colleagues wrote for me.
July 19, 2010
Greetings,
I am Vinya Sankaran Vasu, Principa
l at
Lincoln Child Center in Oakland, CA. I have worked with Lisa for the last three years when Lisa was working as an Art teacher andTransformative Art therapist. I have had the wonderful opportunity of witnessing Lisa’s growth as a teacher, therapist, advocate, event coordinator and most of all as a leader in the art department.
Lincoln Child Center in Oakland, CA. I have worked with Lisa for the last three years when Lisa was working as an Art teacher andTransformative Art therapist. I have had the wonderful opportunity of witnessing Lisa’s growth as a teacher, therapist, advocate, event coordinator and most of all as a leader in the art department.
Lincoln serves children with severe emotional and behavior problems. The children have a difficult time managing their trauma and struggle to cope with their feelings. Lisa created an art space, which is a safe haven for all our students. The children have used this space to vent, express and reflect on their lives. Lisa works with the children at an intrinsic leve
l at there pace and
l at there pace and
directs her work based on the child’s interest, temperament and preference. She has been instrumental in letting our children use art as a medium to express their frustrations, joys and happiness. It has been a true inspiration watching her work with the most escalated children and helping them come down to baseline in such a beautiful and constructive way. The hundreds of art pieces in display around the Lincoln campus are a true testimony to this fact. Unlike traditional art rooms in schools where children u
se crayons, pencils and markers, Lisa lets our children explore with different kinds of paints, unique shades and makes use of unique mediums like canvas, masks and the earth to express their artistic capabilities. This wonderful opportunity has been instrumental in helping the kids get motivated and helped them express themselves in very powerful ways.
Lisa created the mission of the Lincoln Art Department. Her passion in making art accessible and engaging for all children has made the art program at Lincoln unique and phenomenal. Lisa worked tirelessly to help staff at Lincoln understand the value of art and the power it had in bringing out the best in our children. She worked with several children in displaying their works of art in several exhibitions, galleries and special events. Lisa created the Arts of Transformation event. This annual event displays children’s work of art in a gallery in Sausalito and gives a monetary reward to our student artists from the proceeds of the show. Lisa has also conducted several Art shows, PR events and procured noteworthy art grants for Lincoln.
Lisa is a true artist who strives to help students and adults see the power of art and identify the artists in themselves. She has made a phenomenal difference at Lincoln Child Center and will be a priceless asset to any agency. I am very proud to recommend Lisa and wish her all success in her mission.
