I did a soul shoes project with a mixed group of kids. We talked about the ways in which children survive everyday in ways that we could never possibly relate to. They decided it would be cool to create shoes as organically as possible to represent the earth and the way in which no matter what, no matter who we are, we walk on its soil everyday. The material choices also symbolised simplicity as some kids were quite aware that there are many children in the world that live with nothing. They only had recycled brown paper and a very limited amount of sticky tape. And these were their creations! – Sylvie Meltzer, Teacher/Artist/Performer- Hua Mao Multicultural Education Academy, Ningbo, China
Sylvie Meltzer is a master at life. Full of joie de vivre, Sylvie exerts so much energy and imagination into everything she does it is sometimes a wonder how she can still stay in her human body. The shoes that she and her students created are worthy of the Musuem of Modern Art. Eve Hesse, the great American artist, could not have done better. Thank you Sylvie and your fine cohorts.- Jinx Davis