Moving events online has been challenging and in particular, events centering on tangible displays are tough to adapt. However, Club Rainbow, a non-profit organisation providing compassionate services to the families of children with chronic illnesses, did not let that stop them from going digital with their annual arts festival in 2020.
The Dreamseeds Arts Fest (DSAF) was set up in 2016 to showcase the artistic and creative achievements of beneficiaries, celebrate the freedom of creation and expression, and work with creative practitioners to invite public participation, building an inclusive arts community.
“It was definitely challenging as it was our first time organising a virtual festival. But we are heartened by how resilient our beneficiaries (and our artist-collaborators!) were when it came to adapting to new ways of working together,” said a spokesman for Club Rainbow.
Working within the Covid-19 guidelines meant that pre-fest virtual sessions were conducted via online platforms like Microsoft Teams and daily fest activities were held on Zoom. Beneficiaries showed great self-discovery, creativity, perseverance and empowerment in adapting to the changes.
Club Rainbow’s arts development initiatives aim to empower their beneficiaries through the arts and as such, Arts Development is one of CRS’ core pillars of support. Given the shift to virtual platforms, Club Rainbow is planning out its year-long arts programmes and continues to look for greater opportunities to expose beneficiaries to different arts development mentorships and creative collaborations with local artists and arts groups.
Children under the Dreamseeds Visual Arts programmes can even be commissioned for their artwork which is then reproduced on different items such as corporate gifts, tokens of appreciation and door gifts.
