ARTS AT THE LIBRARY
THE ARTS at the Library program has kicked off its second year with more exciting things for children seeking to broaden their knowledge and imagination.
There are many new and exciting things to look out for. Children will be exposed to learning how to paint, draw, weave, creative writing, music, crafts and basic language French and English story telling.
Kaila! spoke to Peter Sipeli who is a poet and founder of The Poetry Shop & ARTalk Fiji’s only online arts magazine - concept developer of the ARTs at the library program.
Kaila! Talk about the sponsor and funding of the program?
Peter: The ARTS at the Library program is an initiative being supported largely by Leadership Fiji, Alliance Francaise, the US Diplomacy Office and through GoFundMe initiative set up Fijians in the diaspora who are my friends and supporters of the initiative. This year we need to raise 30k to fund the program in Suva, which pays for the artist time to run the classes, the art supplies, the police clearances for the artist, and we also are planning to replicate the program in the west and Lautoka
Divisional Library.
Kaila! How many instructors are in the program and what do they have to offer?
Peter: There are 12 artists and about three language teachers from the Alliance Francaise du Suva
Kaila! How long will the program run?
Peter: This year a 10-month run from March to December offering creative arts and we also do after school reading programs on Thursdays that we do in partnership with Vunilagi Book Club with the wonderful Sokoiga Soweri Kaila!
Since this is the second year you’re been running the program what are some things you’ve changed and implemented in the program.
Peter: We are running the program very much the same, but now our focus for the program -s to work to build the capacity of the artists to serve as arts educators, to ensure that frame and delivery arts programs are designed and are targeted to allow children to learn effective ways that are fun, creative and educational. The program is also ambitious as we want to run a national program in the three divisional libraries
- Suva Carnegie, Lautoka and
Savusa vu Divisional Libraries to better serve children who are creatively inclined. Through the program, we are talking to our corporate partners to work to upgrade the children’s spaces at the libraries to make them colourful and to be better equipped with books and other digital learning programs to ensure that we better serve our community and allow libraries to be rethought as info hubs, as the digital age of the internet has affected the space that libraries used to occupy as credible sources of knowledge for communities.
Kaila! Is there any certificate given after the children have completed the program?
Peter: No, the classes are open to all kids that live within the vicinity of the library and if we were working with the set group of kids that would be very much part of our thinking, but we work with different groups of kids and so what we do is to ensure that the quality of the program is what we concentrate on and not some piece of paper that seems a little meaningless, the program builds incrementally so each of the offerings of the art form changes their sessions to ensure children learn different aspects of the given art form to ensure that can take these skills and implement into their own art projects at home.
Kaila! How often do you meet to run through the program and planning?
Peter: I as the concept developer and the manager of the program work with the artists very closely so the artists on any given week, whether they be painters or illustrators I meet and talk with them throughout the week to ensure they develop and deliver an art session plan, a list of art supplies needed for the class and to liaise with the Alliance Francaise to ensure the artists receive their allowances and are all ready for Saturday.
Kaila! Do you think the event met its goal?
Peter: I think this idea of one intended goal is one of those things that doesn’t fit into art programs, what we aim for has several focus points:
1) ensure libraries are thought of as a arts/ culture hub
2) provide art services in the form of art classes to students
3) ensure the programs we deliver are understood, and enjoyed by the recipient children and their families and lastly to work with the SCC and other community, corporate and development partners to realise these ambitions. No one has ever done a program like this, and to do so consistently offer an arts program directly to the public for free, so our goal is to do these things and to do well.
“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t pretend that you do and, and some point, you will.” —VENUS WILLIAMS