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Date: Jun 07, 2023
Love Without Borders For Refugees in Need Pop-Up Art Show
Venue: Erin United Church
Date: Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Time: 3 - 8 pm
Event Details:
On Wednesday June 7, the Village of Erin joins big time cities including Washington, Edinburgh and Berlin in presenting a unique, traveling art show featuring the works of refugees who have fled war-torn countries and are now living in Greece.
“For the Love of Art” is being held from 3 to 8 pm at Erin United Church and will feature original works by child and adult artists from ten countries, with all proceeds from sales going directly back to each refugee. The show – co-sponsored by Erin Refugee Action and Erin United Church - is the brainchild of Kayra Martinez, a United Airlines flight attendant based in Athens. She founded the US-based charity “Love Without Borders For Refugees in Need” in 2017 after hearing about the horrible conditions in which asylum seekers were forced to live in northern Greece.
In addition to spearheading the gathering and distribution of clothing and other critical survival basics, Kayla’s group also recognized that art could have a crucial role to play as a means for self-expression among displaced children and adults, and as a tool for economic independence for many refugees. What started out as a simple gift of crayons and paper to children has transformed into an international pop-up art exhibition and a permanent gallery in Athens, giving a voice to thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Africa, which has inspired hope, healing and empowerment.
With financial donations from around the world, Love Without Borders purchases art supplies from local Greek vendors, then distributes them to artists in the refugee camps around the country; workshops are also held in the Athens gallery. Their finished works are subsequently transported by volunteers to cities around the world where they organize exhibitions and sell the art.
Love Without Borders founder Kayla Martinez will attend the June 7 show in Erin and will speak about the current refugee situation in Greece at 4 pm and 7 pm. Several art works will be live auctioned toward the end of the event. For more information: • Colleen Hawes, Erin United Church • 519-994-1923 • music5@sympatico.ca