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 2008 Camp Dates Camp is over for another year! Check back for photos of Camp 2008. Newsletter Our newsletter has been temporarily discontinued. It will return at a later date. The Solidarity Mural Project THE FIRST COLLABORATIVE MURAL PRODUCED BY AN ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES BY A GROUP OF CHILDREN WITH DIABETES AND THEIR FAMILIES It was summer of 2007, that I was invited to produce a mural with the children and families of the summer basketball camp, Slam Dunk for Diabetes. Emma Villarreal, the mother of one of the older children, Olivia, had recommended me to Director, Monica Joyce. Olivia and her sister, Veronica, had worked with me on some large mural projects I directed through After School Matters at Chi-Town Futbol on Throop Street in Chicago, IL. Upon arriving at one of the afternoon Slam Dunk sessions to meet the director, children, parents, and coaches at De LaSalle High School, I was immediately struck by the loving community spirit. The director and coaches beamed with pride at what progress the children were making, both in the game of basketball and in the managing of their nutrition. Benny the Bull was making the rounds. Having the up-coming mural in mind, I took several photos of the children playing basketball and sitting with friends and family along the sidelines. While sitting in my living room last summer and conferring with Emma and her daughters, Olivia and Veronica, I envisioned the mural being a three-dimensional row of children whose facial features are strongly pronounced standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a line with coaches and basketball players behind them. Envisioning such a variety of earnest faces I shared my idea with them and said “How about the title ‘The Slam Dunk Kids Facing Diabetes Together?’.” All three of them smiled and nodded and the idea was born, not taking a lot of twists and turns. The whole process from start to completion was beautiful and seamless, inspired by love for the children and the promise of healing. Being an artist who is passionate about painting nature, I conceived of an entire three-dimensional border of vines, flowers, butterflies, birds, fruits and vegetables protruding beyond the row of children and protectively surrounding them like a walled garden; hence, the words were incorporated into the design. Every minute spent in the working sessions on the mural with the Slam Dunk Kids and their families was pure joy. I feel that I have many new friends. In the first session we literally began with a blank white slab of 48”x80” plywood fortified by a bracing made with 1”x2” furring strips. Coach Ed and his fiancée helped to prime the canvas. While I labored to cut out the organic border with the jigsaw the children, their siblings and parents drew and cut out shapes of various imagery using x-acto knives, scissors and museum board. Subsequent sessions involved more cutting, gluing with various adhesives, painting, and covering painted areas with oriental papers to produce a uniform textural surface.
Discovering different people’s strong points was a
lot of fun, especially seeing the satisfaction in their faces.
During the work sessions it was touching to witness the families
sharing ways in which they cope with their children’s diabetes. They
shared diet plans, pertinent medical information and ways their life
styles changed after finding out that their children had these
special needs. In addition to producing a work of art together,
this type of sharing was what made the mural itself so special – a
true labor of love and solidarity.
SLAM DUNK SOLIDARITY MURAL PROJECT ACCESSORIES FOR SALE
The tiles and tray pictured below are replicas of the Solidarity Mural Project. The satin finish tiles (created through a digital process called 'sublimation') are 6"x 8" and 8"x 10" and are for sale at $40 and $60 respectively. 30% of the proceeds will be given to Slam Dunk for Diabetes. The trays are $125 each. Orders may be placed by contacting the artist, Anne Farley Gaines, at: GAINESART@yahoo.com
Orders of 5 or more will be given a 10% discount.
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Camp 2007 was a huge success! We had ninety kids in attendance, ages 5 to 18 years. Campers worked hard and improved their basketball skills under the guidance of The Chicago Bulls Training Academy. Larry Stewart sent us some of his best coaches. Special thanks to Head Coach, Eddie Leonard, who has coached the Slam Dunk Kids the past four years. Campers managed their diabetes under the watchful eyes of the diabetes educators who came from all over the Chicago area and suburbs to help keep the kids safe. Dave Adriransen, diabetes educator, did a great job of coordinating the medical staff and supplies. Lifescan and Bayer provided meters and test strips. Over 1,000 blood sugars were performed that week; teaching moments for campers. .Thanks medical staff! You're the best!!
Guest appearances included: Steve Bardo, ESPN announcer, Benny the Bull
and the Roche Compact twins, Check out the Gift Shop for new items that include note cards designed by Slam Dunk Kid, Olivia Villarreal , and baseball caps. See you next year. Camp Director, Monica Joyce
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