The Mango Tree after-school art programme at Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts, provides children with a means of expression through different materials and techniques in art and craft. Coordinator Leslie Lakhia explains all that goes on at the centre
The Mango Treeart programme started at Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts, began at theend of June 2012 and will continue till January of 2013. Leslie Lakhia, theMango Tree programme coordinator and curriculum developer, studied art inBrooklyn and taught at two public schools in New York where she helped studentsto express the ideas they learnt in the Social Studies class into art forms.“We use pretty much this same model at Mango Tree,” says Lakhia.
The children whoattend the programme are divided into three age groups – five to six, seven tonine and 10 to 14. Each group is allocated a teacher and activities appropriatefor the age. “Nicole Sequeira who works with the youngest group has started offwith collage. Cut and paste is easier than having to draw perfect lines,” saysLakhia. “Each child is making a book that says things about themselves liketheir favourite colour, favourite food,” continues Lakhia. The seven to nineyear old children who are taught by Melanie Garreth, work with mixed media. Theyrecently made a portrait that contained drawing, painting and collage and wereintroduced to the idea of monsoon landscape. The 10 to 14 year olds had a bitof a technical start, such as learning perspective and shading. “Ramdas Gadekarteaches this group. In one class they were taught the correct proportions ofthe face and they used that knowledge to make a self-portrait,” says Lakhia.
The programme isinterspersed with workshops in craft which are conducted by specialists. Thechildren recently had a workshop where they made lamps and each group useddifferent techniques with the same raw materials. “A clay workshop on September13 will see students making vessels of clay using different techniques. Thevessels will be glazed on September 28,” says Lakhia. “On September 27, eachstudent will make a tile that has an organic form from scratch. These tileswill be put together for a Public Art Project in December with Liz Kemp who hasworked with us previously,” she continues.
“At the end ofthe programme, each student leaves Mango Tree with the knowledge of a widearray of art materials and techniques, feeling proficient and confident,”concludes Lakhia with a warm smile.
