SchoolArts - May/June 2007

The Cradle

Project Naomi Natale

Cradle created by Steve Bromberg.

airplanes that would actually fly. The younger brother would sculpt anything requested of him for merely a shilling, only to destroy it and start over for his next amazed customer! By the time I heard this story, both of the brothers had gone missing and were feared dead. Their fate still remains unknown.

Like so many millions of other anonymous and gifted children living in the slums, their potential as thriving and creative citizens of our global community slipped unnoticed and neglected through the falling sands of time.

Children living in sub-Saharan Africa.

In the spring of 2008 one thousand cradles and cribs made by artisans from around the world will fill an abandoned warehouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We call this vision the Cradle

Project.

The Cradle Project is an art
installation designed to represent
the plight of the estimated forty-
eight million children who have
been orphaned by disease and pov-
erty in sub-Saharan Africa. Our
mission is to promote awareness Goals of the Project
by engaging artists and their com- The Cradle Project’s landmark
munities, and to empower these Albuquerque installation will uti-
children by raising the financial lize the symbolism of empty cradles
support that will help feed, shelter, and falling sand to represent this
and educate them and encouraging loss. Our initial goal is to amass a
students in minimum of
this country If we can see potential in scrap 1,000 cradles.
^to ^engage ^with materials to build structures ^We ^believe
this ^pressing meant to cradle a child, then we ^that ^if ^we ^can_global _issue. _collectively _see
We _are _ask-can envision the potential of _enough _poten-ing teachers our world’s forgotten children. tial in pieces
and students of discarded
throughout the country to organize scraps to build structures meant to
the building of class cradles as part cradle a child, then we can extend
of our Cradles of Hope initiative. our imaginations to envision the
potential of our world’s forgotten
children. One thousand empty cra-
dles speak volumes about loss. The
wall of slowly falling sand in the
background symbolizes that these
lives, these cradles, this potential,
will all be buried—irrevocably.
Of course, if we are correct and
our visions do extend beyond the
possibilities of scrap material to the
lives of vibrant and hopeful chil-
dren, then the Cradle Project also
represents hope.

Inspiration

My inspiration came four years ago during my travels across Kenya’s landscape photo-documenting children who were living in slums and orphanages. The story of two brothers who had lived in Kibera, the second largest slum in Africa, caught my attention.

Both brothers were graced with amazing creative talents—one could build out of scrap metal small

Opportunity for Participation Because the context of the Cradle Project involves so many global issues and because the building of cradles from scrap material stimulates limitless imagination, resourcefulness, and personal expression, we believe that teachers and students alike will enjoy participating in our Cradles of Hope initiative.

The idea of transforming potential into actuality is fundamental to all aspects of the Cradle Project. From the 1,000-cradle installation in Albuquerque to the many participating classrooms across the United States, every participant in this project is committing to learn and to imagine, to connect themselves to the greater global population, and to transform hope into creativity and community awareness.

I strongly urge you to consider incorporating this project into one of your classes before the end of the school year. This issue is so important and any awareness we can spread is incredibly valuable. If you would like additional information on the Cradle Project and how you can contribute to it, please feel free to contact me at my e-mail address below.