«Our original intent was just to give the refugee children something to do to distract them from the war and to keep their minds occupied, since they were constrained to cramped living quarters. At first, we weren’t even sure they would use the supplies. But to our surprise, painting soon became a nightly outlet for them.
We found that the things these kids were dealing with created a lot of "whys", but offered few answers. This created great unspoken emotions in their hearts, and they readily expressed these emotions in art. Our project is designed to encourage the children to share these emotions, and in doing so, we say to them, "You are not alone. We are with you, the whole world is with you, and we all support you."
Another important component of this project highlights the resourcefulness of the Ukrainian people. The actions of every day citizens, both small and heroic, are changing the outcome of this war. With this in mind, we realized that we could empower these children to make a difference through their artistic expressions. Through fundraising efforts, our project aims to give children the opportunity to act as advocates and actors who can change the situation for the better and save someone's life».
Luther and Anastasiia Cifers
You can support the families by donating to the Cifers Foundation at the following link:
More is on The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts website
https://lcva.longwood.edu/exhibitions/my-ukraine
