The future is BRIGHT
Ghana | In this blog we are happy to share more news from the workshops in Ghana, organized by Edwin Otta and Thamon van Blokland and sponsored with materials by the Royal Talens Foundation. This time, the workshops took place at a Senior High School in a small town called Wiamoase, located in the heart of the Ashanti region.
A mural for the school
Thamon and Edwin reached out to the school with the idea of hosting a series of workshops for the visual art department of their school. The goal of these workshops was to collectively come up with a design for a mural painting on the school wall. After a couple of meetings with the school's officials, they received approval from the headmaster to host our workshops.
The workshops themselves were hosted by Thamon van Blokland and Rachel Owusu. The first workshop was attended by more than 50 third-year visual art students, who almost didn’t fit the classroom!
Workshop 1: What does the future hold?
The workshop started with an inspiring discussion about possible career paths in the art industry and an introduction to social design. From there, they went on to discuss the most important question: how do these students see their future in today’s society in Ghana? The answer to this question would then be the start for the design for our mural painting. And after some playful exercises to loosen the students up and having them write their thoughts on paper, they concluded: BRIGHT is the future they foresee for themselves.
Workshop 2: Collective design
The aim of the second workshop was to collectively design the letters for the word BRIGHT together with a group of 25 visual arts students. To have all the students work in the same style, Thamon and Rachel cleverly had some shape tools cut out with a laser cutter. With these tools the students could let their creativity go wild, while still working within the same framework or style. Next to that, the students had coloured pencils, Sakura fineliners, and thick A4 paper sheets to draw and sketch their letters, sponsored by the Foundation.
The students proved to be very productive and within two hours they ended up with a table full of variations of the letters for the word BRIGHT. The name of the student was written on the back of every letter variation and then the students were given the opportunity to hand-pick their favorite composition of letters.
Thamon, Edwin and Rachel were very happy with the end results and the enthusiasm the students exhibited during these workshops.
Impressions
Below you can see some images which give an impression of the workshop. It was both creative and very fun! Curious about the other workshops in Ghana? You can read about it here.
Supported projects
Throughout 2024, the Royal Talens Foundation supported an art program for 158 young people in Cuernavaca, Mexico, run by WereldOuders and their partner organization Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) Mexico. For many of these youngsters who have already faced significant difficulties in their young lives, creative expression has become a vital tool for healing and personal growth.
Read more
The Royal Talens Foundation has donated art materials to support a comprehensive two-year community program in Peru. The initiative, run by WereldOuders and their partner organization Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) Peru, serves 50 families, including 130 children and 150 young adults living in extremely challenging conditions.
Read more
In March 2025, 72 students from IMC Weekendschool in Amsterdam Noord and Zuidoost embarked on a creative journey exploring the theme “The Future of Amsterdammers.” Over four weeks, these 10- to 11-year-olds immersed themselves in the world of visual arts, guided by four contemporary artists and supported by Royal Talens Foundation materials.
Read more
The Royal Talens Foundation has provided art materials to the Palestine Humanitarian Response Centre (PHRC) for their upcoming Children's Hub in Cairo. This initiative aims to offer creative outlets and trauma relief to Palestinian children who have fled Gaza and currently lack access to formal education.
Read more