About Little Artists School
The founder of the Little Artists School, Edward Selematsela, worked as a child and youth caregiver in an orphanage while studying Fine Art at Eastside College. He realised that the children had nothing to do after school, except to vandalise cars and steal the radios, in and around the city. He decided to create a new choice for these children by using art as a tool to take them off the streets. His inspired project saw him teach art to the first 25 – 30 Little Artists
The goals of the Little Artists School are to:
- Raise funding for students to be able to attend University or College;
- Encourage senior students within the school to apply for advanced courses in Art Education, Project Management and preparing them for tertiary education by assisting them in putting together their art portfolios when requesting sponsorship/funding from individuals or donors;
- Develop competency in the students who are willing to undertake the daily running of the project.
Many of these children came from the streets of Johannesburg where they had never experienced love or a kind word, only insults and abuse from the public.
By Edward encouraging them to attend his classes in the afternoons, he was able to prove to them that they could change how they felt about themselves – and that they could build themselves a future.
One of the primary objectives of the community school is to encourage the development of artists from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
Children from orphanages, shelters and disadvantaged backgrounds attend our art classes at the studio on Monday to Friday afternoons. Over and above learning creativity, they are taught how to accept responsibilities, become mentors to other students and to gain confidence knowing that they are doing something for which they can be appreciated.