ART HOPE Origami Project
CREATE A Wellness Crane
LEARN THE ART OF ORIGAMI
Creative Wellness Enrichment Program by Laura Jaquays
Create a wellness crane and a hopeful wish for health, happiness, prosperity, and peace
In the spirit of creative wellness, everyone, everywhere is invited to download the program and create a wellness crane. It’s an inspiring project for artists, students, teachers, families, health and wellness groups, community organizers, and all people of all ages.
A WAY TO WELLNESS
Origami is the traditional art of folding paper. Since the invention of paper, artful folding techniques were developed and shared from culture to culture, generation to generation, teacher to teacher, artist to artist, friend to friend, storyteller to listener.
Like creativity, origami begins ordinary and is transformed into something extraordinary. A common square of paper is folded into a beautiful and practical thing. With a little patience and practice, it’s easy to learn and love. The process nurtures mindfulness through a sequence of folding techniques and the metamorphosis of a 1-dimensional paper into a 3-dimensional work of art. At every age, it’s a creative skill that improves dexterity, enhances memory, and builds confidence and capacity in the arts, mathematics, and science. Origami is a way to wellness.
CREATE HAPPY MAGIC
The ART HOPE Origami Project is offered for creative wellness enrichment to support self-care, and for sharing and caring with community.
When we art-make cranes, we enjoy a hands-on creative process. When we art-take cranes, we see the beauty and feel the expression of a whimsical creation. When we art-give cranes, we share love and gratitude and a wellness wish with others. For each folder and each crane folded, for each person who receives a crane folded with care, it inspires goodness and wellness blessings.
Paper cranes are truly happy magic. They have a healing gift for making smiles happen. Smiling is a symptom of wellness.
SHARE JOY
In the spirit of ART HOPE, make an origami crane for someone else. One at a time, create a wellness crane and give it to a person you know or don’t know who will benefit by a gesture of good will. Gather with friends to co-create and fold cranes for a community group or organization to support and care for others. Teach people of all ages how to fold cranes and open them to the wonders of origami
Imagine the positive healing power of a single paper crane. Now, imagine that thousands of people make thousands of cranes to give to thousands of people as an act of loving kindness to uplift their well-being. Now, imagine that all the cranes bless all the people and their creativity takes flight. Happy magic, indeed.
Every crane is a hopeful wish for health, happiness, prosperity, and peace that evolves our human empathy and connection. In stressful and turbulent times, and in every precious moment when we come together in celebration, the whimsical bird is a simple way to wellness and share joy. They are a ready remedy in the medicine bag for the greater good.
WINGS TO FLY
The ART HOPE Origami Project was fledged with roots in community arts and health. Laura Jaquays is a teaching artist who developed the program over two decades as the founder of the nonprofit ART HOPE, and facilitated intergenerational origami gatherings in collaboration with schools, healthcare organizations, and arts groups in Maine.
The legacy of this work is to spark and enrich creative wellness, for individuals and communities, in ways that build artistic skills and confidence, enrich personal growth, foster connectedness, and give creativity wings to fly.
