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Thursday, November 1, 2001
Art of the East
Auction of Asian children's artwork at cultures museum to benefit orphanage in China
By Brendan Walsh
Caller-Times

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Paintings, such as this one, from Chinese students will be sold in a silent auction Saturday at the Asian Cultures Museum. Proceeds will go to an orphanage in Yanji.

Kelly Linn has hiked in Hawaii, cruised the canals of Amsterdam, rode a bike through Berlin and visited the museums of Paris, but she calls a two-week trip to an impoverished agricultural city in northeastern China "the best vacation I've ever had."
   In May, Linn went with a group of doctors and medical personnel to the city of Yanji, population 430,000, near the borders of North Korea and Russia. The loosely organized humanitarian group Linn joined makes frequent trips to underdeveloped regions of the world, and provides medical training and equipment. In Yanji, members of the group have also opened an 80-bed orphanage, needed to help house the many North Korean children that escape that country's problems by crossing the border into China.

Contributed photo

Students in Yanji were asked to ‘look into their hearts and paint something they felt strongly about.’

   Unlike most of the people on the trip, Linn is not a doctor, nurse, or medical technician. She's a pharmaceutical saleswoman for Pfizer, and heard about the trip to Yanji while she was making a sales call to Dr. Ray Graf, a local cardiologist who frequently goes on such medical missions. Intrigued, she asked if she could join the team.
   "It's funny, because you think all the time 'gosh, that's sad, but what can I do?' I'm guilty of that," Linn said.
   While she didn't have a medical background, Linn wanted to do whatever she could. A former teacher with a degree in art education, Linn offered to use her vacation time to work on an art project with kids in the orphanage.

Click here to view a larger version

   "The idea behind the orphanage is that it's an oasis of hope for these children," Linn said. "Art is an international language, and I went over there with the idea that it would be great to do some art with the kids." Her plan was to bring the kids' work back to Corpus Christi to sell at a fund-raiser for the orphanage.
   When Linn and the rest of the team arrived in Yanji plans had to be somewhat modified. The orphanage had just opened and only three kids were using the facilities so far. So, Linn arranged to visit several local schools to work on the art project with students.
   Starting a class for the first time was not easy, though. While Linn says she's not self-conscious or at all afraid to speak in public, "walking into this classroom with 30 little kids, I thought I was going to die I was so nervous."

What: Hearts of Yanji reception
When: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Asian Cultures Museum, 1809 N. Chaparral St.
Cost: $10 donation for adults, free for children
More Info: (361) 882-2641

   The children were all sitting at their desks with their arms folded. After a moment of terrifying silence the kids, seemingly on cue, all burst into a short round of applause, shouted out "ni hao" (Chinese for "hello") and just as quickly resumed their stoic postures. Unsure of how to react, Linn organized the materials she had brought, took a deep breath, faced the kids and shouted "ni hao" in return. The kids broke out in laughter and Linn knew everything would be fine.
   With the help of a translator, Linn asked elementary and secondary school

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Before Saturday’s art auction, children who attend will be asked to create artwork to send back to Yanji, where the works will brighten the walls of a new orphanage.

children to "look into their hearts and paint something they felt strongly about." The images they created, and that will be up for auction Saturday at the Asian Cultures Museum, are powerful.
   In one, a girl's arms are reaching for three white doves, a symbol of peace. In another, a figure is shown praying, with tears streaming down his face. In the background is a red sun and a dark image in the shape of North Korea.
   The paintings from Chinese students will be sold in a silent auction Saturday at the Asian Cultural Museum. Proceeds will go to the orphanage in Yanji.
   Before the auction, children of the event's attendees will be asked to participate in a creative cultural exchange. They'll be supplied with art supplies and asked to create artwork to send back to Yanji, where it will brighten the walls of the new orphanage.
   There will also be snacks, wine, refreshments and Chinese dancing and singing during the evening.

Contributed photo

Kelly Linn works on an art project with a young student at an elementary school in Yanji.

   Caroline Kroeger, a registered technician at Christus Spohn Hospital Shoreline, has twice gone to China on medical trips. She says the experience is rewarding. "It makes me grateful for what we have over here, and teaching people is great. They're like sponges - they want to learn so much," she said.



Contact Brendan Walsh at 886-3763 or walshb@caller.com

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