April Update
I have an open Polymer Clay Sculpture Day on 23 April at my “Thehoozoo” studio. It is a free day for my existing kids aged 7 to 13 years. I sent out the invites today and have 2 new students ready to try Polymer Clay. I have a private school owner who wants me to put a curriculum together for the year to involve all 600 pupils over the year where I will develop a new way of thinking in SA as an export product to the world. My subject matter I will present to them is:
How to think in 3D converting from 2D, how to make molds and start a production line, shopkeeping on basic buy and sell bookkeeping and how to record borrowing money to fund your business, and building confidence and being a problem solver in society.
April Update #2
I have exciting news. As you mentioned the private school in Bronkhorpruit about 100km from my studio we discussed in my last email. A new rural school in Hazyview on the border of the Kruger National park has representatives from our most elite Game lodge in South Africa, Sabi Sabi. Their board loves the idea of bringing polymer clay color to the most native location in Africa where there is no formal education and the adults are illiterate. They want me to teach the adults to make molds and reproduce wildlife sculptures that I make for them in polymer to have a source of income other than subsistence living. They want me to put all my efforts in using polymer clay and my unique teaching including teaching them basic shopkeeping to produce wildlife and rural people everyday figurines in full color polymer clay. The Game lodge will help me set up a brand for the kids to sell their figurines in the prestigious curio shop with the purpose of funding their teriary education and developing a future career in sketching, sculpture or story telling. Each sculpture piece will be accompanied by a story about the cultural nature of their piece, why they sculpted it, who the person is and what their life story is. It is 5 hours away from my studios and I aim to spend a combined 1 day travelling, and 2 days teaching them i need to put a proposal together for them by next Wednesday.
How I am going to monetise this project or cover my expenses to live I dont know but my passion to teach and nurture drives me.
If you are interested in assisting Darren’s efforts, please contact him through his website.