Hearts of the World
PAINTING A BRIGHTER FUTURE
What is in the heart of a child? Is it different in a favela in Rio or in an orphanage in Beijing? The tropics of Hawaii or a tent-city in Haiti?
Hearts of the World
Since 2010, Hearts of the World (HOTW) has fostered self-expression through painting workshops in ten countries.
Founded at the Lower East Side Girls Club by NYC-based artist Nicolina, the HOTW team has partnered with schools, social service agencies, and arts organizations to create life-altering experiences.
The aim of these workshops is to exercise the healing powers of creativity that transcend international borders, giving young people tools to navigate the often difficult world in which they live.
Empowering Young People
Hearts of the World empowers young people from disadvantaged areas to discover their passion and unique purpose through painting workshops.
They explore their inner worlds—their hopes, their fears, and their potential—through creative self-expression.
Chiba, Japan
Kona, Hawaii
Q: “What is the name of your heart?”
A: “The Bird of Love.”
Q: “What does it want to say?”
A: “It loves pumping blood for me, it loves doing what it’s supposed to do.”
— Makai, age 6
Valparaíso, Chile
Q: “What does your heart want to say?”
A: “I love my family and I love all the dogs.”
— Sebastian, age 7
Valparaíso, Chile
Zhuhai, China
“What’s in your heart?”
“These are characters that I made, that I want to show the world.” — Hana, age 8
Brazil Workshop
We give each child an outline of an anatomical heart and invite them to paint it in with whatever they discover inside their own—the things they love, their aspirations, their innermost feelings.
Watch this VIDEO of Hearts of the World in Brazil by Breno Moreira.
Chiapas, Mexico
Q: “What’s in your heart?”
A: “The mountains, where I come from.”
— Luz, age 12
India Journey 2015
From mid-March through June 2015, we traveled the route beginning in New Delhi, moving north to Himachal Pradesh, then across to Kolkata and Jhilimili in West Bengal. We headed south to Puducherry, across to Kerala, and back north to Delhi, inviting hundreds of children from a variety of backgrounds to explore their unique potential and discover their dreams through artistic self-expression.
Our journey was followed with gallery exhibitions in New Delhi and New York City, where we shared the children’s artwork.
Kona, Hawaii
Q: “What does your heart want to say?”
A: “It wants to keep the forest in Wipea good and for people to stop cutting down trees. I love Wipea.”
Q: “Who is in the rainbow?”
A: “My dad… he died. I love him so much.”
— Abram, age 7
Zhuhai, China
Q: “The way I want the world to be in the future.”
A: “The way I want the world to be in the future.”
— Ling, age 7
