Lily Yeh Healing Through Art & Beauty

 "Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired." - Mother Teresa

her heart heard the calling
she stretched beyond the fear
inner light spread transformation

I heard Lily Yeh on an NPR program yesterday. I so impressed to hear how this woman is using art to heal communities. She quoted Mother Teresa. "Let my heart be broken so the whole world can fall in."

Then I found an artilce about her on Gather.com Losing Your Religion: Lily Yeh's Mandala Journey (December 18, 2009) By Ann M. Part of this article is below:

As an example, consider the life of artist-activist Lily Yeh. In her own words, "I got in touch with my inner light.  Now I use it to ignite other people's pilot lights.  Making art in a destitute place is like lighting a fire in the dead of night."

Lily Yeh began her outreach in inner-city Philadelphia, creating mosaics (often in mandala or tree of life patterns) in abandoned lots. Her helpers included children, homeless persons, and drug addicts.  Says Lily "We are all broken in one way or another. We put our heads together like broken pieces of tile."

Lily formed a bond with a homeless drug addict, Joseph Williams, who eventually became sober and also became her spiritual guide.

Later, with the help of another guide, Lily felt called to heal the wounds of genocide in a Rwandan village. She helped the community construct an elaborate monument containing the bones of their loved ones, providing a sense of closure to their mourning. During this process, the people of the village learned how to build mosaic and pour concrete, both marketable skills.

Lily then asked the Rwandan children to create paintings of things they hoped to see in their future, such as cows and computers. Thanks to Lily's catalysis, the village eventually became profitable by African standards, acquiring livestock, sewing machines, and solar panels.

May appreciate how much beauty heals and honors