Gallery Slideshow Paintings & Drawings BRYCS would like to express our deep appreciation to the dedicated teachers and service providers who suggested the wonderful artists and art works featured here. BRYCS is project of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) Click to move to the next slide

Mandela Design (Markers on Paper) – Samiro Yussef – Somalia, 10 th grade Jefferson County Public School My name is Samiro. I am from Somalia and I came to the United States on October 17, My father was a doctor in Somalia, when my sister and I were born. I do not remember Somalia at all because when I was a year and a half my family moved to a refugee camp in Kenya. While we were in Kenya, my little brother and two sisters were born. I lived in Kenya for fifteen years. I went to school there up to the ninth grade. Then my family moved to America. When I first came to America I was not very happy because there were so many people I did not know. It was the first time I saw such large buildings, especially the buildings downtown. Then I went to school at the ESL Newcomer Academy and made friends from all different countries. Now I am happier because I have friends and I am better at English. I like art class very much, especially making drawings. I like to draw household items. One time I drew an ashun, which is something they use to in Somalia to boil water. I like sharing part of my culture with my class mates. I play volleyball at my high school. I started playing because I learned about volleyball in P.E. class and I liked it. Now I am making friends on the volleyball team. In the future I want to be a general doctor like my father. I want to learn about treating people. I will have to go to college. When I go to college, I want to stay in Louisville because I know people here.

Untitled (Poster Paints) – Nestor Niyitunga – Somalia, 10 th grade Jefferson County Public School My name is Nestor and I am eighteen years old. Im from Burundi and I came to the United States in August I have been living in Louisville, Kentucky since I first arrived in the United States. When I arrived in America, I saw that it was very different from Burundi. There were people and cars everywhere. Everything is so expensive here! For example, people live in expensive apartments. In Burundi, I lived in a small house with my mom, dad, brothers and sisters. I like to play soccer with adults. I play at the Americana Community Center in Louisville a lot. But I do not play in winter because it was too cold! I want to go to college and be a doctor. I want to be the kind of doctor who helps people to solve their problems. For instance someone will come and talk to me about their problems and I will help them feel better.

Tuba (Oil Pastels) – Fred Tassy - Haiti, age 11 Milagro Center My name is Fred Tassy and Im eleven years old. I live with my dad and brother and sister. My sister is sixteen and my brother is fourteen. I was born in Haiti on February 4th I go to Banyon Creek Elementary School and Im in the fifth grade. I love playing football and reading, especially books about food. My favorite thing about the Milagro Center is going to the camp and I love drawing cars.

Harvest Squash (Oil Pastels) – Fred Tassy - Haiti, age 11 Milagro Center My name is Fred Tassy and Im eleven years old. I live with my dad and brother and sister. My sister is sixteen and my brother is fourteen. I was born in Haiti on February 4th I go to Banyon Creek Elementary School and Im in the fifth grade. I love playing football and reading, especially books about food. My favorite thing about the Milagro Center is going to the camp and I love drawing cars.

Leaves (Leaves and Tempura Paint on Canvas) – Debony Rodriguez - Mexico, age 6 Milagro Center My name is Debony Rodriguez and I am six years old. I was born in Mexico on July 17, I live with my dad, mom, cousin, and my three- year old sister. I go to Orchard View Elementary School and Im in the first grade. My favorite subject is math. I love to read and my favorite story is Cinderella. I also love to play basketball and play in the band. My favorite thing about art is painting and coloring and I love to play outside at the Milagro Center.

Untitled (Acrylic on Canvas) – Debony Rodriguez - Mexico, age 6 Milagro Center My name is Debony Rodriguez and I am six years old. I was born in Mexico on July 17, I live with my dad, mom, cousin, and my three-year old sister. I go to Orchard View Elementary School and Im in the first grade. My favorite subject is math. I love to read and my favorite story is Cinderella. I also love to play basketball and play in the band. My favorite thing about art is painting and coloring and I love to play outside at the Milagro Center.

Guitar (Oil Pastels) – Jaime Rodrigo Gonzales Garcia - Mexico, age 10 Milagro Center My name is Jaime Rodrigo Gonzales Garcia. I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico on April 30, I am 10 years old and I live with my mom, my brother, who is 8 years old, and my pet mouse. I go to Orchard View Elementary and Im in the 5th grade. My favorite subject is math and my favorite sport is soccer. My hobbies are art and computers and my favorite book is Mijos. I love everything about art and my favorite things about the Milagro Center are Ms. Kate, Ms. Sarah and all my friends.

Abstract Design (Oil Pastels) – Jaime Rodrigo Gonzales Garcia - Mexico, age 10 Milagro Center My name is Jaime Rodrigo Gonzales Garcia. I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico on April 30, I am 10 years old and I live with my mom, my brother, who is 8 years old, and my pet mouse. I go to Orchard View Elementary and Im in the 5th grade. My favorite subject is math and my favorite sport is soccer. My hobbies are art and computers and my favorite book is Mijos. I love everything about art and my favorite things about the Milagro Center are Ms. Kate, Ms. Sarah and all my friends.

Harvest Squash (Oil Pastels) – Jaime Rodrigo Gonzales Garcia - Mexico, age 10 Milagro Center My name is Jaime Rodrigo Gonzales Garcia. I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico on April 30, I am 10 years old and I live with my mom, my brother, who is 8 years old, and my pet mouse. I go to Orchard View Elementary and Im in the 5th grade. My favorite subject is math and my favorite sport is soccer. My hobbies are art and computers and my favorite book is Mijos. I love everything about art and my favorite things about the Milagro Center are Ms. Kate, Ms. Sarah and all my friends.

Untitled (Acrylic on Canvas) – Katia Jean-Louis - Haiti, age 8 Milagro Center My name is Katia Jean-Louis and Im eight years old. I was born in Haiti on April 23, Im an only child and I live with my mom. I go to Pine Grove elementary school and Im in 3rd grade. My favorite subject is Art because its fun and exciting! I also like basketball and roller skating and I love books about Junie B. Jones. My favorite thing about the Milagro Center is that we get Christmas presents.

Muchas Lunas (Acrylic on Canvas) – Ricardo Gonzales - Mexico, age 8 Milagro Center My name is Ricardo Gonzales and Im 8 years old. I was born in Mexico on April 26, I live with my mom and my brother, who is 10 years old. I go to Orchard View Elementary School and Im in the 3rd grade. My favorite subject is Math. Also, I love soccer and reading Spiderman books. My hobbies include playing games and painting. The best thing about art is all the colors! My favorite thing about the Milagro Center is music.

Untitled (Acrylic on Canvas) – Ricardo Gonzales - Mexico, age 8 Milagro Center My name is Ricardo Gonzales and Im 8 years old. I was born in Mexico on April 26, I live with my mom and my brother, who is 10 years old. I go to Orchard View Elementary School and Im in the 3rd grade. My favorite subject is Math. Also, I love soccer and reading Spiderman books. My hobbies include playing games and painting. The best thing about art is all the colors! My favorite thing about the Milagro Center is music.

Awer Bul – Sudan, age 24 ( Virginia Commonwealth University Greetings, My name is Awer G. Bul, born in 1983 and raised in the bush. I say this because I grew up in the midst of the Sudanese civil war. I am one of the Lost Boys from Sudan and Art saved my life. Since we were denied to go to school, I did not know of any other ways I could tell my story except by using a universal language. I would define Art as a universal language of all the people around the world. I started Art when I was at least six years old, one year before the war came to my village. I was using the simplest of traditional art materials as I would burn cow dung to produce the color white, and grind charcoal to get black. My main canvas was just the mud wall in my house and my fingers were my paint brushes. When I was 7 years old I fled by myself; without my parents, to Uganda and then Kenya where I encountered similar instability and insecurity as in Sudan. I lived in Kenya for at least six years eating one meal a day and lacking health care. With how much I suffered, I did not know if I would survive the war. Growing up in Africa, I thought America was only for rich people and the chances of going there was impossible for someone who was poor like me. Because of my art skills though, I was one of the lucky boys who was given a chance that I didnt think was possible – coming to America. Since I could not speak English I used my art skills to communicate my story to international aid workers in my refugee camp in Kenya. They blessed me with the opportunity to come to America because of my drawings, even though I had not previously qualified for relocation (only refugees who had arrived in 1992 were qualified for relocation at the time and I did not arrive in the camp until 1994.) With the help and greatness of the United States, I was gracefully accepted here in my adopted country. I came to Richmond, VA in December 2000 and shortly thereafter started attending J.R. Tucker High School and working at the local grocery store - Food Lion. I am now a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University and a full-time Art student majoring in painting and printmaking with plans to double major in kinetic imaging. It is very important that people know that I believe helping others is a natural extension of myself like my Art. I am always working to improve myself, and through my Art I have been able to deal with traumas from the atrocities of war, separation from my family, the loss of my home and homeland, and the poor conditions of refugee camp life. When I do art I feel like I have let out all things that are in me. Art is a way for me to respond and to give. Regards, Awer G. Bul 2006

Cattle (Oil on Canvas) – Awer Bul – Sudan, age 24 Virginia Commonwealth University Awer Bul, is a young Sudanese artist currently completing a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and Communication at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. His Web site displays his paintings, photographs, and a short documentary titled Living in Exile, which the artist states deals with transformation, not only in mind and body, but also in location and spirit. His web site, showing more of his fine work, is

Life of Refugee (Oil on Canvas) – Awer Bul – Sudan, age 24 Virginia Commonwealth University Awer Bul, is a young Sudanese artist currently completing a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and Communication at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. His Web site displays his paintings, photographs, and a short documentary titled Living in Exile, which the artist states deals with transformation, not only in mind and body, but also in location and spirit. His web site, showing more of his fine work, is

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