The cARTwheel Initiative is a group of artists led by New York based photographer and documentarian Ashok Sinha.  Our goal is to bring the therapeutic and transformative power of the arts to children living in the aftermath of conflict and disaster in order to support them in healing, comprehension, acceptance and transcendence.

In 2011, we will travel to northeast Sri Lanka where the prolonged civil war between separatist groups and the government that ended just over two years ago has caused an unimaginable amount of psychological and physical suffering to the children living there. Due to the violence and dislocation, many have suffered injuries and lost members of their family, friends, or loved ones. Many still suffer from profound psychological distress and would benefit greatly from learning to express their emotions through artistic means.

In collaboration with local grassroots community based organizations, the cARTwheel Initiative team will conduct easy-to-learn, hands-on photography, visual art and music workshops over a period of two weeks (Dec 5 - Dec 18, 2011). We will introduce the children to new coping tools, provide each child with a voice to their emotions and, in so doing, help to restore their self-confidence, renew their sense of potential for the future, and reinvigorate their joy for living.

These workshops will take place in psychosocial centers called Happiness Centers that have been established in the former war zone of Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka.  These Happiness Centers recognize the importance of art therapy and provide a CATT (Childrens Accelerated Trauma Treatment) program that treats trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through arts play based methods. Their activities and Art Camps seek to rehabilitate the children and bring back a sense of normalcy in their lives.

Upon the conclusion of our workshops, the works of the children and the participating artists created within the scope of the Initiative will be included in a local community showcase as well as brought back to the United States and exhibited in a public gallery space. 

The Impact

A total of about 200 children will be directly benefitted through participation in The cARTwheel Initiatives workshops.  

Following the conclusion of the workshops, exhibitions of the works created during the course of the program will be shown in communities where the schools are located.  Families of the children, members of the administration, and community leaders will be invited to attend. 

Upon the return of the cARTwheel team to the United States, the exhibition will be curated for select venues in New York as well as launched on the Internet. 

Also, a book about the children, their stories and the works of the participating artists of The cARTwheel Initiative will be published in the months following the trip to Sri Lanka.

In this way, The cARTwheel Initiative will help raise awareness about the children and the progressive psychosocial activities being conducted by the Happiness Centers to a global audience as well as serve as a foundation for future fundraising activities for adding new Happiness Centers and sustaining existing ones.