SURAT: Within few weeks municipal school in Vesu will be completely transformed with the mosaics and murals on its walls. Interestingly, the artwork will be made by students of the school under the guidance of artists from the US.As part of a project being taken up in association with an NGO Pathshala, Robert Markey and Benjamin Swatez, both artists from US, are working with the students to help them explore brighter side of life. Both the artists are multi-talented and have worked in various art forms across the world. Besides working as professional artists their primary goal is to teach children various art forms. The duo has individually done several projects with children in conflict zones across the globe.The artists are doing a workshop with the students and will be participating in various other training and interactions in city during their stay."Our NGO works for educating children and we have been doing a lot of work for the deprived class. We came in contact with Markey and Swatez and invited them to do a workshop in city with students of municipal schools. They agreed and the students are having a wonderful time," said Sagar Papneja of Pathshala.Both Markey and Swatez see their efforts to work with children living in difficult situation as healing art while bringing them out of stress and pain. "I worked in different countries and areas in past 13 years. I like working with children in conflict zones to bring them out of trauma. I cannot change something bigger but at least I can make a child happy by helping learn the art," said Markey, who is training students in making mosaic.Swatez who is training the students for murals, said, "Working with children of conflict zones is like art therapy. In the beginning children face difficulties in expressing but gradually the art empties the darkness. It is great to see these children focused while working on the art."

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