Interactive Healing Art with Youth Offenders
Broken Wings No. 2
Broken Wings to Resilient Wings
A collaborative work with Girls Court of Michigan and artist Pamela Alderman
In partnership with the generous support of PlexiCase, Inc.
Every year thousands of Monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico. Somehow, millions of delicate butterflies successfully complete the dangerous 6,000 mile journey in order to escape northern winters. Like the Monarch, today’s youth need to learn how to push through many treacherous obstacles for survival.
As a dozen of us—Girls Court participants, 17th Circuit Court Family Division staff, and the artist, tediously painted the backsides of almost 600 mosaic tiles, the girls questioned the outcome: Would our effort actually turn into something beautiful and worthwhile? None of us could imagine the outcome because the thin blue plastic covering on the front side of the tiles wouldn’t be removed until the final class. We couldn’t see our impact—yet.
As we discussed the word “trust,” one girl said, “That’s a big word.” Trust is a big word—especially for female youth offenders who have been wounded from broken families, abuse, abandonment, or even sex-trafficking. But the girls had to take a risk and trust the artistic process as our mosaic butterfly secretly developed within the creative chrysalis.
When the final tile was glued into place, the girls gathered to witness the emergence of our Monarch butterfly. Their excitement grew as they located the tiles they had personally painted. Throughout our collaborative work, we discussed the importance of using kind words when speaking to each other, learning to trust the artist’s guidance, and collectively celebrating a completed journey. Together we produced an elegant butterfly, and as a result, our broken wings grew a little more resilient.
A special thanks to PlexiCase Inc for partnering with this project for Girls Court of Kent County Circuit Court.
Pamela’s collaborative and interactive art is donor supported.
You can get involved, donate securely on the Patreon web site.
