Mandi Sandenbergh returned in July bringing her brilliant creative art project, Art On The Go, to the ASAP Community care centres in the Matatiele district of the Eastern Cape. Using the ASTAR (Awakening Spirit Through Art Technique) methodology she worked 3 days in each community care centre, the workshops encouraged children to participate in interesting and enriching artistic activities. Many of the children have never used paints and Mandi brought fabrics and glitter and glues and the drop-in centres were a hive of colourful activity. On day 1 the children engraved images into wax crayon on paper. Tucking into their artworks with sticks, forks, plastic knives, and even their fingernails, they loved how magical it was to transform an ordinary A4 piece of paper into their very own works of art. Working in teams and on their own, they experimented with painting using toothbrushes, plastic bubble wrap, wool, string, straws and paint brushes. This helped them learn about how to paint with both primary and secondary colours.

Day 2 brought with it lots of laughter with the children each making their very own masks. Presented with a treasure trove of interesting materials, creativity soared as they transformed wool and raffia into colourful locks of hair, and bottle tops and corks into noses. The drop in centre was full of dance and song, as they each put on their masks, and impersonated the different characters they had made. 

Day 3 allowed the children to reflect inwards, as they were encouraged to draw self-portraits. After looking in a mirror, the children drew pictures of their own heads and shoulders, and then added unique decorations to their work.

With snow on the Drakensberg Mountains, The Art On The Go holiday workshops kept the children in Mamohau, Itekeng and Sakhikamva busy and happy throughout the coldest school holiday.