Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is it called "Claiming Face"?
Our faces are the most obvious and the most vulnerable representation of ourselves. Growing up Chicana in a sea of white faces and being called names as a child, Maya felt that the only way she could feel empowered would be if she totally claimed her face. She felt that if she claimed her own face, she was taking a step toward claiming all of herself in every deep and superficial way. In this way, her face could not be held against her, by herself nor anyone else. It is out of this realization, and the understanding of how self-portraiture had assisted her in claiming her own face and self, that the name Claiming Face settled into place.
So the Claiming Face curriculum teaches my student/child how to draw and paint?
Not necessarily, our curriculum is not about teaching a child to draw a chair that looks like a chair. While art skills will most likely develop through engagement with our curriculum that is not the primary goal. Our curriculum is about engaging the child in the creative process and allowing that child to explore and express that which is often non-verbal through carefully designed yet simple projects. At the end of the day a child could draw something that some might label as "hideous" or "ugly," that's not the point. The point is that they are learning to use creativity to journey within and be present with themselves and to create their own reflection on paper for what they need in that moment.
More FAQs coming.
Do you have a question about Claiming Face? Feel free to contact us using the form below. If it's a good one, we may just feature it on our site.
"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for."
- Georgia O'Keeffe
Reflection Press | San Francisco, CA | info@reflectionpress.com | 
