Positive Art News Raises Our Serotonin Levels

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The completed mural at al Aqaba, West Bank created by Lily Yeh and her Barefoot Artists organization.

Have you discovered that it’s difficult to find positive art-news stories that reflect the positive contributions of art and artists on our society? I did, and that is one of the reasons why I developed The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS blog-azine. With a helpful team of artists and writers, we share stories about extraordinary creative people making a difference in the world. In fact, every Monday we post “Positive Art News For The Week.” Here are some highlights from articles on the website:

Artist Lily Yeh Transforms Communities Around The World

Thanks to artist Mary Lou Dauray we learned about Lily Yeh, an artist who started Barefoot Artists Organization. At 74 years of age she travels all over the world bringing hope to people who live in bleak environments — a rundown area of Philadelphia, the slums of Nairobi, a genocide site in Rwanda, the West Bank of Palestine, impoverished communities in Taiwan, a city dump in Korogocho, Kenya, and many other places. She organizes workshops with the local children so they can discover the creative power of art. Their enthusiasm reaches out to parents, friends and neighbors — eventually involving entire neighborhoods.

Altruistic Legally Blind Artist Gives Away $1 Million

Jeff Hanson is a legally blind artist who defies limitations. He has developed a unique painting process in which he builds up textures with layers of paint and then uses the ridges to feel his way throughout his painting. He earns around $50,000 a year from art sales (after expenses). Two days before his 20th birthday he reached his goal of giving away $1 million through charity auction art sales.

Modern Art is Explained

If you are a contemporary artist who is tired of trying to explain what modern art means to others who don’t understand or appreciate it you’ll love The Art Story Foundation, www.theartstory.org, a comprehensive website that lives up to its mission “to sort through all the noise of the art world and shed light on modern and contemporary art.” Hundreds of pages on the site serve “to be an analysis that would convince the most ardent skeptic in the value of the particular artist, movement or idea.” You can also follow The Art Story Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.

Paint Produced from Sludge

John Sabraw is an artist with a mission. The rivers in Southern Ohio near his home are filled with toxic sludge from abandoned coal mines, which just happens to contain iron oxides. John wondered if the water could be processed to provide iron oxides for paint. He found a university professor was working on a slightly similar idea, so the two joined forces. Now the rivers are getting cleaned up, and there is a new source of this component for paint. And best of all, the cleanup process pays for itself.

New Eye Glasses for Colorblindness Sufferers

There are nearly 300 million people who suffer from colorblindness. Imagine, they experience the world without certain colors every day. Valspar Paints has partnered with EnChroma, maker of color blindness-correcting glasses. Even for those who do not have colorblindness, colors seen with the eyeglasses appear more saturated. We expect they will soon be demanded by the larger population.

I hope you enjoy these Positive Art News stories. To read more, please visit the website at www.healing-power-of-art.org. If you want to join our team of writers, let me know.

Renée Phillips, The Artrepreneur Coach, helps artists attain their highest potential. She offers a free email newsletter on www.renee-phillips.com. As founder/director of Manhattan Arts International she rewards artistic excellence through curated art programs.