Help disabled children to get art classes

A month ago a new art specialist Katya joined our team and now she’s ready to share her experience with us!

“I remember when I came to the orphanage for the first, it was an incredible experience. Firstly because I’ve got to know kids and the team of Shag Navstrechu. Secondly because here I can do what I love and by doing that I can help children to get to know themselves, to have fun, leave the stress and negative emotions behind and just to relax.

For example Marina K. was one of the first girls of the orphanage I knew. Our first day together ended quickly – Marina sat down on the floor and refused to go to the art class and there was nothing I could do to persuade her! :) But the second time we managed to reach the class and even to start painting a little – she liked acrylic colors and their smell. It was funny to see how she enjoyed touching these colors and painting everything (including her nose).

But the best moment was just yesterday – Marina was not only eager to paint, she also climbed on my knees and continued her work very quietly. This kind of trust means a world to me and I do believe that this is just the beginning of my work with special kids”.

«About Liza
Question: - how do you tell a tram from the trolley bus?

- A tram is red and beautiful. And a trolley bus is blue and scary just like the green bus. As we cross the road by the green light, we always stick our hands towards the cars standing before the traffic light. They are standing and waiting. The traffic light is now red, but Liza is always whispering: “Careful.. Careful..”. And I am saying the same thing in my mind.

Here is the park. Everything is green. We are sitting next to a water basin where ducks and gulls are swimming. They are so calm. But as they start to fly we run away from them. The serenity is gone. This city is still strange and scary for Liza, but at the same time it lures and attracts her and maker her want to watch it, touch it and explore it. To walk the street and to watch the houses and to gaze at the cars on the street, to sit in the cafe where they cut potatoes into round pieces and have juicy melons and something flavored with chocolate, to pass by the manholes, to read the names of the shops and to always hold each other by the hand.

Nastya G.
Nastya wants to get away from her “throne” where she spends most of her time. Nastya wants to crawl. Nastya wants to walk. And we move outside her “throne”. We are looking through the sensor boxes. A box with spounges, a box with ribbons, with seashells and with beads. A box with cereals. We take everything out and put it back and then do the same thing all over again. Nastya is smiling. I am smiling».

Maria, art-therapist

Psychoneurological residential care facility No. 1

«The spring and the beginning of summer were highlighted by large but very pleasant work over the exhibitions “Birds”, “Alice's dream” as well as other useful activities. The artists work with pleasure to achieve the result which we want to demonstrate to the public in just a few months.

Igor Z.

Igor spent a long time in the hospital and came back to us just recently, about a month ago. During this period he missed creative activities greatly and is with great joy completing the paintings that we started back in winter.

Sasha S.

Sasha experiences positive changes in his mood and behavior. Sasha started to feel more sure of himself since he was often helping in his department and in the other ones thus feeling that he is needed. It is very important for anyone to be useful to the people around him.

This summer as a part of our preparations for the “Alice's dream” exhibition devoted to illustrating the “Alice in wonderland/through the looking glass” books we started to immense into the wonderful world of cinema. The artists are absorbing complicated and beautiful movies and animated films which are hard to find on TV with great pleasure. Therefore we decided to start a tradition of watching fictional films which would broaden the children's horizons and cultivate the aesthetic view of the world».

Evgenia, art-therapist