Welcome to Art Relief International

Art Relief International works to transform the lives of struggling social groups in Chiang Mai, Thailand by offering them the opportunity to express themselves through an artistic lens.


Art changes lives. It is both a powerful means of expression and a recognized means of therapy – two things our participants badly need in their lives. ARI works to cultivate creativity, create an atmosphere of inclusion for groups that are often cast out and ignored, and encourage social change.

 

Our volunteer-based organization relies on dedicated and open-minded individuals looking to make a creative difference in the world. This unique opportunity to volunteer in Thailand rewards both volunteers and ARI program participants alike.
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Art Relief International Volunteer Blog

  • New School, Same faces 16 May 2012 | 11:49 pm

    After a week long hiatus from Thai Freedom House we were back and ready for some screen printing action.  This time, however, we were in a new location.  A little while back the folks who rented out Thai Freedom House's space had to double the rent on the beautiful, hard wood building where TFH students had been learning for 5  years.  Frustrated, but never losing hope, the wonderful staff at TFH quickly found a perfect replacement for both the school house, and for the new Free Bird Cafe, the delicious restaurant run by TFH that generates almost all of the funds for the school.

    While a bit further away than the last location, the new building is great, with almost identical dark hard wood floors, an area to run around in and play, and plenty of room for art!  When we arrived all the kids were out front playing some sort of rendition of monkey in the middle, in which the monkey is continuously pegged with the ball.  Amused (the ball was quite soft), we sat and watched until Lisa, the brilliant, fluent Thai speaking, extremely friendly founder of TFH swooped in to settle everyone down.

                   
    We were now ready to begin and, as usual, everyone circled up and started with chili chili. Once everyone had gotten the dance out of their systems, we had Cee explain the project.  We would first sketch out…