Yesterday, we were invited to lunch by the Center for Possibilities Foundation (CFP) to introduce us to Samantha Kaspar, a 19-year old artist.
SAMANTHA KASPAR
Samantha is a half-Filipino, half-Swiss artist with special needs who produces beautiful artwork. As you may have gathered from my previous blog post about CFP, I am a fan of people who work through their challenges and don’t let their problems define them as victims.
Samantha produces beautiful artwork, and she has been chosen as one of 8 artists to present their paintings on piña silk for the Fashion Arts Autism Benefit (FAAB) in New York on April 7. Her art will then be translated into clothing by featured designers Patis Tesoro and Anthony Legarda. She will be also be gracing the World Autism Awareness Day at the UN on April 3.
I actually really like Samantha’s artwork – there is an innocence to it.
I particularly love her shawls, especially the white one in the middle:
ART AUCTION AND MANILA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT
On January 28, the Center for Possibilities Foundation will stage a back-to-back event at the RCBC Plaza in Makati. At 5:30 PM, Samantha’s exhibit will open to the public, and at 7:00 PM, there will be a concert by the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), Asia’s first symphony orchestra, now on its 91st year! They will be doing “Soundtracks and Symphonies,” featuring the themes from famous movies, as well as a tribute to John Williams, and pieces from Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. They showed us sample clips and I am so excited to see the show!
I looked up the prices for the MSO concerts, and the Rush Hour series ones are surpisingly affordable! Price starts at P500 for senior citizens, and regular price is P700, with discounts for members and Ayala employees. I might invite my dad to watch one of these concerts when it’s available again, since he likes Henry Mancini.
Samantha hopes to fund her trip with the proceeds of the auction, so if you have fallen in love with any of her pieces, head on over to the auction on January 28! It’s all for a good cause, and who knows, they could be worth a fortune in the future!
If you would like to attend / help / contribute, please contact the CFP at http://centerforpossibilities.asia/ or (02) 723-1242 / (0918) 888-1759.
FAAB is meant to showcase the artistic talents of children with special needs. Samantha was diagnosed with autism when she was one and a half years old. Her parents discovered her talent for art when Samantha was very young and they saw her scribbling. It is one of her means of self-expression. She started formal art lessons 3 years ago. A teenager now, she loves to listen to music, and also loves getting her nails done!
The concert is for the benefit of Special Education (SPED) Centers that have been the focus of the Center for Possibilities’ recent efforts. To act as a venue for learning of indigent persons with special needs, each SPED Center is operated by a teacher trained in the SPED division of Reach International School.
The Sagada SPED Center has been up and running and will be enhanced with a series of livelihood and vocational programs that will be teaching skills for income-generating activities. “Caring for special kids is very taxing because it’s usually just a one-income household so we also need to help the parents improve their finances,” explains CFP founder, Dolores Cheng.
In Norzagaray, what they have right now is just the building itself. A fence, a water tank, and a playground are still needed. “We are also in the process of doing our due diligence by determining the number of special children in all the barangays relevant to Norzagaray. Next will be an orientation for all the parents within the community. We are subsequently planning for the provision of testing, diagnosis, and analysis for the children with special needs,” Cheng adds.
Enrolment in the SPED Centers is free so it helps alleviate the family’s cost of taking care of special children. If you would like to extend assistance, you may reach CFP at http://centerforpossibilities.asia/ or (02) 723-1242 / (0918) 888-1759.
“Samantha” and “Soundtracks and Symphonies” will be on January 28, 2016, 5:30pm at the Carlos P. Auditorium of the RCBC Plaza, Makati.
