Last nights gallery reception was amazing! Thank you to everyone who came out!
If you want to see the show, stop by between now and March 27th!
All profits go to benefit Teachers for Teachers!
‘Teachers for Teachers’ art benefit starts in March
PUTNAM — The Silver Circle Gallery in Putnam, is proud to host
“NICA: Teachers for Teachers,” an art exhibition and sale to benefit a
newly founded charity supporting education in Nicaragua.
This photographic essay by Putnam-based artist Lindsay Shaw
Lehmann will be held in the Downtown Putnam Gallery from March
2 to March 27. All are welcome to an Opening Reception on Friday,
March 4 from 6 to 8 p.m..Sales of artwork in this show and all donations
will directly benefit the teachers of Cincoyo, Nicaragua.
Photographer Lindsay Shaw Lehmann, who teaches at Pomfret
School, traveled to Nicaragua last February with an outreach group
from United Methodist Church in Putnam. She expected to find poverty,
sadness and desperation. What she discovered during a visit to
Cincoyo’s small school, however, were “smiling faces of beautiful children
forever burned in [her] memory” and the desire to help these
children get a decent education.
Lehmann witnessed teachers working long hours for $25 a month in
100-plus degree rooms with no air conditioning or fans. She learned
that due to a lack of government funding, the school could not afford
to teach children above third grade. Families pay $1 a month to send a
child to school. Many could not afford this yet the school would not
turn children away. Lehmann was deeply moved to find that despite
these difficult conditions, the teachers were still passionate about
teaching, the children truly wanted to learn, and the families cherished
the opportunity for an education. As a teacher, Lehmann was
inspired to help these educators. As an artist, she was inspired to illustrate
through her photographs the people, their stories and the world
in which they lived.
Lehmann founded “Teachers for Teachers” upon return from this
trip.
“Even if I had to find a way to support it single handedly, I was going
to make a difference for those poorly paid, hard working teachers in
Cincoyo,” she said.
With initial help from teachers at Pomfret School and a rapidly
expanding base of supporters, Teachers for Teachers has raised
enough money to reinstate Cincoyo’s fourth grade and double the
salary of teachers to $50/month…closer to Nicaragua’s average pay of
about $70/month. Lehmann’s next goal is to reestablish fifth grade,
raise teachers’ salaries more, help purchase school materials, and provide
fruits and vegetables to supplement government-supplied meals
for students. Her long-term goal is to expand Teachers for Teachers
support to include schools beyond the small community of Cincoyo.
Lehmann’s photographic essay features some of the thousands of
images she captured during her 10-day mission.
“I believe that the photographs of the children show their love, innocence,
faith, appreciation and most of all hope. Their eyes, their
smiles, they tell the stories,” she said.
Money raised from the sales of these photographs and any donations
will be sent directly through the United Methodist Church to
teachers in Cincoyo, Nicaragua. Donations are tax deductible and can
be made by sending a check to the Living Faith United Methodist
Church (53 Grove St., Putnam). The check should be made out to
“LFUMC” with “Teachers for Teachers” in the memo.
Visit www.silvercirclestudio.com for more information.
Check out the site! Order an image from the pdf!
