Jackson Hole artist Suzanne Morlock will join the U.S. non-profit Cross Cultural Collaboration (www.culturalcollaborative.org) , an educational organization working with students from around the world, to work on a variety of paper-making projects in Ghana, Africa. Morlock will spend three weeks this August in Ghana, fulfilling a mission to promote cultural exchange and understanding through art.
Although Ghana provides six years of free, compulsory education, school curriculums are limited, says Morlock. “There is a focus on reading, writing and math, but no exploration of technology or the arts,” she says.
Morlock, Teton County Library’s Public Service Manager, will work with over 40 students daily at Aba House, CCC’s cultural center. She will supervise current projects and create new ones using papers from locally grown sugar cane fibers.
While teaching artistic techniques, these craft projects have another
purpose: creating saleable items to help students earn money for school supplies not provided by state sponsored schools. Morlock lists books, pencils and writing paper as some of the basics students still need. She adds that the summer should see the addition of a new library and webpage design project at Aba House.
Morlock says that though weekends are weekends, children come to the program seven days a week. The kids are learning values, rather than simply relying on bartering or begging. Children will work with other mediums and create art using materials other than paper.
“Here in Jackson we are experiencing some economic slowdowns, and I believe 
this kind of service is even more important as we realize how connected we are globally. Culturally diverse experiences strengthen and influence our communications as humans living on one planet. I’m sure I will learn more than I will teach,” says Morlock, who also needs help now with projects such as gathering and shipping books, computers and art accessories to Africa.
Want to know more? Contact Suzanne Morlock by emailing [email protected]
Tammy Christel 
