Melanie Boling and “Road Rash”, a two piece set of acrylic on canvas.
I have recently updated my fine artwork collection here on the Imagery Beyond Borders website. Please use the drop-down link in the upper right corner to find the fine art folder. All pieces are for sale and 100% of profits go directly toward art therapy programs offered through my family’s international NGO, Peer Wild.
Peer Wild empowers kids to find and use their voice through heart-centered storytelling and stewardship of their own backyard.
Peer Wild was born in 2017 after my children and I attended a Military Family Healing Adventure in Park City, Utah. Outdoor Therapy retreats have been an investment I have made into our own military family since 2013.
The Peer Wild Pilot-Program will eventually take place in the Hawai’i and Pacific Northwest, U.S.A . Once Canada opens back up (for good I hope), British Columbia is also on our list
Over the past few years, our NGO program has evolved into me teaching local indigenous children about photojournalism and conservation through the use of instant film cameras. This has taken place while I am in the field conducting research around the globe.
This idea came directly from my daughters back in 2019, and over the years we built an entire NGO based upon that foundational idea. How many kids do you know that dream up an entire NGO program at the ripe age of 9 and 10 years old? I just so happen to know two - and what amazing kids they are.
Our philosophy at Peer Wild is that “in this black and white world, to feel life in color”.
Art Therapy is something I have practiced since I was a child, and well into adulthood. As I have raised my own daughters, I have always integrated art therapy into my own parenting mindset. Raising my children utilizing art therapy has helped me guide my daughters to become the amazing humans that they are today.
Every kid deserves the opportunity to learn all about their own backyard and how to protect it.
Every kid deserves the opportunity to make art.
I feel it’s only right to share our family’s amazing gift with kids all around the world.
If you would like to support our NGO beyond purchasing a painting, we accept donations of instant film cameras and instant film. Our current lineup features Fuji Instax and Vintage Kodak Polaroid cameras. Tax-free monetary donations are welcome also.
More to come about Peer Wild in the coming months.
About the author:
Melanie began attending Harvard in 2020 to complete a Graduate Certificate in Human Behavior with a specialization in Neuropsychology. Boling’s research has examined extreme environments and how they can have a potential negative impact on humans operating in the extreme environment. During her time at Harvard, she has built a mental wellness tool called a psychological field kit. Implementing these tools will allow an individual to thrive in an extreme environment while mitigating negative variables such as abnormal human behavior which can play a role in team degradation.
Melanie Noelani Boling, Extreme (ICE) Environments Behavioural Ecologist, Peer Wild; and Graduate Student of Neuropsychology, Harvard University.
contact: melanie.noelani@gopeerwild.org