Supriya Kharod has volunteered with SAHELI since the beginning of 2010. Her background in graphic design and advertising made her the perfect person to handle the design aspects of the 1000 Cranes of Peace campaign. Supriya designed the logo, promotional materials and a free-standing display incorporating over 1000 origami cranes as her first project for SAHELI. Supriya looks forward to volunteering for SAHELI on other such projects. You can see more of Supriya's art and graphic design work at http://www.supriyakharod.com . We asked her a few questions about her experience volunteering for the 1000 Cranes campaign.
How long have you been a SAHELI volunteer?
Not so long. Ketan (my husband) became a Board member in early 2010 and I pretty much jumped in on the 1000 Cranes fundraiser. I look forward to volunteering on more projects in the future.
Have you been involved in other activities besides the crane sculpture?
Not yet. I have a design & advertising background, so I helped with designing various materials for the 1000 Cranes fundraising effort. But I look forward to helping with future SAHELI projects - especially from an art/design standpoint.
How did you come up with the concept for the sculpture? What inspired you?
I once had an assignment in a college art class to take 100 of an item and turn it into a sculpture. That was one of my most favorite assignments ever and this project reminded me of that one. Of course, 1000 cranes is a LOT ! The challenge was to come up with something cool, which would be freestanding (due to unknown restrictions at display locations), transportable, and relatively
easy to create & assemble. SAHELI staff member Catherina Conte & I were brainstorming and we came up with the idea to do layers that would form a pillar. The final sculpture turned out taller than we had accounted for, but it's symmetry looked really neat.
Describe the process of putting it together.
It was a total learning process in many ways. We mentally had it all figured out, but of course, as we began to put it together, all kinds of little issues came up and we had to make adjustments on the fly. We weren't sure whether it would actually stand when it was completed. But luckily it did!
Our neighbor, Bob Sansom was very helpful in putting it together. He actually has the tools & know-how to do a project like this. I don't think I would have so confidently taken on this project without knowing he would be available to advise and help!
How many volunteers assisted you?
Pretty much all of the SAHELI Board & Staff helped out in various ways. There were a ton of cranes to fold and then glue onto the dowels. And the entire structure to build & paint. It was a lot of fun having "crane assembly parties" at our house.
What are your thoughts/feelings about Saheli and its mission?
I think SAHELI is a wonderful organization that provides a much-needed service to Austin 's growing Asian-American community. I hope the 1000 Cranes sculpture will give the organiztion more community exposure. I'm glad I'm able to use my art background to help out.
