LOVE IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN PUNISHMENT!
LOVE IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN PUNISHMENT!
This beautiful Soul demonstrates how we can use art to transform the ugly. Born in China, Lily Yeh has transformed the dilapidated into the beautiful in Inner City Philadelphia, Rwanda, & Beijing. The photos are on the site URL: http://weadartists.org/northeast-us-lily-yeh-interview. I post a few here to be sure you see some of what can be done. IS IT NOT MUCH MORE LOVING TO HELP A YOUNG PERSON USE ARTISTIC TALENT TO CREATE BEAUTY RATHER THAN PUNISH HIM/HER FOR PAINTING ON A PUBLIC BUILDING?
“When I see brokenness, poverty and crime in inner cities, I also see the enormous potential and readiness for transformation and rebirth. We are creating an art form that comes from the heart and reflects the pain and sorrow of people’s lives. It also expresses joy, beauty and love. This process lays the foundation of building a genuine community in which people are reconnected with their families, sustained by meaningful work, nurtured by the care of each other and will together raise and educate their children. Then we witness social change in action.” –Lily Yeh
Was this project successful? ”
“Three decades later, the North Philly neighborhood that sparked her lifelong work continues to face multiple challenges. The area, and the community, is still full of hope thanks to the Village of Arts and Humanities. The small art park started by Yeh and a group of neighborhood kids has become a tangible symbol of renewal, now covering more than 120 formerly vacant lots with murals, sculpture gardens, mosaics, parks, community gardens, playgrounds, performance spaces, basketball courts, neighborhood art studios, and even a tree farm.”
