The cultural education course "My Story" has been taking place weekly at the Künstlerhaus since 2015.
In addition to art education, the focus is on deepening the linguistic and cultural knowledge of the constantly participating children with a migration background. Many children come from educationally deprived to illiterate homes and have little or no participation in communities in our society apart from school.
In 2018, "My Story" was awarded the "Dortmunder Löwe" sponsorship prize along with nine other projects by the jury of the Lions Club Dortmund-Rothe Erde headed by Mayor Birgit Jörder. In addition, Linda Opgen-Rhein was invited by the Department for Children and Youth to present her concept as one of several Dortmund examples at a two-day symposium of the Weimar initiative "Gutes Aufwachsen im Revier".
"My Story" has been cooperating with Lessing Primary School in Gneisenaustraße / Dortmund since 2019.
Head teacher Stephanie Kreutzkamp is keen to continue the cooperation in the future and says: "Our school is located in a district with special challenges. Outside of school, the children hardly know their neighbourhood, and joint family activities usually take place rather rarely. The cooperation with the Künstlerhaus offers the children the opportunity to build up trust in the neighbourhood. The activities with Mrs. Opgen-Rhein expand the social and personal competence of each child in a special way. Children are seen in their strengths and can perceive and develop them. This simply gives our children a good feeling."
A documentation brochure on the project can be requested.
In the second Corona-winter, in December 2021, "My Story" has started again in cooperation with Lessing Primary School. The topic "Landart - art and creative design in and with nature" is a welcome (learning) project as an "outdoor action" after the extreme pandemic restrictions. There is great demand from the children of all classes, but so far only a maximum group size of ten children is possible.
The following pictures are the beginning of a process that will be constantly documented and, as always, summarised in My-Story-diaries as an independent work.
We are still at the beginning and need a lot of soil, flowers and patience, but we hope to find many supporters. Anyone who would like to visit or talk to us is cordially invited.
Following pictures document the development from ‚LandArt’ to a ‚LandArtGarden’. The defined area in the schoolyard and the ‚reading-hut’ give the children an impression of space and a feeling for three-dimensionality. They gain from the practical work by hand in combination with careful treatment for plants and insects. ‚LandArt’ teaches our co-existance with other living creatures and organisms. And the best place living together can be experienced is a garden.
As an art workshop, a group of pupils from Lessing Primary School came to the Künstlerhaus every week and, after short relaxation and concentration exercises, worked there on stories read aloud or on exhibitions shown in the Künstlerhaus.