White Box NYC is hosting a show of work resulting from the Mtree "Brush with Hope" project in Benin, with the opening on Friday, November 4th from 6pm-8pm. The following day, Saturday, November 5th, there will be a silent auction starting at 7pm which will go to benefit the community in Benin.This special exhibit and auction stems from the project "Brush with Hope," a summer program hosted by Mtree where artists and designers from New York City and Paris gather in Africa to offer art classes to African children. The first set of classes took place in Benin, West Africa and 300 Beninese children participated from July 29, 2011 to August 12, 2011. To children who barely had one meal a day, art instruction was a new experience. The instructors wished to instill hope in these children. The inner thoughts and feelings of the children were expressed through 2,800 paintings and drawings, which were brought to New York City. A selection of approximately 300 works will be exhibited for the event and all auction proceeds will go to fund a water pump in Benin.
The exhibition will consist of paintings and drawings on canvas or on paper, in color or monochrome. The artwork will be divided into six different categories: self-portraits, portraits of family, portraits of friends, collaborative works, works inspired by music, and "hope".
Mtree
Mtree is an international non-profit charity organization aiming to change the developing and developed countries into a better place ("change for all") by promoting networking and supporting young adults who are pursuing visions around the world.
While serving as an officer in the Republic of Korea Army for four years, Yohan Choi (Founder of Mtree) spent two years near the North Korean border and witnessed the hardships that North Koreans were facing. Through this experience, he became interested in developing countries. Since his discharge in 2009, he has traveled around the globe networking with young professionals in the US and in Europe and has fostered an interest in economic independence and development through running the Global Entrepreneurship Training (GET) program in Kenya and Ghana sponsored by UNESCO.
