Author: Melissa Schilling

الشمس لم تقل للأرض ابدا "أنت مدينةً لى". انظر ماذا حدث لمثل هذا الحب. لقد أضاء السماء كلها

Ladies Arm Wrestling – March 30th 2014

February 6, 2014March 31, 2014 Melissa Schilling Fundraiser

LET’S GET READY TO RRRRRUMBLE! Project HOPE Art and BAAWL (Bay Area Arm Wrestling Ladies) are teaming up to host a raucous performance-based arm wrestling competition that’s guaranteed to be OVER THE TOP. Our fourth tournament will be held Sunday, March 30th in San Francisco at Chez Poulet, and is intended to empower women while raising funds and awareness for disadvantaged communities in Haiti.

HOPE Art Arm Wrestlers are fired-up ladies who toe the line between theatrical antics and hardcore athleticism. Woman-identified wrestlers compete in each brawl. Each wrestler has a persona, bio, theme song, and money-hungry entourage to back them up and collect “bets” from the crowd. Proceeds from the evening will go towards art-based programming (facilitated by HOPE Art) for children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

WANNA WRASSLE? To compete in the upcoming tournament, fill out this form. All wrestlers are highly encouraged to be as creative, whimsical and bad-ass as possible. Bring your theatrics. Your flair for the dramatic. Bring your game face and your lipstick, too. Rules are determined and managed by the referee, only to be manipulated by celebrity judges, corrupted by crowd hecklers, and bribed by cold, hard dolla dolla billz, y’all.

MCs: Paul Trask and Stefbot

DJs: JoeJoe and Haute Mess (Brass Tax)

Referee: Alex Mace

Graphic Visionary: Elizabeth Marley

GET IN THE RING! About HOPE Art: Exploring the arts as a catalyst for healing and therapy, HOPE Art is inspiring creativity, communication, and self-expression for children who are orphaned and struggling to build their lives and their communities. For more information, visit projecthopeart.org. About BAAWL: BAAWL is the first West Coast league inspired by the original CLAW (Charlottesville Ladies Arm Wrestlers). Staying true to the vision, and inspiration of CLAW, BAAWL’s mission is to empower all women and strengthen communities through theater, arm wrestling, and philanthropy.

Our first Portrait has arrived

January 25, 2014 Melissa Schilling Art Projects

Thank you to Scott C. of Los Angeles for sending us the inaugeral portrait for our Haiti Portrait Exchange!

We’re always on the look-out for collaborative art projects perfect for kids and adults.
Inspired by Mica Angela Hendricks over at Distractify we give you: The Haiti Portrait Exchange!

Simply mail us an 8.5X11 drawing of a face with room for a body, background scenery and other imaginations and we’ll take it down to Haiti. One of our art students will finish your drawing. We’ll post the results here on the Project HOPE Art blog.

Like us on Facebook to stay connected with updates from The Haiti Portrait Exchange!

Mail to: 2201 Carroll Street No. 5, Oakland California 94606
Deadline: March 15, 2014
Portraits will travel to Haiti in April and May of 2014. Watch for results in June.

Heart Giving

This Valentine’s Day give the gift of education, art and compassion. We are on the hunt for journals, gardening supplies and a portable photo printer. We’re flying to Port au Prince on Valentine’s Day, to celebrate our first Project HOPE Art graduating classes (Photography and English.)

We’re also launching our newest class: The Art + Botany Lab and Gardening Class!
We need all donated items no later than February 13th at our office space in Oakland, Calif.

Project HOPE Art Wishlist:

Blick Art Supply Wishlist
Blank Journals (Quantities of 25, for each Project HOPE Art Class)
Large Plastic Water Dispenser
Jars of Modge Podge, Double-Sided Velcro & Super Glue
Children’s summer clothing, pj’s, bathing suits, dress-up clothes
Children’s shoes (flip flops, crocs, tevas, sneakers are all great!)
Children’s undergarments

Thank you for your generosity! Without the kindness of strangers we would never be able to run this program as successfully as we do. To help us continue our artistic endeavors, you may always ship items to: Project HOPE Art 2601 Adeline Street Suite 101A- Project HOPE Art Oakland CA 94607 Please fill out our Donor Form so that we may thank you properly!

New Headquarters!

January 19, 2014January 19, 2014 Melissa Schilling Join the Team, Thank Yous

“Oh, but anyway, Toto, we’re home. Home! There’s no place like home!”

Unlike some of the bigger Non-Profits working in Haiti, we’ve never used donor money to purchase an all-terrain Land Rover.
(We use public taptaps or splurge on thrilling mototaxis)
We have never treated volunteers to expensive three martini lunches.
(All of our volunteers pay for their own meals on the ground in Haiti) And we try to use free trash as the basis for most of our projects.
(Though we admit we love twirling in brand new tutu’s on occasion)

Really what we’re trying to say is that we are extremely budget conscious. Transparency is the name of the game. If you donate $20 we’ll tell you how we spent it. So it’s kind of a big deal to announce that we have rented a teeny little office space to store files, donations and supplies.
(Yay! No more dark garages filled with spiders and scampering rats.)

For the first time Project HOPE Art has an administrative homebase in the US.
You can find us in the ground floor, corner office space of the old Kraft Cheese Factory Warehouse, commonly called the Kraftwork Building where Oakland meets Emeryville.

Our new mailing address is 2601 Adeline Street, Suite 101A-Project HOPE Art, Oakland, CA 94607

We need a few things to fill out our office space:
-Letter-Sized Hanging File Folders and Folders
-Labelmaker
-2 Floor Lamps
-Comfy couch/chaise lounge/arm chairs for visitors!
-Markers
-Pens
-Rolls and Reams of Paper for printing artwork, photographs and event invitations
-Beads, glitter, feathers, string, twine, scissors, erasers, pencils, watercolors, oil pastels, construction paper and any other misc. art and craft materials!

Contact Melissa@projectHOPEArt.org to make arrangements

Thank you in advance for your generosity to keep this project alive and kicking!

2013 – Melissa SCHILLING

January 17, 2014January 17, 2014 Melissa Schilling 2014 Gardening Class, Art Projects, English Class 2013, Girls Only English Class 2013/14, Haitian Culture/Language, Photography Class 2013, Urban Agriculture, Visual Storytelling

My name is Melissa Schilling and I am the Creative Director for Project HOPE Art.

2013-07-09 11.33.19-1

There are so many wonderful moments from the last year that bring me such great joy to relive.
We taught Rothko-esque painting, weaving (both hair pompoms and dreamcatchers) and a big upcycled can car project. We participated in many different Photography Shows in Port au Prince and in California with Student Photographs from our Photography Class and my own documentary photos.

We also created rainbow eggs infused with Moringa Powder to coincide with a reading of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham for our Art + Literacy program.

And yet, so many exciting projects are waiting to be executed in 2014. We have a Gardening Class with accompanying Rabbit Husbandry Program and the makings of a Ukelele Class. Who knows what other ideas will suddenly appear like magic!

Cheers to you 2013 you were an awesome year!

Highlights in Pictures: