At first glance, I would have little to offer an art school. My artistic talents are limited to Photoshop manipulation, and accidentally taking some decent photographs. When I first became involved with the Koghb Art School almost two years ago, I had no clue the direction it would take me. The school is run by three talented young women who do a lot with very little. Together, we have done numerous computer trainings, started a local English club, started a handcraft business, and celebrated more holidays than I ever did in America. To me, they represent the potential youth have in Armenia; given the political “situation” of the last few months, it’s nice to see motivated people who will enthusiastically and democratically develop their communities and nation.
Anyway, as I prepare to leave, we’ve talked about ways to expand the coverage of their school and the possibilities for selling their artwork and handiwork in new markets. As an IT guy, the first thing that popped into my mind was “web site!” It was an adventure for both of us (my first venture into multi-lingual sites; their first time thinking about how to market themselves), but today I am proud to announce the launch of:
I would love to hear everyone’s feedback on the site, as it’s still an ongoing effort. In my eyes, this is a great accomplishment for a school which, when I arrived, didn’t have a working computer, and is now both technically literate and showcasing their talents to the world. This truly is 21st century Peace Corps!
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4 Responses:
April 29th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
From a future PC trainee point of view … looks great!
Look like most of it (if not all) was done using PHP?
April 29th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
An active blogging component of the site would be interesting if possible to implement in terms of technical resources. Would be an interesting way to perhaps communicate the lives, thoughts and dreams of the pupils through their artwork — perhaps with some commentary too. Even in Armenian it might be an interesting way for that communication to be enabled between kids in the regions with those in the capital and the Diaspora.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Armenia: Art School Online…
Kyle’s Journey in Armenia, a Peace Corps Blog, proudly announces the launch of an Internet site for the Koghb Art School. The move is not only part of work to help gain the school exposure, but also part of a project to make rural communities self-su…
May 4th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Looks really good and professional! Not that I’m surprised. Nice work, and funny wedding story 🙂