Getting Creative in the Sun
Tents are set up in the courtyard of the EVIM residential buildings on Johannes-Brahms-Straße in Wiesbaden; there are many tents, and large tables have been set up underneath them where people can do crafts and paint. At the suggestion of Artjom Chepovetskyy, about 20 trainee therapeutic care workers from Hochheim are visiting.
At the Lebenshilfe Vocational School for Social Services there, they are completing a dual training program with a strong practical component, which can also take place at EVIM, among other locations. Artjom Chepovetskyy, who runs a painting studio on Brahms Street and, in addition to his own artistic work, teaches at various schools, including Geisberg, has connections to the training center and organizes a meeting between the students and the residents of the homes about once a year. Those who work in workshops can take a day of educational leave for this.
Painting with threads, brushes, marbles
Everyone living in the many surrounding EVIM homes is invited—and Artjom Chepovetskyy has the idea of expanding the program in the future for example, by inviting seniors from the Ludwig-Eibach-Haus or other assisted living facilities. The day is divided into two entertaining parts: In the morning, various craft and painting activities take place at several stations under the tents. It turns out: You can paint not only with a brush, but also with a wool thread, with marbles; you can scratch colorful lines into coated paper, stamp, arrange stickers, or get creative with crepe paper. Or, of course, paint quite conventionally with brushes. The trainees came up with various small, easy-to-do projects that even people with limited motor skills could join right away. Under the tents, in the beautiful spring sunshine, groups quickly formed and set to work with enthusiasm. They were allowed to keep the artwork they created. It was a wonderful hands-on experience, said one of the students, and it was a lot of fun even during the preparation.
Plenty of variety
There was plenty of variety for the EVIM clients as well, who once again benefited from the strong commitment to art, music, theater, and dance that EVIM offers as a natural part of daily life. In the afternoon, another activity was planned for those who still had enough energy: On Geisbergstraße, a wall in the courtyard of the nearby apartment buildings was painted. Or rather: repainted, since two years ago Artjom Chepovetskyy had already beautified the wall with a group of trainees and residents. It’s not out of the question that this might happen again in the future. The wall is very well suited for this, as it allows the many wheelchair users to work there without any problems and paint at their own eye level. First, blocks of color were filled in, then motifs were drawn or spray-painted on top as desired. Take, for example, Philipp’s “FC Bayern Munich” crest, of which the young man—dressed in a matching T-shirt—was incredibly proud. For two hours, everyone painted in a very cheerful atmosphere—a very eventful spring day for all. The students will later write reports, which will then be graded. But for now, the focus for everyone was on the joy of being creative. (abp)