Art Can Help People Cope

'Art Can Help People Cope'


By Molly Shen

DUVALL - On the anniversary of Sept. 11, families will gather at Ground Zero. Coming together in that spot on that day is part of their healing.

Some of those victims' families will meet teenagers from our area who want to help. They are young enough to be called kids, but old enough to understand sorrow.

"My mom went through cancer when 10," said 16-year-old Sam Matson. "And I, I was quiet. I didn't talk to anyone."

Sam found something to help him cope.

"Art can help people," he says. And not just the artist.

"I hope they feel a sense that someone cares about them," says Rachel Land.

Art can help the person who receives it. So the art students are creating 100 wooden boxes, each hand painted with a child in mind -- a child who lost a loved one in the 9/11 attacks.

They will distribute them at Ground Zero.

Chloe Dziok hopes to meet the person who chooses her box: "I would say 'I hope you like this box. I put a lot into it. I hope when you see it you can realize people still remember what happened. And they still care.' "

Each box contains a gift and a note. The message: that joy can come from sorrow and good can come out of tragedy.

It is a deep sentiment wrapped up in 100 wooden boxes.

"I hope he feels just loved and thought of," says Sam.

The students at the Northwest Art Center in Duvall still have a couple dozen boxes that need to be painted. And they could use money to help them ship the boxes.

If you'd like to help, send an email to annedz@msn.com.

Greg Delaney, Artist and Actor

Curtains, a film noir

On Saturday, August 12th, my husband (whom I fondly call Lord Nin) and I ventured out to Capital Hill. After wandering around the wonderful antique shops, we attended a sneak preview of a film noir named Curtains created by Bob Allen, with Greg Delaney as one of the cast members.

Curtains, is a murder mystery set in Seattle in the fall of 1948. The following is a synopsis from Curtain's website: During the final days of World War II, the Allies were finding caves loaded with Nazi loot: art, diamonds and gold bullion worth millions of dollars on the black market. Five GIs - Jerry Allen, George Walker, Stan Goddard, Lewis Riley, and Sonny "Angel" Carmen - smuggled some priceless stolen artwork out of Germany and into the United States. Lewis, Stan and George become Hollywood movie producers, while Sonny disappears without a trace and is presumed dead. But what happens when not all goes as planned? A buyer for the stolen paintings made contact with Jerry Allen. It appears the deal of a lifetime is about to be made... but the specter of death hangs overhead. To complicate matters, a private investigator with a drinking problem - Dick Woodrow - is hired by a seductive and dangerous dame full of secrets- Helen Dean - to locate Jerry Allen. The investigation attracts an FBI agent - Harry Weinshack - and a beautiful Russian spy - Valentina Romanova - and everyone has a private agenda.

Greg Delaney deliciously plays Stan Goddard, a dastardly Hollywood movie producer desperate for his big score. One of a group of soldiers who made it out of WWII with a dark secret, he's ready to hit it big and nothing better stand in his way.

Quoting the website, and mirroring my own sentiments “Curtains is, above all, a labor of love; and proof that a quality product can be made successfully and - most of all - independently from the Hollywood circuit.”Be sure to check out Curtain’s website at http://curtainsfilmnoir.com/ for more information!

To view Greg's beautiful wearable art on Lady Nin's website,

Wearable
Art from the Mind of Greg Delaney