About
The Red Hippo Arts Project was born from the minds and hearts of a few Montrealers in 2006. After the screening of Documentary Born into Brothels (Ross Kauff man and Zana Briski, 2004) a few viewers met for coffee unaware that their discussion would lead to an incredible adventure. Many questions came from the discussion: What can we do? What do we know?, What can we share with the world in need? These questions rested within the minds of this group, but not with ease.
The project bagan to snowball into an actual project when the group members determined that something they all had in common was artistic value, and this is what they knew. By coming into contact with an existing organization that was helping children from a slum area near Kampala, Uganda the project began to take form. The organization was taking children from the slum village and teaching them how to read and write. It was with this contact in combination with our love for the arts that ideas began to develop. The Red Hippo Arts Project became a project geared toward providing all beings, no matter their situation, with a chance at exploring their creative immaginations and in expressing themselves through art.
Our first project became a summer arts camp for children in the slum area known as Namuwongo, Uganda in 2008. The project involved photography, visual arts, dance, crafting and jewelry making. In our eyes, it was a successful and rewarding project for all those involved. Our hopes are that The Red Hippo Arts Project left some of these children and adults with the desire to continue to use their creative minds and furthermore, that their creativity can in some way improve their lives; highlighting issues surrounding confidence, self- worth, and socio-economic difficulty.
We anticipate the continuation of this project through 2009 and continue to have great faith in where we’re led and in all that we do, no matter where we end up next!