Jasmine Spitler

FSU Global Scholars

Capstone Project

A Look at Atelier Favela

Atelier Favela is a Dutch-based organization that has two locations. It was first started in

Brazil, where it is now independently run after the couple who executed the plan of the setup

decided it was time to move on, as they are frequent travelers. They moved to Ticuantepe,

Nicaragua, circa Managua, and started up Atelier Favela’s second location in 2011. This couple,

Sabine Harmes, who studied product design at the Delft University of Technology in The

Netherlands, is a prominent visual artist and teacher in Nicaragua. Jean Piña is from Venezuela,

who grew up under similar circumstances as the children that Atelier Favela targets to work with.

He is very widely traveled and has many experiences to share as a result (especially teaching

topics like capoeira, percussion, and maculélé. The project works with two different age groups

and Sabine and Jean split the work based on that. Sabine would work with the younger group,

ages ranging from as young as 4 years old to 10 years old. Classes for the younger group are for

two hours in the afternoon after they’ve been let out of the local public school. Their classes

typically focus more on art, which is Sabine’s specialty. The older group, ages 12 years old to

23 years old meets for two hours in the evening to do capoeira and more athletics, because of

Jean’s specialty. Because Atelier was set up as a nonprofit organization, they have always

accepted volunteers. The way this works out is that there are three dorm rooms set up inside the

house, which is also where classes are held, one of which holds seven bunk beds where the

majority of volunteers would sleep. This was the original setup of Atelier Favela.

The organization’s name, Atelier Favela is not an English name. Atelier translates from

French to “workshop/studio,” and favela is Portuguese, translated to “slum.” Their mission

consists of promoting and providing an “art” education. Atelier and the team of volunteers have

taken that mission and determined that to mean what we considered “the art of the world,”

including music, dance, theater, capoeira, cooking, yoga, acrobatics, product development,

photography, and just about anything else us volunteers could come up with. It was our job to

plan for the week’s activities. When I decided on Atelier Favela, I knew going into it what our

core social issue would be working to address- the lack of art education and outlets for young

people in extenuating circumstances. However, beforehand, I never truly realized what that

actually meant. For starters, I didn’t understand that art could encompass so many different

things. This was a perspective I had never considered- that everything you could do in life was

art. That anything creative, or projects that were set outside the box, could affect young people

in a way where there would be a need for a cultural center. Honestly, I chose Atelier because I

wanted to have a new experience and determine exactly what that need was.

Now, this was not a focal point issue that had been discussed in the Omprakash forum in

the weeks preparing for my trip. So, there was no real way I could fully ready myself for what

was to come. You could say that Atelier Favela falls under the spectrum of, “education,” but to

some degree I would say that I disagree with that. It’s art appreciation and life appreciation

somehow mixed into one. The two coincide with one another. It’s exploring a different

perspective on life. That life is art. I didn’t know what that meant, and I had grown up with a lot

of things listed on the site that they had considered art. What kind of role does art education play

in a community like this?

So Atelier Favela provided a life-changing experience for me. Atelier’s main

mission was to change the perspectives of what these young people had on their lives. That in

order to truly live, you need to celebrate life as the traditional person celebrates art. Atelier’s

cultural center was meant to empower these young people to take on their lives as more than just

surviving, but really living life, and understanding what that really meant. I took a series of a

record of perspectives by gathering drawings from the younger students and taking pictures

during all of our lessons. Throughout this summer, one mantra kept coming up: Arte es vida- Art

is life. The younger students painted it onto their aprons we had them prepare due to the

frequent messes they would make during our art classes, and they even wrote it on the major art

presentation that was proudly displayed in the front of the house/school.

The older students had created new capoeira team T-shirts that had the same mantra on it as well.

If there’s anything Atelier Favela had managed to do, it was get their message of what they were

looking to combat in their small community. Its students and everyone surrounding them knew

what Atelier Favela was about- Arte es vida. Art is life.

Originally, Sabine and Jean worked to be heads of this organization and take charge of

the different aspects of what art meant to them. So, as aforementioned, Sabine would work with

more visual art projects with the younger crowd, while Jean took on more of an expression

through the body in capoeira and dance with the older kids. This schedule has stayed more or

less the same for the past three years. However, the project has gone through a series of changes

throughout those three years, which I understood more fully due to two volunteers who had

returned to Atelier Favela, and fellow travelers/former volunteers who had moved “permanently”

to Nicaragua (or at least for what may be considered a transitioning period, as they couldn’t stay

in one spot for too long before picking up and leaving again at their heart’s content). All were

friends of Atelier Favela, so getting their perspectives on the project was really important to me.

They represent a good idea of the timeline that Atelier Favela had gone through, and how they

were continuously working to address their core social issue, the lack of art education for young

people, and stressing its importance in its exposure for daily life.

The earliest volunteer I’d met was Lois. She had first been to Atelier Favela two years

before as a high school student with her class. She is also from The Netherlands, and Sabine had

set something up where Atelier could house her and the other students in the house as volunteers.

Lois then worked for two years to learn Spanish in order to return to Atelier Favela as she felt

her one week hadn’t been enough to adequately immerse herself and really feel a connection

with the community and issues the organization had been combatting. When Lois first arrived

two years ago, Atelier had a similar setup to the original plan previously described. There hadn’t

been too many volunteers, so they were more reliant on Sabine and Jean rather the idea of it

being on the volunteers.

The next group of people I’d met had been volunteers much more recently- within the

past year. They were currently living in Nicaragua, a decision they’d made after they finished

their year at Atelier. These were people very similar to Sabine and Jean, in their traveling

endeavors and history. In fact, most of them were actually from The Netherlands who knew the

organization due to Sabine. Atelier was much more different than what Lois had described.

Sabine and Jean were a less required force in the organization, and depended almost solely on

the volunteers. These were people in their late twenties and early thirties, for the most part

already finished with school, and were actually very efficient in how they ran Atelier. Lily was

in charge of the social media/marketing of Atelier, Debbie helped teach the younger kids, Jean

continued to teach capoeira until the group had been “baptized” and one of their own could lead

the classes, and Fem organized for anything and everything that happened in between. They

came up with their own way of doing things, created new house rules, and worked with what

their own individual strengths were instead of simply adhering to the examples set before them

by Sabine and Jean. This group had been there for about a year and knew how to get done what

needed to get done. They were all fairly fluent in Spanish, which obviously helped a great deal

Cheney returned in a fairly recent time frame, only six months. Her first time at Atelier

she had spent about a month and a half during her winter break (she is a college student). Things

had changed drastically at this point. Jean and Sabine were around more, however things were

going south in their relationship. They had separated and Jean went to northern Nicaragua near

the Honduras border where he now currently works for an environmental community project,

while still involving young adult community members in learning capoeira, which is what he

oversees. Jean had made a promise to the students of Atelier that he would continue teaching

capoeira every two weeks, but apparently that wasn’t a promise that had been kept, as I would

later find out during my time there. Sabine wasn’t around as much due to her moving into the

nearby container, a project where Atelier was planning on becoming completely independent of

the person the homeowner they pay rent to keep the place up and running. Therefore, the newer

volunteers were at a different point in Atelier’s development. They technically had Sabine, but

in a different way than Lois’s group. The idea was for Atelier to become more independent,

much like the group in Brazil. Sabine had appointed Silvana, a student from the older group, to

learn the ropes and help supervise and manage the volunteers. She was also learning English in

order to fulfill the job’s duties.

By the time I’d gotten there, Sabine was getting ready to leave for a trip back to the

Netherlands for the two months I was going to be there. Jean was still working on his project up

north, so Atelier was in the hands of its volunteers. However, our group all coincidentally signed

up to volunteering for roughly the same amount of time- about two months. Silvana began to be

in charge of all the administration of Atelier, including the preparation for new volunteers.

Although she wasn’t fully comfortable in English yet, the better Spanish speakers of the group

were able to make it work by translating both sides. This was the most interesting setup I’d

heard of from Atelier, with a local in charge of the administration and the volunteers- even when

the group of travelers had been there, Sabine had assigned a woman she knew from The

Netherlands to take over. This was the first time the volunteers were really on their own (in

terms of not having access to an administrator who was from the Global North and proficient

English). I would argue, therefore, that our group had a much hazier definition of what Atelier

was seeking to address. We’d all done our research, and we saw the mantra, “Arte es vida,” all

over the place, but I don’t think we are ever going to understand it as fully as Sabine would have

intended. We understood the concept behind it, but not the application of that concept. We ran

things the way we knew how, and went with the original schedule as much as possible. We

taught the younger kids in the afternoons classes that typically dealt with art in its more

traditional form, and athletics classes in the evening. One thing that had changed was that me

and Cheney, the best Spanish speakers of the group, had become unofficially designated the

“private lessons teachers.” This was a new development for Atelier. They had taught English

classes before, however it had never been for the younger group (which is who we were

primarily teaching during these private lessons), and they had never been private lessons in the

first place. The focus had never been on learning English as something that happened daily;

rather, it was more of a passing class for merry-weather volunteers. Therefore, students started

staying later for these lessons. We also had a few different skillsets that we introduced to our

group of students. I decided to teach the younger group the basics of Taekwondo, as I am a blue

belt. Another volunteer, Izzy, knew guitar, so she offered guitar lessons outside original class.

Emma also knew keyboard, and hence we began to offer keyboard lessons as well. All of these

developments occurred outside of original class time, targeting the students who were really

interested in learning the skills we were teaching. In regards to the older kids, Jean managed to

start coming more often to teach capoeira. However, Wilmar, the primary sports teacher on

Wednesdays stopped being available for classes due to him planning his trip back to Holland

(Wilmar is Sabine’s brother who had been with Atelier for almost the past year), which had

taken a toll on the kids. Between the two groups, I felt I made more of an impact with the

younger group than with the older one, however the end celebration of the baptism in capoeira

revealed something new to me. I saw how long they had all been practicing with Jean in order to

receive new belts. It was an amazing experience, and I saw that they had received the message

just as loudly; it had just been ingrained in them for far longer. They didn’t need us as much as

the younger group did.

My role in the community was situated in that way. We were the white volunteers, which

was a disorienting experience. I’d never had it spelled out as blatantly as that before, but that’s

the way this society functioned. Outside of the Atelier, as a white woman, I was harassed quite a

bit. Sometimes this carried on into inappropriate behavior from male students in the older group,

and even the older students from the younger group who just didn’t comprehend what they were

saying. I don’t think I was prepared for this, but I handled it by simply not responding outwardly

to them. I’m assuming there is a particular connotation surrounding white women, which were

the majority of the volunteers at Atelier. This sometimes made for some uncomfortable dealings.

We wanted to be friends with the students and be accepted in the community, but we also didn’t

want to fall into certain stereotypes, or feel uncomfortable due to situations we couldn’t avoid. I

honestly don’t really know how to define my role in the community based on that. I would say

the girls respected me as some form of “authority,” however; I am not obliged to say the same

for the boys.

In relation to the issues we were trying to address, I came into this thinking that I was not

a particularly artsy person, so I was antsy to find out what my place would be while working

with Atelier. I didn’t know how I would express who I was or what my personality was, which

was a legitimate concern for me. It was daunting- this was Atelier Favela! The website was so

full of life, the people and volunteers who worked there were so colorful, I was wondering if I’d

be able to keep up with the pace. However, I learned a lot about myself, and people in general,

while I was there. I now fully believe in Atelier’s mantra, that art is life. Art is everything, and if

we don’t give kids the chance to learn or express themselves, there’s no chance for further

development of the potential they hold. My stance on even the issue itself has changed

drastically since before I left for Nicaragua. Before I’d left, I didn’t fully know how I would

contribute to Atelier’s mission in addressing the need for art education in any form for students.

All I really felt confident in was teaching English. But then I finally stepped out of my comfort

zone and shared with them a part of my life. I think that’s the true goal Atelier is trying to reach

when looking art. For the students to understand that everything in life is art in some way. That

art is something to be appreciated, and by that argument, life is also to be appreciated. It is a

cultural center, not a school, for a reason- so that students feel empowered to appreciate life and

to make art, despite the lack of its presence in their schools.

I believe that the local perspectives on these issues are slightly different. Specifically

regarding the parents, I think they put emphasis on more survival type needs. This includes

meeting needs like providing health care, food, shelter, and education. Due to this focus, I

believe the value they held with Atelier may not have been as strong as kids’ were. It may have

been more that they saw that it was a fun for their kids to get involved with, but that was the

extent of it. The only time I saw all of the parents excited about an event that Atelier was putting

on was for the capoeira baptism. This was towards the end of my trip, although I also

acknowledge that I had also finally learned the true extent of what capoeira and Jean being their

teacher had meant to the kids alone. I am more than willing to admit that I’m analyzing this as a

foreigner who’s only getting a glimpse of what the organization I worked with for two months

really does. I believe it’s entirely possible that there’s a lot I’m missing. But from where I

stood, that was the first and only time I saw the parents get extremely involved with what their

kids/students were doing with Atelier.

As far as the kids went, their perspectives varied. As I mentioned earlier, there was the

issue with the male student/female teacher relationship. With that kind of lack of respect, it’s

hard to imagine that they saw much more from Atelier other than a good time. However, the

capoeira baptism revealed a lot for me in terms of that too. It didn’t reveal that specifically, but I

did see how they took learning that skill so seriously. Many had improved in just three short

years, getting to the level where they could teach others, something that is rarely actually

achievable in general. That shows impressive dedication. Therefore, I came to realize by the

end of my trip that even though I took a lot of the things said personally, as is my right, they may

not have meant those things personally. This doesn’t mean that they were right in what they

said, or that they don’t have to learn that it’s not alright to say things like that, but that doesn’t

make up their entire character.

Even though the other volunteers and I didn’t feel like we contributed all too much to the

older group (and for the most part, honestly, we didn’t), we could take away from them the idea

that somebody else had. Jean and Sabine had. It was so beautiful watching their baptism

because it was the culmination of everything they’d working and building towards for three

years, learning a new skill, mastering it, improving, teaching others. It was art, and they knew it.

They really appreciated Atelier Favela and having that opportunity to express themselves.

With the younger group, it’s a different effect. Because they were so much younger than

the older group, it was a lot harder to see what their perspective on it was. There were some who

got there early and would stay as long as they could. Some wouldn’t show up for weeks. I think

some really appreciated them and some didn’t. It was really hard to tell. I know that when they

did come, they enjoyed themselves. I’m assuming they saw it as some sort of play center, but

that’s alright considering how young they were. However, there was one girl who cried when

Cheney couldn’t teach her English one day. Her mother yelled at her, saying she didn’t want to

accomplish anything in the world and that she lied when she said Cheney hadn’t come. I was

surprised to see so much pressure on her. I hope she appreciated it as something more than just

learning English to make her mom happy.

Another thing to evaluate in terms of the locals’ perspectives includes Jean. Jean is a

tattoo artist, and also has an array of tattoos all over his body. He is also black, which is very

different than what many of the locals are used to. Apparently numbers had gone down in terms

of attendance recently due to the rising presence of Jean once Sabine was gone, ironically. A lot

of parents in the community referred to him as the “black devil,” and didn’t want to have

anything to do with Atelier Favela as a result. Jean is from Venezuela, so this was relatively

confusing- he wasn’t white. The locals didn’t have a problem with the white volunteers, but for

some reason, they had a problem with Jean. Jean said it was because many of the locals were

very religiously Catholic, and that the color white was valued, whereas black was looked down

upon- many people were actually scared of him just due to his skin color.

With the locals’ perspectives also came into question what us volunteers were trying to

accomplish. What our purpose in being in Nicaragua and working with Atelier was supposed to

do was something both the locals and volunteers frequently asked themselves. However, an

instance that stands out in particular when addressing this matter is when one of our students was

going through a financially rough time. Or rather, it was just hitting harder than normal.

Apparently since she’d been involved with Atelier Favela, Sabine would give her a certain

amount of money each month. She was in more particular need than the other students. Her

household consisted of only herself and her mother, whose health had been severely declining

for years. However, as Sabine started to make herself more sparse over the years from Atelier,

so did she make her money, so it seemed. It seemed that when things got hard, the student would

start to ask the volunteers for money by showing them a video Sabine had helped her make about

her living conditions and what her and her mother were going through. Most of us couldn’t give.

I’m assuming the video has been successful in the past, however because the student was not

happy with our answers. This response makes me wonder how that student really saw this

organization. Maybe she felt she was entitled to donations because of her socio-economic status

and she saw us as white volunteers. I honestly don’t know. I’m not sure this analysis is even

fair. But I feel like this is pertinent to share, whether I’m right or wrong, because it does shed

some light on the potential of how locals see volunteers, and how in particular she may have seen

us.

Local ideas and strategies for addressing these issues are much less than the actual issues.

For the most part, they don’t really see these issues. The way of life is much simpler in some

ways, despite certain difficulties they experience. That’s just like how anyone perceives their

own lives. They don’t see a problem until it’s pointed out to them. However, there were a few

ideas that I learned once I asked them and recorded it in my record of perspectives. One is that

application of keeping a local, particular a student or former student, involved with the

administration behind Atelier. This is pertinent to keeping the locals’ interests at heart, rather

than throwing darts in the dark and guessing, or worse, forcing certain views or ways of life on

them. Having that kind of partnership is important for numerous reasons, but perhaps the most

important being that in that value itself, is continuing to celebrate art and life. It empowers these

students, knowing that one, they can be in charge of something that they’re so proud to have

been involved in and accomplished so much, but for the sheer feeling of empowerment. That’s

the whole concept behind Atelier Favela- that the students are empowered by their expression of

art and celebrating their lives. Having positions like what Silvana had, or teaching capoeira is

essential to continuing the self-sustainability of an organization like Atelier, and is also frankly a

determinant of its ultimate success. Without the locals being involved and actively making

decisions for themselves, the whole project doesn’t exist.

However, that doesn’t go without being said some of the issues behind this sort of

independence. The older group was definitely still upset that Sabine and Jean had left the way

they did. They missed their capoeira teacher and without Sabine, sometimes things got really

chaotic. It wasn’t fair that they lost out on their capoeira teacher because he and his partner had

a falling out. That’s not what this project was supposed to be about. The lack of authority this

summer sometimes made the volunteers unorganized as well. Many of us couldn’t speak the

best Spanish, which made communicating with Silvana somewhat difficult. For a good portion

of the time, there was definitely a disconnect between the locals and the volunteers as a result.

Another idea Silvana had mentioned was having the parents more involved. Having their

parents there and so excited to see what they were doing would encourage addressing this issue

at home, which was really great. However, we didn’t know how to implement it until we got the

baptism up and running. By that point, it was the end of the summer. This made me reach the

conclusion that it’s very essential that the students have volunteers there for a longer period of

time.

I have been home for about a month now, and I miss Nicaragua and Atelier Favela

already. I know I learned a lot, and I can only hope I made some sort of impression on the

students. I have a much greater understanding of what it means to appreciate life and art, and

truly how much young people need to be to able to express themselves. Or really, anyone, for

that matter! I think the baptism at the end of the summer was an event that the whole community

could appreciate and they could exchange perspectives on what could be done to improve Atelier

and reaching the mission they saw that their kids loved so much. Sabine has returned to Atelier

by now, and I’m hoping that she’s helping make those changes alongside them. I wish best of

luck to the project.