Introduction to a conversation with Kay Terapolsi, artist, friend, and Arabic tutor
The other day I was thinking about more ways to help refugee children recover from traumatic experiences. It occurred to me that Haley Lansing in her literature review – Storytelling and Narrative Therapy Through Art Among Refugee Children: A Literature Review – (A link to the document can be found on our resource page.) found that often children who experience trauma are not able to talk about it. They often keep silent. They communicate better by telling their stories through visual arts rather than talking.
But her review also revealed that expressive arts, art activities where children physically participate, can help mitigate the effects of the trauma and assist children in their recovery process. Knowing this I had to think about a resource for teachers, parents, caregivers, grandparents, whoever cares for children to be able to get ideas about some expressive arts their children might participate in. There were many possibilities of art activities children would enjoy such as: music, dance, storytelling or handcrafts. In this case I thought of an artist who designs and helps children make beautiful and creative handcrafts.
Immediately I thought of Kay Terapolsi. She is a mother, an artist, a friend, and my Arabic tutor. I knew that over the years she had made many craft items with her children in helping them become acquainted with her homeland. As a Libyan American she wanted to make sure that her children knew and really appreciated her family background.
So, I called Kay and she graciously set aside time in her busy schedule to talk with me. I thought you would be interested in our conversation, so I am including it here. To describe her work as an artist we produced a video. I hope you enjoy it.
** An ending note. – Making art, or physically participating in art that has something to do with a child’s culture or their heritage is especially meaningful for them.
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