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WHAT IS THE RIVER?
The idea of the river came about while I was working in Beirut with students from war-torn Iraq and Syria.
I wanted to empower these strong, beautiful,
talented artists not only to become better musicians but to have an image of beauty and strength that
they could hold on to even in the midst of chaos.
I thought of a project I had recently completed in the Amazon rainforest and realized
that there were strong parallels. Thinking of the natural beauty, exquisite biodiversity
and relentless determination of all the creatures I encountered
not only to survive but to thrive, I realized that it is also the nature of art to survive and to grow, even in the most difficult
of circumstances.
The image of a river entered my mind; a river of strength and of beauty, of music and art and beautiful
memories and courage. A river which flows deep within us and never runs dry. A river which, though we may sometimes forget.
always flows through us if only we remember to look.
- Susan
McDonald - Founder of Remember the River
The river is both
literal and figurative. Within each of us flows a river in which
lives everything beautiful... every lovely image, every exquisite sound, all that
is good and noble and comforting.
Through artistic expression, it is our goal to help those who are suffering to
access the river of beauty within so that they may remember and pass on the
message to those around them that there is still hope .
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