Dear Friend of Unity Through Creativity,
This month we share artist/educator Sonda Folk Cheesebrough’s Selfless Act of Kindness. We honor her as the representative of all K-12 teachers who devote their lives to the growth and well-being of the children in their care. Last week, we remembered Daniel Dancer's 900 student "Art for the Sky" earth-mural in Morgantown, West Virginia, inspired by Sonda's 2012 Singing Tree of Diversity. We spoke with her about her experience facilitating the 22nd mural of the Singing Tree Project.
Sonda started her journey as a painter. She became a teacher begrudgingly, only to discover that teaching was exactly what her soul needed. The subject matter and the direction of her art were transformed after working with children.
“I started creating art that projected innocence and hope. It is the part of myself that I got validated from children and it’s the part of myself that I want to share. Children have a great positivity, they always think everything is going to be okay, and the trust that they put in us is just so beautiful.”
“Everything I learned that’s worth knowing came from elementary children”
Sonda was continually inspired by her students' uncensored, spontaneous generosity and kindness. Time and again she saw that the children, who can seem like black holes of need that know no bottom, were her teachers in countless selfless acts of love.
She taught students from over 50 different countries in the Monongalia County School system in West Virginia. Every student was fascinated by the cultures around them and proud of their own culture. She cultivated an environment where the children shared stories, food, and experiences. They researched the shapes of leaves from trees in their country to add to the Singing Tree. Over 900 students contributed to the mural.
Two years later, Sonda and her students had the joy of seeing the Singing Tree of Diversity transformed into a massive "Sky Art" piece by Daniel Dancer. The students didn’t know what they were making as they put on different colored t-shirts and curled up next to each other on the ground. They trusted that it was okay not to know what was going to happen and had fun doing something on a massive scale. It wasn't until the students watched the video of the process that they saw the whole and understood the power of what they had created together.
“Working with children is the most important job we do. There is nothing of more consequence than helping children collaborate together and be kind to each other. I am clear that I always get back more than I am giving when I am working with children.”
With the Singing Tree Project, Sonda was willing to try something she had never done before, taking up the invitation for the whole world to create a painting together and making the impulse her own. She trusted her heart in a selfless act of love that continues to serve her students and the world.
Sending you joy in these uncertain times,
Laurie and the UTC Team
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