Rekindling hearts with art : a community arts project for the young survivors of the Sichuan earthquake

A devastating earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck Sichuan in China on 12 May 2008, resulting in over 69,000 deaths, leaving 37,000 people injured and 4.8 million people homeless. Immediately after the catastrophe, many of the young survivors were confused and lost, and experienced difficulty in expressing their inner emotions. In the past two years, Art for All, a non-profit-making community arts organization in Hong Kong, has run a series of art programmes for school children in the areas of Qingchuan and Malu. This article reports on the practice of various creative workshops and their support of the children.