Art by Paola Discacciati Borba Cruz
Grade 9, Maple Bear Valinhos School
Indaiatuba, São Paolo, Brazil
Artist’s statement:
To do this project, I was a little unsure of which activist to choose and portray in my artwork. After some time searching for people who dedicate their lives to help our world, I discovered more about a woman called Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti, who founded an organization named the Green Generation Initiative. Her organization has planted over 30,000 tree seedlings in Kenya (her country) and also encourages young people to discover and care for nature, just like Elizabeth does!
In my artwork, I used a harder paper as my “canvas” and acrylic paint for the drawing. I am not used to doing this type of art, but I think it end up looking really cool, especially for being my first time working with this style! I’m really happy to participate in art contests and to try different styles on one of the things I most like to do, ART!
Project description: This artwork is a product of a project that combined English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes and Arts in a bilingual school in Brazil. Its main objective was to inform Middle School students more about young activists in the Global South and, through their speeches, to produce art pieces that would reflect their environmental awareness. This allowed them to work with different English varieties in the classroom, while listening to stories coming from those seeking environmental justice in the Global South. Using art to represent their stories was a way to bring not only linguistic diversity into the classroom, but also to celebrate the important actions of people across the globe who are protecting the environment.
Contributor: Victor Carreão, Instructor