Photo: Brooke McCarthy / WBZ NewsRadio
NAHANT, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — You can't wait on the world to change— that's the message that one artist is teaching to students at Johnson Elementary School thanks to funding from the Nahant Education Foundation.
The non-profit organization puts together funds to channel into programs that strive for learning excellence, and in this case, its enabling Marblehead-based artist Ties Jan de Blij to speak to Nahant students and work with them on a permanent mural project around the school. In those pieces, students are working to depict themselves working to conserve the environment.
Starting Monday, Jan de Blij will visit Johnson Elementary for a five-day-long venture to teach part of his expertise in abstract expressionism and the role art can play in bringing awareness to various issues. One of such issues is climate action, something students are passionate about.
"Being here by the ocean, it's just so clear to them that it's happening, and something they can really be a part of helping. It's really exciting to see our children come home from school, educating us about climate change and excited to create art to bring attention to it," said NEF President Lisa Bell.
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Jan de Blij says he's a big fan of art projects where many people can contribute.
"[They] really, deeply care about these issues, and want to make the world a better place. Hopefully they will think back about this project and about the things they learned," Jan de Blij said.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) reports.
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