Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Holiday Brochure

We work with children in a fishing village in Ghana. We've taught them not to beg,but to develop a work ethic. The children make paper from sugar cane leaves,journals/cards/boxes from the paper and all proceeds from sales pay for the children's school expenses.
Please look at our holiday catalog and consider helping our kids by buying something from our holiday catalog.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM CROSS CULTURAL COLLABORATIVE

Monday, December 1, 2014

Artist Residency in Ghana

ARTIST RESIDENCY IN GHANA



Cross Cultural Collaborative is offering an artist residency August 17-31, 2015 open to 10 artists working in any medium. If you'd like more information contact aba@culturalcollaborative.org
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 15, 2015
This is an opportunity to mentor young Ghanaian artists - exhibit in a gallery in Accra and explore cross cultural exchange.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Summer program

The WORLD CUP is still going on, but Ghana isn't. They did well until they didn't. We should still be proud of them. Electricity outages are the norm in Ghana, but during the matches there weren't any. Interesting how that works.

And now we are ready to start our summer program. For the first time we'll be working with expressive art therapists from around the world. A 2 week workshop. Our aim is to bring creative people together. This should do it!

What's next? In  September we'll start planning. If you'd like to get information about upcoming workshops you can sign our mailing list at http://www.culturalcollaborative.org. We send out a newsletter every month or so.

We wish you all a creative summer.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Where will you be this summer?

We are looking for a volunteer to work with some awesome kids in a fishing village in Ghana.
Available dates are July 18 - August 1.
Instead of coming as a tourist you can be part of the community.
http://culturalcollaborative.org/volunteers.htm
http://culturalcollaborative.org/abakids.htm
http://on.fb.me/1fGLfee
aba@culturalcollaborative.org

Thursday, March 6, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GHANA




HAPPY BIRTHDAY GHANA
On March 6, 1957 Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence from a colonial power. 
***
celebrate
Come join us July 19 - August 1
to celebrate  http://www.culturalcollaborative/textile2014.pdf
We'll drum and dance - visit the market women- galleries - museums and have workshops at Aba House in traditional African textile techniques.
screened
WHY ARE AFRICAN TEXTILES IMPORTANT?
One of our concerns in Ghana is the loss of traditional textile techniques. Young artisans want to be modern and also don't want to do the tedious work required to be authentic.
There was a time when it took a weaver three months to make a kente cloth. Now, many weavers rush to get cloth ready for the five day market.
And now the traditional stamped adinkra cloth is giving way to silk screen. Visually a very different look.
Why? Silk screened images can be bigger, ink is cheaper and printing is faster.
Adinkra stamping is a cultural tradition in Ghana and one immediately recognized as being unique. Silk screened adinkra isn't.
Ironically, there's an adinkra symbol that means:
PEOPLE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR HISTORY ARE LIKE A TREE WITHOUT ROOTS.
stamped
The image above is silk screened. Soon the stamped cloth is going to be a collectors item.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Expressive Arts Therapy Workshop in Ghana




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CROSS CULTURAL COLLABORATIVE is sponsoring
a special workshop in Ghana
with Expressive Arts therapist Kate T. Donohue 


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THE INDIGENOUS ROOTS OF 
EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY 

August 4 - August 17, 2014 

 


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With the assistance of wonderful Ghanaian artists, dancers, musicians, poets and actors participants will delve into the arts of Ghana. Each day Kate and a Ghanaian artist will introduce an art form experientially. Direct experience of the art and Ghanaian culture will enhance one’s understanding of the healing aspects of the art form. Then the co-leaders will explore the healing potentials of the art as well as weave in an understanding of how art reflects and heals culture. 

Visit galleries, museums, traditional crafts villages and interact with African artisans on a personal level. Participate in traditional dance and drum ceremony


Workshop Objectives:
  • learn the theory, concepts & applications of EXAT 
  • learn abopastedGraphic_5.pdf
  • ut the healing potential of Ghanaian arts and culture 
  • learn about Jungian psychology & its relationship to art, culture and EXAT
  • experience expressive arts therapy processes 
  • develop a theoretical understanding of these processes 
  • begin to understand the ways to weave arts modalities 
  • be introduced to paradigms that will aid in comparing and contrasting modalities 
  • deepen your relationship to your own creative process 
  • be able to apply EXAT processes to life & work


Ghana - West Africa
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Ghana offers a rich glimpse into the soul of Expressive Arts Therapy ( EXAT ), the use of the arts for healing, community building and spirituality. Using the vast artistic resources of Ghana, Kate will introduce participants to the experience, theory and application of EXAT through a Jungian lens. Indigenous cultures have always known that the psyche is revealed not only through words, but through images, symbols and the body. The Expressive Arts reawaken the language of image, movement, sound, metaphor, drama and poetic utterances, revealing the deepest aspects of the self and expressing what often cannot be put into words. Drawing, painting, sculpture, movement, dance, sand play and ritual provide access to one’s inner world and as well as the culture, values, sense of community and spiritual attitude.


Two Unforgettable Weeks at Aba House
  • Stay in our guest house across the street from the ocean in a Ghanaian village
  • Eat delicious local food
  • Interact with African artisans on collaborative identity 
Cost for 14 days in Ghana: $2600

Included: 
  • airport pickup
  • room
  • breakfast
  • dinner
  • workshops
  • transport in Ghana
  • orientation
  • entrance fees
  • laundry 

Not included: 
  • international airfare
  • visa
  • lunch
  • insurance
  • personal expenses
  • tips 

Deposit of $1000 due by March 1, 2014 
Balance due by June 25, 2014 

Please send check to: 

Cross Cultural Collaborative 
45 Auburn St. 
Brookline, MA 02446 USA


For questions about workshops: kate@kate-donohue.com 

For questions about logistics: aba@culturalcollaborative.org
 

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About the instructor:

KATE T. DONOHUE Ph.D., REAT is a licensed psychologist and registered expressive art therapist with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. Kate has a deep passion for the arts, culture and dance, especially western African dance. Her life work in teaching supervision, consultation, training and private has been to marry Jungian theory with expressive arts therapy. 

For over 30 years, Kate has an active private practice in San Francisco as well as being an international trainer, author and pioneer in the field of expressive arts therapy. 

She is excited to present this workshop which weaves her passions, training and experience, to explore the indigenous roots of expressive arts therapy in Ghana, a country she fell in love with 13 years ago. See www.kate-donohue.com for more information.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

African textile workshop

We are now taking applications for our annual TEXTILE WORKSHOP IN GHANA.
This is a unique opportunity to interact with African artisans and creative people from around the world.

July 19 -August 1, 2014
Spend 2 weeks at our cultural center/guest house across the street from the ocean-
learn indigenous African textile techniques-visit markets-galleries-museums-traditional villages and dealers in antiquities

details at:  http://www.culturalcollaborative.org/textile2014.pdf
and at : http://mad.ly/51e674?pact=20509016270&fe=1

Questions: aba@culturalcollaborative.org

Thursday, January 30, 2014

travel and learn

Did you know that mistletoe grows in trees?

I don't think we grow mistletoe in Ghana, but we have all sorts of interesting trees and plants, and of course, we make our paper from sugar cane leaves. We're starting to make plans for our summer programs. Want to join us?

http://www.culturalcollaborative.org
aba@culturalcollaborative.org
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cross-Cultural.../114023418642891

Monday, January 20, 2014

Happy New Year 2014


I was invited to participate in an art residency in Romania at the beginning of January. How could I say no! At the end of the 10 days all of the international artists in attendance had an exhibition of their work in an honest to goodness castle. Pictured is one of my pieces and the exterior of the castle.
For more photos you can go to more here.
What a way to start the new year. Now back to reality, although I'm thinking of having a similar residency in Ghana. We'll have to forgo the castle.