reach out to me, if you have any other ideas for support and ways to help. I'm also open to any questions you might have, any comments. I would also be happy to share specific contacts you might want to reach out to yourself and donate.
THANK YOU!

Here is a link to the last update for those who would like to read: http://artmakesyou.org/blog

Helping Ukraine First Update

We want to start by saying THANK YOU, for caring and supporting. We are beyond grateful! Here are some updated on work we have done so far:

Updates on Kharkiv, Ukraine.

As of 03/11 Eva and I are working on establishing connections within the Ukrainian volunteer groups in Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities besides actively providing housing and additional essential support to the Ukrainian refugees in Latvia.

We have partnered up with the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services in Ukraine (CF SSS), a non-profit NGO specializing in building governmental capacity to protect rights and provide social services to conflict-affected individuals. Right now they are able to provide meals for approximately 500 people daily, 2 euros per person.

We are in contact with Eva's friend Victoria, she is working and living now with her interns in Kharkiv hospital. We are sending funds to her personal account, so she can share the support with people who need it right away.


In Latvia, we are helping several families in SOS ciemats https://www.sosbernuciemati.lv/en as they arrive from Ukraine. We have several amazing volunteers helping to prepare beds, food and make sure families are safe and feed.

We are financially supporting several Latvian families who have taken in refugees in their homes to make this easier on everyone. I have to add that Ukrainian people are very proud and grateful and don't want to be taken care of, a lot of them are looking for jobs and ways to make their own money and support their families. We all admire their strength.

Our goal is to establish a long-term partnership with the organizations and individuals who have access to children affected by the current situation in Ukraine.

As Eva's mom is still in Ukraine and is refusing to leave her animals behind, (5 dogs, 15 cats and the numbers are growing) we are supporting several animal shelters in her name.

With all of your help, we sent financial aid to the three privately owned animal shelters in Kharkiv, Ukraine. All three volunteer-run facilities are located in the war zone and, at this point, are overwhelmed with the number of abandoned animals. Your donation today helped feed over 100 dogs and more than 150 cats.

Shchyro Dyakuemo! Thank you! Paldies!


Inese & Eva

Art Makes You in Ukraine in times of epidemic.

It’s been a while since we have updated our news feed with any latest stories on work we do in Ukraine. Art Makes You have supported several art camps and visits to orphanages, created art with children with disabilities, provided art supplies to families in need.

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Our Art Makes You leader in Ukraine -  Katya with orphanage kiddos and their teachers,  2020

Our Art Makes You leader in Ukraine - Katya with orphanage kiddos and their teachers, 2020

Everyone is happy when the belly is full and you can focuse on a fun art activity.

Everyone is happy when the belly is full and you can focuse on a fun art activity.

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Over 1000 masks

Have been handmade and delivered to children to keep them safe and healthy.

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Play sets for kids who can’t leave the premises

During the epidemic, there are a lot of children with special needs who can’t leave the house or hospital they are located. Katya is hand making these soft play sets for kids to have some fun to play with.

Art Makes You in Latvia

As the schools are planing to be closed till the end of the school year, children are not receiving as much creative time. We delivered art supplies that will last for a long time. These will be delivered to families in need of an extra support over the times of epidemic.


Delivering ART Supplies in times of COVID-19

It has been a very challenging times for many families who are going trough this time of epidemic. No schools means also no daily exposure of any art classes. We are working to change that. We are purchasing and delivering art supplies to children here in US, Washington as well as Ukraine and Latvia.

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To make this more fun…

We are including children in to packing and organizing the packages.

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We say - happy kids, happy life!



Summer Art Camps Coming up!

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3rd Art Makes You SUMMER Art Camps are coming up in July 12 & 13th in Jūrmalā, Latvia. 

Art Makes You mākslas dienas ir divu dienu pasākums, kura laikā dažādu mākslas jomu pārstāvji iepazīstinās jauniešus ar savu profesiju un iesaistīs praktiskās nodarbībās, lai sniegtu plašāku ieskatu par jomas būtību un ikdienu.

Pasākuma laika jauniešiem ir iespēja tikties ar dažādiem māksliniekiem, kā piemēram aktieri, horeogrāfi un dejotāju, gleznotāju, grima mākslinieku, fotogrāfu, gleznotāju, mūziķiem un citu jomu pārstāvjiem. Trīs jauniešiem būs iespēja iegūt Art Makes You stipendiju, kas finansē interešu izglītību jaunieša izvēlētajā mākslas veidā viena mācību gada ietvaros.

Mākslas dienas notiks 2017 gada 12. un 13. jūlijā, pulksten 9.40 – 17.00 Jūrmalas Mākslas skolā, Dubultos. Pasākuma laikā tiks nodrošināta ēdināšana, mākslinieku vadītas nodarbības un tām nepieciešamie rekvizīti. Nepieciešamības gadījumā tiks organizēts transports, kas jauniešus nogādā uz pasākuma norises vietu Jūrmalā, nosakot visām pusēm ērtu pulcēšanās vietu.

*Pasākums ir organizācijas Art Meks You sponsorēts. 

Jūrmalas Mākslas Skola 

Jūrmalas Mākslas Skola 

VISIEM MŪSU MĀKSLINIEKIEM, LIELS PALDIES PAR PIEDALĪŠANOS UN ATSAUCĪBU! 

ART MAKES YOU - INESE & ANTRA

Summer Art Camp Recap / Getting Ready for Winter Art Camps 2017!

DO WHAT YOU LOVE.

While a lot of people have been caught up in the presidential campaign, we are focusing on our own #DOWHATYOULOVE campaign, that will support our upcoming Art Makes You Winter Art Camps for underprivileged children. 

We had a blast in our Art Makes You Summer camps here in US with Solid Ground children in Seattle (Building community to end poverty).  We had a Photography intro class with Inese Westcott capturing our own portraits, painting project with amazing Kimberly Adams and drama class with Olga Rublinetska.  Thank you to our partners Toys for Kids local organization. 

In Latvia, Jurmala, we had several day camp introducing children with Dance, Acting, Painting, Photography, Music, Design and Makeup art.  We are truly thankful to the best of the best art professionals who shared their time and talent with children: Andrejs Zavadskis - photo, Liga Liberte - dance, Anita Intaite - makeup art, Agnese Rancane - graphic design, Kristpas Rasims - acting, Gundega Duduma - painting, Annija Putnina - performing arts. And our awesome hosts Kaspars Zlidnis and Valters Fridenbergs. The big THANK YOU to our very own Antra Savlevica for putting this all in to action. 

Artists from Art Makes You summer camp Augusts, 2016

Artists from Art Makes You summer camp Augusts, 2016

Even more importantly, we all made new friendships, that makes this art camp experience even more fun and meaningful. 

Fall Art Makes You Art Camp in Ukraine is happening as I write this (Oct 28 - 30th). Will keep you up-to-date with more photos and info coming up.  

Now, to the next adventures - getting ready for ART MAKES YOU WINTER ART CAMPS 2017! 

If you want to support us and show your love, you can DONATE or purchase your very own DO WHAT YOU LOVE bracelet! 

Bracelet - DO WHAT YOU LOVE
$35.00

WHATEVER IT IS YOU LOVE DOING, REMIND YOURSELF TO DO IT MORE!

#DOWHATYOULOVEcamp 

By purchasing this bracelet, every $ goes toward our Winter ART MAKES YOU Art Camps, covering art supplies, space, food and all the necessities to make our Art Makes You art program happen. 

Art Makes You will add a card and fill it out by hand before sending it to the address(es) you specify upon checking out. We can send the cards directly to you or directly to the recipient... you choose upon checking out! 

100% of your donation directly funds Art Makes You programs

NOTE: If purchasing more than 10 bracelets, please email inese@artmakesyou.org to provide the names and addresses of each person. 

Bracelets are are 35 cm (13") long
HANDMADE ITEM

Material: embroidery floss

Quantity:
Add To Cart

It's been a GREAT year!

As Inese and I are getting deeper into the work mode planning our next fundraiser, I want to reflect on the absolutely amazing 2015 and all the great events that took place over the past year.

The Art Makes You community grew so much! We had the kindest, brightest and most wonderful people helping us along the way (and we appreciate EVERY SINGLE SOUL who contributed to our cause and made our dream come true!!!) It feels like we are on the right track in terms of finding our mission.  And I must admit it feels really good!

 Art is a powerful tool, especially when combined with noble mission. The AMY project was originally put together to serve the kids through art. Through Art To Hearts.  Oh, what a global pain it was to try to find the right way among the countless options! It took us some time and personal experience to shape up our idea into something that eventually became one of the most rewarding experiences! The idea of having art classes for underprivileged children was born over yet another cup of coffee during a very expressive argument and it just clicked as if it was meant to be all along. Inese kept generating ideas and I kept trashing them one-by-one until she said two words- ART CAMP! I think we both got incredibly excited to get a sense of being on to something. And so it begun

 Slowly, but surely we built up a circle of supporters who helped us during our first two fundraisers. Looking back at our very first event, we just cant not to take a moment and relive that awesome feeling of appreciation for all of the kindness, love and devotion that our family and close friends showed us by staying by our side making the Art Makes You dream possible. 

 In September of 2015 we had our third fundraiser. This time the number of attendees had almost doubled and we managed to raise more money then initially expected. 

The plan was to raise enough funds to sponsor three art camps for the children in need in USA, Latvia and Ukraine. With the help of our fantastic supporters, we were able to successfully have all three camps providing much needed relief and bringing unforgettable experience into the lives of over 60 children! Of course I have to mention all the adults who got involved in our project along the way, which Ill gladly do a little later.

 Our pilot camp took place in Riga, Latvia in November, 2015. Inese was restlessly working with her friends from Latvia organizing this amazing event; spooling up local celebrities to teach inspirational master-classes for the kids from the local orphanage and underprivileged families. Inese and her friend managed to get a local landmark, a grand city Library to host our two-day camp! I wish I was there, too! Here how Inese described both days of master-classes: 

“ Hello friends - we are happy to announce that our first Art Makes You Art Camp was a resounding success! We had thirty children ranging from 12-16 years old join us in the two-day experience. The children heard about photography, acting, culinary arts, music, dance, fashion design, and much more.  We were also privileged to have ten professional artists attend - sharing their backgrounds, what they did on a daily basis, and their vision for the arts.  From the photos and quotes below, it was a terrific experience, one we believe inspired the children to invest in their creative talent and shoot for their dreams.

...To inspire kids to shoot for their dreams! That is pricelessly what AMY is about. To give the kids the chance to dream, create, realize their dreams and dream some more! 

 Back to the art camps.

 The camp number two took place here, in Bellevue, WA. Since both of us, Inese and I, are coming from a completely different cultural upbringing, we were a little nervous preparing to work with the local kids. Our mission was clear and we were eager to meet with the children from the local organization, Atlantic Street Center, and have some great time teaching art, yet we had thousands little what ifs that added some adrenaline to our prep time. No matter how confident we were about our knowledge, intentions and our supporting team, we had no idea what kind of feedback we are about to get... And what we were about to get was beyond any words! 

Our students were so sincerely happy, curious and involved! Despite the fact that we all just met, by the end of the weekend we felt like weve been friends forever. We did some finger painting, danced, played, acted, laughed, we talked about nothing and everything! We thought we were teaching them while in reality the children were teaching usto find joy in the new experiences, to be brave, to go for it and be proud of the results! As adults, we tend to overthink, we judge and put stamps. Watching these kids interact was a powerful reminder of how the world was MEANT to function: work in a team, help each other, love, respect and enjoy every moment of it! It was wonderful in many ways and we are truly blessed to get the chance to be a part of such experience.

 Of course non of it would be possible without our amazing volunteers. The teaching crew has exceeded all of our expectations! 

 Over the course of the weekend, children have created an actual painting!  Using fingers instead of a brush and the real oil paints, guided by the outstanding artist, Kimberly Temper, our young artists completed their first team masterpiece-- The Colorful Forest!  Watching Kimberly work with the kids on their masterpiece was fascinating! Her talent and ability to engage everyone in the process were so contagious that we all left our fingerprint on the group painting. 

We definitely will repeat it, and it definitely will be with the one and only Kimberly Temper!

 Not only we got to paint together with the students, we also got to participate in a fun photography class!

 The photographer, who had previously taken all of our beautiful event pictures and whose talent is as big as her heart, Mallory McDonald, came to teach her class fully loaded with all kinds of fancy equipment, stands, props and other professional bells and whistles! Kids literally got to spend time behind and in front of the camera! (We are talking about a real professional camera with the lens bigger then some of the students)! Everybody got a great insight into a profession of a photographer and a model! Just check out our photo report.

We hope Mallory will keep documenting our events capturing all the beautiful faces and the important moments! 

 

Oh, the power of dance!

 We could not believe our luck when Natalya Zrazhevskaya and Umario Diallo, the nationally and internationally known ballroom dancers confirmed that they are coming to give an intro lesson to our students! Unfortunately, my vocabulary is quite limited when I try to describe what this couple does on stage. They take your breath away! And this is exactly what they did to all of us during their master-class. Non of the kids ever had any experience with the ballroom dancing before. So when this gorgeous couple started to move inviting the rest of us to follow, everybody just freeze unable to take our eyes of these two. Anyway, it did not take long for the kids to relax and join the action.)  What fun time we all had with Natalya and Umario!  The lesson ended with our newly trained hip-hop dancers performing (!!!) a piece that they have just learned with their skilled teachers. We were very impressed and certainly very proud!

Our April fundraiser will definitely be a major upgrade in many ways. There will be lots and lots of fun perks to look forward to. Perhaps we all will get to experience a little Tango?

 One of the most positive members of the AMY team volunteers - Olga Rublinetska. 

 I could go on and on describing the incredible variety of virtues and talents that this lady possesses! Olga is one of those people who are born to leave a mark and make a difference. She has a degree in Psychology, she is a dancer, a director, a writer, an actress, a social worker and so much more She is beyond altruistic, very charming and has an outstanding sense of humor. As you may imagine, having a person like Olga committing herself to volunteer our camp was very thrilling news.  Olga took on the most difficult part of our program - she incorporated elements of psychology into her drama classes! It was almost like watching a fascinating scientific experiment. Thanks to her teaching/directing/acting experience, she knew immediately how to find a right approach to every student. There was a lot of imagination, silliness and laughterinvolved. Just as we planned ( and hoped), by the end of our last day of the camp everyone were happy, exhausted, excited, sad to part and ready to meet again.

 

We would like to give our love and appreciation to our wonderful friends Lana Kao and Lana Neyolova, for assisting with the camp! Many thanks to the Birch Tree Academy, Bellevue, and for providing us with the amazing space!

 

Local Art Makes You Art Camp in (Bellevue, WA).

Over the weekend of November 7-8th, Birch Tree Academy has been such a great friend hosting quite a few kids and adults during the Art Makes You art camp. The feelings are completely overwhelming. We are incredibly happy, sad, exhausted, inspired and so on...I think during this two days we soaked in all the bright colors of art that our kids got to experience with our amazing teachers! Kimberly Tremper, Mallory Rae MacDonald, Olga Rublinetska, Natalya Zrazhevskaya, Umario Diallo, Lana Neyolova, Lana Kao Fauser, Inese Westcott, on behalf of the kids ( and adults) who participated in the camp - thank you for sharing your time and talents! For inspiring and giving the kids encouragement to dream and to go for it!

We got lucky to work with such a fun group of kids! Special thanks to Atlantic Street Center for the help with children.

"Thank you for hosting us over the weekend! Our youth had a great time with you and your staff, and learned invaluable lessons around art. We are very appreciative of the hospitality and accommodations your team showed our group over the weekend. Our youth walked away with increased confidence in their artwork, and a new found passion in exposure to possible different art outlets. Erica Lane/ Youth Development/ Atlantic Street Family Resource Center". 

Our next stop is Kharkov, Ukraine. The camp is coming up in December. Excited!

First Art Makes You Art Camp - SUCCESS!

Hello friends - we are happy to announce that our first Art Makes You Art Camp was a resounding success! 

We had thirty children ranging from 12-16 years old join us in the two-day experience. The children heard about photography, acting, culinary arts, music, dance, fashion design, and much more.  We were also privileged to have ten professional artists attend - sharing their backgrounds, what they did on a daily basis, and their vision for the arts.  From the photos and quotes below, it was a terrific experience, one we believe inspired the children to invest in their creative talent and shoot for their dreams.

Here's a photo of where the camp was held - in the National Library: 

National Library of Latvia 

National Library of Latvia 

We were lucky to have the special group of volunteers and children specialist who shared that the the event was not only interesting and insightful, but also very NEEDED for the children. 

From left to right: Antra, Kaspars, Inese, Aija, Inga and Sintija (taking the photo). 

From the Art Makes You team: THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!!

Our amazing Team in Latvia! 

Our amazing Team in Latvia! 

From the Kids...

Our journey with the kids started with finding out who they were and what they wanted to do. We called this "Project Imagine", where we asked them questions like:

  • What is the happiest and saddest thing that happened to them? (draw or write) 
  • What is their biggest dreams?
  • What they would have to do to make their dream come true? 

and much more!

Their answers gave us terrific insights into not only how we could serve them during the Art Camps, but also how we could support a few of them beyond the camp experience. We're currently identifying how we can help them further with their interests and education in the future. 

We noticed children opening up to the artists and our volunteers, and by the end of the day they were really relaxed and open to the new experiences. 

We're delighted to share some of the photos from the event: 

Day 1

Day 2

Thank you!

Events like these could not be possible without the generous support of you - our donors and supporters from all around the world. We can't say this enough - your partnership enables us to fulfill the vision we have - of unlocking the power of creativity of our children through the power of art. THANK YOU. 

We looking forward to sharing news from our next set of Art Camps - from Bellevue, WA (USA) and Kharkiv, Ukraine!