About us
Art Made Here is directed by artists Kelynn Alder and Michael Bartalos.
Our program originated as the Lacandón Children's Art Workshops founded
by Kelynn in 1996. The first workshops were held in Nahá and Lacanjá , two indigenous Mayan jungle communities in Chiapas, Mexico. The program has since expanded to include the Lacandón community of Metzabok and the Central Highlands town of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Our program originated as the Lacandón Children's Art Workshops founded
by Kelynn in 1996. The first workshops were held in Nahá and Lacanjá , two indigenous Mayan jungle communities in Chiapas, Mexico. The program has since expanded to include the Lacandón community of Metzabok and the Central Highlands town of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
As educators we regard art-making as an important tool for learning. Kids
come to understand their world through visualization, a process we facilitate
by encouraging observation, emphasizing imagination, and applauding self-expression. We gear relevant themes to communities and their needs, and enjoy engaging with sociological, anthropological, and scientific topics.
come to understand their world through visualization, a process we facilitate
by encouraging observation, emphasizing imagination, and applauding self-expression. We gear relevant themes to communities and their needs, and enjoy engaging with sociological, anthropological, and scientific topics.
Environmental themes are particularly important to us. Chiapas has one of the greatest diversities of wildlife in the Americas, including many species of animals and plants not found anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately Chiapas also has the highest rate of deforestation of any Mexican state, adversely affecting the region's biodiversity and its indigenous communities.
In response, many of our workshops are aimed towards building awareness and appreciation for the local ecology. In the Lacandón jungle, we encourage children to re-discover and document the unique features of their natural surroundings through drawing, painting, and printmaking. In San Cristóbal de Las Casas we hold workshops in partnership with Orquídeas Moxviquil, a botanical garden dedicated to preserving Chiapas’s living resources. Recently our participants — ranging from children to adults and expats to local Tzeltal and Tzotzil residents — joined to create public banners to celebrate Chiapas’ native flora, renowned for hundreds of colorful orchid species.
In summer 2012 we continued on this track with a new workshop in San Cristóbal. Participants created self-portraits with accompanying text about what they they most value about the local environment to create a combined portrait of themselves, their natural habitat, and hopes for their future. This collection will be compiled and issued in book format.
With these projects we hope to promote stewardship for the environment where it's needed most. While there’s no overall solution yet to the trends of deforestation and habitat destruction, we believe that any successful conservation effort starts with community engagement and participation. We’re glad to be directly involved with that 'on the ground' as well as contributing to discussions on a global level.
It's exciting to see our program evolving and making more of a difference than ever. As we move into a new round of workshops this summer, we look forward to expanding programmatically and geographically, making a broader positive impact with time.
In response, many of our workshops are aimed towards building awareness and appreciation for the local ecology. In the Lacandón jungle, we encourage children to re-discover and document the unique features of their natural surroundings through drawing, painting, and printmaking. In San Cristóbal de Las Casas we hold workshops in partnership with Orquídeas Moxviquil, a botanical garden dedicated to preserving Chiapas’s living resources. Recently our participants — ranging from children to adults and expats to local Tzeltal and Tzotzil residents — joined to create public banners to celebrate Chiapas’ native flora, renowned for hundreds of colorful orchid species.
In summer 2012 we continued on this track with a new workshop in San Cristóbal. Participants created self-portraits with accompanying text about what they they most value about the local environment to create a combined portrait of themselves, their natural habitat, and hopes for their future. This collection will be compiled and issued in book format.
With these projects we hope to promote stewardship for the environment where it's needed most. While there’s no overall solution yet to the trends of deforestation and habitat destruction, we believe that any successful conservation effort starts with community engagement and participation. We’re glad to be directly involved with that 'on the ground' as well as contributing to discussions on a global level.
It's exciting to see our program evolving and making more of a difference than ever. As we move into a new round of workshops this summer, we look forward to expanding programmatically and geographically, making a broader positive impact with time.